Had this come up last week. I check the helmets, and one of the team's helmets has a sizeable crack in the side of it. So I give it to the manager and you know how it goes. So about the third or fourth inning, a batter comes to bat wearing that helmet that I threw out before the game. I called time and made him switch to a different one. Should I have issued a warning or someting else? I never had this come up before, and so I was usure of the correct way to handle it.

Can't speak for everyone but I am to issue a specific warning to the player and his next trip to the batter's box with the broken helmet is his last for the day. Need a sub coach.

Now personally I would talk with the coach and insist the helmet be removed from the dugout as well since apparently it was not put away well enough and a player still managed to find it and wear it.

I am all for safety of the players... but you are the first umpire I have ever heard of checking the helmets before the games....

Here in Illinois, we check the bats and helmets before the games. Do you check the bats?

Since the manager has already proven he can't handle this situation I would ask the batter to get another helmet and get him to hand the one he has on to me, and I would then make sure it makes it to a trash can on the opposite side of the field.

There is a little thing called a NOCSE seal, that every legal helmet had better have. That is why the umpires must check the helmets.

Oh.... I've never personally or had a partner check a bat or helmet before the game.

I've only checked bats upon complaints (ie - using a minus 5) from the other team....

It's not common practice to check these things here....

Mandatory in Florida.

Are you speaking of Fed ball? Minus 5 is meaningless, more less, these days. We look for the BESR logo.

And, exactly where is this place, "here", where umpires do not check bats or helmets?

I had the home team throw three helmets out (or at least get them out of the dugout) last week.

In WI, we check all bats for the BESR seal (and feel them to ensure they are not flattened), and check all lids to make sure they have the NOCSAE seal and have no cracks. ANY crack gets it tossed.

BTW, I check all bats and lids in college games too.

--Rich

We check "here" too.

helmets
 

I do the required inspections of hats and bats for Fed games
It is amazing to me how many of the cracked helmets just break away during my inspection
Maybe I should change my work out program.............

I can't imagine NOT checking them.

Hmmm well this is interesting....

By the way... here is in Ontario.

It's never crossed my mind to inspect helmets before the game... and as I said, I've never seen an umpire around here check them. Bats are never checked unless there is a complaint or the umpire sees something out of the ordinary....

Interesting.....