Babe Ruth Umpires

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by ctblu40

I don't work much Babe Ruth ball anymore, but when I did, we enforced this rule. The coaches never liked it, sometimes they would argue. I let them know I don't write the rules, I just enforce them. By the time we ended the discussion, the catcher is ready.

This is probably the most sensible solution.

Thanks.

Tim.

[PeteBooth]

Tim I do not know who assigns Babe Ruth in your area.

I do not umpire Babe Ruth but in my summer association, the assignor attends most of the league meetings for the clients we serve. We have a summer meeting after the HS season is over to go over a variety of items including the rules for the various leagues we service.

If there is a rule that is "Written in stone" as seems to be the case with this rule, then have your assignor contact the president of the league and tell them that the coaches are giving the umpires a hard time.

The problem is either corrected or you simply do not service them anymore. There's plenty of other leagues around.

Normally I do not discuss rules at the Plate Conference but in this instance It might be a good idea to mention this particular rule at the Plate Conference.

As far as liabilty goes can't answer but to my knowledge that is the only rule I have heard of requiring a coach to wear a mask. Under all other codes, a coach does not have to meet this criteria.

Pete Booth

[NFump]

Tim,

I don't enforce this at the local league level, however, I do mention to them when they come out that they're supposed to have a mask on. This usually gets them to start sending out one of their bench players to warm up the pitcher(yes, he has a mask on). At District and State levels(and beyond as well), it's enforced. Usually the response is the typical that's crap, first time I've ever had it enforced or heard of it but never any "heated" arguments.

[FitUmp]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Babe Ruth is probably spinning in his grave to think that a league named after him would make a rule prohibiting adult coaches from warming up a pitcher without a mask. Talk about lame, not even the FED goes that far!

Only three types of people would w/up P with no mask, the retarded, the moronic and the imbecilic. And the idiotic, sorry, that makes four.

[FitUmp]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

At what point does this become a liability issue for us, DG? It's written in black and white that it's a requirement, so if we ignore it are we putting ourselves at risk of litigation would be my main concern.



Tim.

Successful litigation is worthless without successful collections of the monetary awards. If you have no assets, other than your ump fees, then what's the issue?

[FitUmp]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I'm curious if any of you who also umpire Babe Ruth/Cal
The problem I've been having is catching all kinds of grief when I insist that a coach warming up a pitcher at homeplate wear a mask. I've had two heated argumentswith different coaches that say the rule says shall, and not must, so it's an option. I told the last guy that the Bible says thou shalt not steal, not thou must not steal, so he'd better consider my directive a commandment.

Tim.

This is worth multiple heated arguments?



Stand on the plate until coach gets a mask. Then enforce the time limit for change overs. I fail to see either the problem or the relevance for argument. YMOD.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by FitUmp

Successful litigation is worthless without successful collections of the monetary awards. If you have no assets, other than your ump fees, then what's the issue?

I'm not sure I understand your point. That is unless this was a veiled insult implying that I have no attatchable assets.


Tim.

[FitUmp]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I'm not sure I understand your point. That is unless this was a veiled insult implying that I have no attatchable assets.


Tim.

It's insulting to be poor?

[FitUmp]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

I'm not sure I understand your point. That is unless this was a veiled insult implying that I have no attatchable assets.

Tim.

Litigation cost money. If you litigate a turnip for blood, you're a fool. If you are a turnip, then you have no problems with being litigated. If you're smart and have exposed assets, then you know how to remove them from being attached. If you have assets and you expose them to atachment via litigation, then you get what you deserve. Any more than this and I will have to charge you. If you don't pay, I will litigate you. If you are exposed, which I bet you are.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by CoachJM

Purely for the edification and amusement of the readers, I thought I would post an excerpt from some correspondence I had with my brother (who IS an attorney) on a similar, though not identical, question regarding baseball rules which, I believe, both amplifies and clarifies BlueLawyer's cogent commentary.

JM

FINALLY, someone on this board used the word 'Weltanschauung'. I was beginning to think that we were all doomed to lives of quiet desperation.

[UmpJM]

mbyron,

As I would guess you were able to tell, my brother got the overly generous allotment of both brains and sense of humor in the family.

JM