"FED Legal" Baseballs

[DG]

What is so hard? The home team showed up with legal uniforms, legal bats, legal lines on the field. Why not baseballs?

[SanDiegoSteve]

I just had an adult game Saturday where one team had really nice N.A.B.A. stamped Diamond D1 baseballs and the other team had Pro Nine N.F.H.S. baseballs. The Pro Nine balls are totally inferior and have a "fake" ball feel to them and are slightly mushy or springy feeling. The team with the N.A.B.A. balls' pitchers consistently rejected the Pro Nines.

Moral of story: Having a FED stamp is not all it's cracked up to be.

[johnnyg08]

IMO it's no different than a field w/o marked foul lines past the 1B & 3B...we'll still play, but teams don't get to argue fair/foul. When I show up at the game and we have a field, 18 players, all other equip legal...we're playing...that stuff is an administrative issue. We have enough stuff to worry about.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Ump153

So that I don't put words in your mouth (I hate when others do that) tell me, if you had no baseballs, and the balls the teams had were equal to, or better (not difficult) than the FED approved balls, but did not have the FED mark on them, would you refuse to work the game, thus sending the visiting team back on their bus and home?

You really have a way about you.

How many ways can I say that I would have them play the game regardless? I will stay within the regulations AND make sure the game is played even at my own expense, if necessary.

Are you really this obtuse, or is it just some act that goes with your online persona?

And, based on some of the stuff you write, you shouldn't be the judge of what is the intelligent thing to do.

[Ump153]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

You really have a way about you.

How many ways can I say that I would have them play the game regardless? I will stay within the regulations AND make sure the game is played even at my own expense, if necessary.

Are you really this obtuse, or is it just some act that goes with your online persona?

And, based on some of the stuff you write, you shouldn't be the judge of what is the intelligent thing to do.

I find it strange that you need to insult when none was aimed at you.

Not obtuse, just looking for a straightforward answer to my question, which you still have not supplied.

I'll repeat it again without any personal comment aimed at you:

...if you had no baseballs, and the balls the teams had were equal to, or better (not difficult) than the FED approved balls, but did not have the FED mark on them, would you refuse to work the game, thus sending the visiting team back on their bus and home?

A simple yes or no will suffice.

[DG]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

I just had an adult game Saturday where one team had really nice N.A.B.A. stamped Diamond D1 baseballs and the other team had Pro Nine N.F.H.S. baseballs. The Pro Nine balls are totally inferior and have a "fake" ball feel to them and are slightly mushy or springy feeling. The team with the N.A.B.A. balls' pitchers consistently rejected the Pro Nines.

Moral of story: Having a FED stamp is not all it's cracked up to be.

I don't disagree about quality of baseballs. I never seen a bad Diamond D1 and did not know Pro Nine made baseballs. But...

If the coaches know they need NFHS baseballs (and they do), and they don't have them you play anyway? What if they only had -5 bats, no lines on the field, uniforms that don't match? When do we hold a HS coach accountable vs. cut some slack?

And like I have said, they know, so they bring the right baseballs in games I have worked...

[IowaMike]

Everyone in my area plays either with Diamond or Wilson baseballs. I coached high school for two years and we played with Diamonds. I have never once checked to see if the balls that were being used when I umpire had the NFHS stamp of approval. If they looked suspect to me I would question them, but that has never happened. If it looks and feels like a good ball, I will use it. I sure as heck wouldn't bring my own, although if someone else wants to that's their business. If that makes me a poor umpire, oh well.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by Ump153

I find it strange that you need to insult when none was aimed at you.

Not obtuse, just looking for a straightforward answer to my question, which you still have not supplied.

I'll repeat it again without any personal comment aimed at you:

...if you had no baseballs, and the balls the teams had were equal to, or better (not difficult) than the FED approved balls, but did not have the FED mark on them, would you refuse to work the game, thus sending the visiting team back on their bus and home?

A simple yes or no will suffice.

So it is an act.

Less than you deserve will suffice.

[Ump153]

Originally Posted by Kevin Finnerty

So it is an act.

Less than you deserve will suffice.

Well, at least you admit that no answer is less than I deserve.

I will not speculate as to why you refuse to answer a simple question. I'm sure you have some reason.

[Ump153]

Originally Posted by IowaMike

Everyone in my area plays either with Diamond or Wilson baseballs. I coached high school for two years and we played with Diamonds. I have never once checked to see if the balls that were being used when I umpire had the NFHS stamp of approval. If they looked suspect to me I would question them, but that has never happened. If it looks and feels like a good ball, I will use it. I sure as heck wouldn't bring my own, although if someone else wants to that's their business. If that makes me a poor umpire, oh well.

It doesn't make you a poor umpire. Even Elliot Hopkins has advised that in a case such as this, play the game and notify the assignor and AD.

[Ump153]

Originally Posted by DG

What is so hard? The home team showed up with legal uniforms, legal bats, legal lines on the field. Why not baseballs?

Legal bats and legal balls are not equal requirments. Legal lines? Have you never called a game on field that was not lined? Really? Batter's boxes in every game?

[DG]

Originally Posted by Ump153

Legal bats and legal balls are not equal requirments. Legal lines? Have you never called a game on field that was not lined? Really? Batter's boxes in every game?

You must umpire where rules are not followed. In my area, HS game fields are lined, and balls are legal.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by DG

You must umpire where rules are not followed. In my area, HS game fields are lined, and balls are legal.

The adult baseball leagues here use local HS and college fields, and 95% of them feature no foul lines in the infield and 90% have no lines on the outfield grass (some are painted on fortunately). If it's not HS season, you get the fields as-is.

[DG]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

The adult baseball leagues here use local HS and college fields, and 95% of them feature no foul lines in the infield and 90% have no lines on the outfield grass (some are painted on fortunately). If it's not HS season, you get the fields as-is.

For a legit HS game under FED rules the coaches know the rules about baseballs and lines on the field. I thought that was the jist of the original post. For adult/summer/youth ball, any reasonable ball supplied is good to go, and lines on the field are nice, but not mandatory. Most supply foul lines, but batter and coach boxes are optional.

For HS games, legal balls, and lines on the field, including batter and coaches boxes are required.

[RPatrino]

DG, where do you work your games? In my part of the world, particuarly for non-varsity games, we take what we can get. I personally don't quibble about balls, bats, or lines. Some schools use City facilities and with budgets all messed up out here, field maintenance is sometimes non-existant.

I'm sure you would agree, the goal is to get them on the field and get the game played, right?