"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?

[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?

[piaa_ump]

Originally Posted by 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?

In my time, I have umpired quite a few rural HS teams that barely had uniforms..... I had a game a few years back when both teams had NO new baseballs to use for the game......nobody had thought to bring any......I went to my car, and brought out 2 new PONY league balls.....said to the coaches, we could play with these or you can reschedule.....(after they paid me of course....)

they agreed, we played the game......

[Tim C]

The Oregon School Activities Association really helps officials in the State of Oregon.

The OSAA wants officials to call RULES and not be involved in administrative rulings in sports.

They have specifically told umpires not to worry about certification stamps on baseballs. The OSAA is smart enough to know that the NFHS simply charges for the logo and uses it as a revenue stream.

The OSAA wants to be "informed" of administrative issues in sports and THEY will deal with it.

Administrative items include, but are not limited to, the following:

1) Illegal Uniforms
2) Players or coaches participating in a game where they should be sitting out because of a previous ejection,
3) Players participating in too many quaters (halves) on any given day,
4) Equipment bearing NFHS logos,
5) Pitchers throwing in too many innings in a time frame,
6) Teams demanding that they are using a 10 run mercy rule (illegal in Oregon).

Ciao

[Ump153]

Tim,

You have no idea how intelligent OSAA is until you move out of the state. Especially if you move south.

[Tim C]

"I crease my caps . . . "

I cannot think of any "style" issue I hate more than creased caps.

A crease NEVER appeared in any of my caps.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Nor did any of my dozens and dozens of caps have one. I even have a couple of uncreased black six-stitches to wear when I am doing a game where it doesn't matter.

But just about every high school and college evaluator and assignor down here wants a crease. (One of them nicks you if your shirt's too baggy, or if you don't wear your belt buckle lined up with the gig line.)

But when that changes, so will my caps. And the creased ones will be in the garage along with all my other treasured souvenirs. ("Check this cap out, son; it's from back in the day when they made all us umpires crease our caps.")

[RPatrino]

Kevin is going to do what he has to do based on the requirements of his association. We all know that appearance is important, but the bottom line is the product we deliver to our customers. We all know that the coaches really don't care what an umpire looks like (within reason) as long as they are competent and hustle. The appearance thing is totally on us. I have shown up to see friends work games, and their partners flaked and they were working solo, the coaches saw me and asked me to help out, in street clothes.

Two umpires of equal ability, one looks good, the other looks bad, I pick the guy who is suited up properly. So do the rest of us.

[Kevin Finnerty]

When I was touting a partner and me to a local NCAA coach to umpire his fall ball games, part of my description of us was, " ... and, of course, we always dress the part."

It's vital to follow the appearance code. And it's pretty simple. As it is, we get to wear ballcaps, golf shirts and athletic shoes for crying out loud! It wasn't long ago that umpires were saddled with wearing a coat and tie with patent leather shoes.

The only truly good coach I ever had said it the way that made the most sense: "Don't do what's required; do your best." (I took that to mean do more than what's required.)

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Tim C

I cannot think of any "style" issue I hate more than creased caps.

A crease NEVER appeared in any of my caps.

All pro umpires crease their caps, every good umpire I've worked with has creased their caps, I have always creased my caps, even all my regular baseball-style caps for off field use. I was told many years ago that you look like you are going fox hunting if you wear your hat like Elmer Fudd, without a crease in the crown. Even Ed Montague creases his beanie.

I cannot think of many "style" issues I hate more than uncreased hats.

[Kevin Finnerty]

Originally Posted by sandiegosteve

all pro umpires crease their caps, every good umpire i've worked with has creased their caps, i have always creased my caps, even all my regular baseball-style caps for off field use. I was told many years ago that you look like you are going fox hunting if you wear your hat like elmer fudd, without a crease in the crown. Even ed montague creases his beanie.

I cannot think of many "style" issues i hate more than uncreased hats.

... :d