"FED Legal" 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.

[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.

[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.