"FED Legal" Baseballs

[johnnyg08]

The Pro Nine's look like Diamonds at first glace...that's their niche.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by DG

I am familiar with other baseballs from youth league play but all I recall from HS play is Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings. AD Starr makes some good balls. I have seen Baden (rare though), but I have never seen a Pro-Nine ball.

Come on, Deej, you CAN'T think Starrs are good. I know your son played NCBA baseball, so you're familiar with A.D. Starr (the official ball of the league; by league rule, failure to use it is protestable and grounds for forfeit). I've worked that league since 2002, and I've never seen a worse ball--even Pro-Nines are better, and they stink. Starr is based in PA, so I'll bet piaa ump knows of what he speaks on that issue--particularly since he describes what I experience, too.

I'm like Finnerty when I work NCBA; I buy 3-4 dozen extras every year for my plate jobs. I always bring 4 (7 inning game) or 6 (9 inning) with me to add to the 4 the teams provide. Almost always, every one of them ends up in the practice bucket because they aren't salvageable at game's end for use in another game.

For adult players, there may be serviceable baseballs other than Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings, but I've never seen one.

[DG]

Originally Posted by Publius

Come on, Deej, you CAN'T think Starrs are good.

For adult players, there may be serviceable baseballs other than Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings, but I've never seen one.

Starr, like others, make different quality balls, the ones I have seen are pretty good. Every Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings ball I have seen are not the best quality.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by DG

Starr, like others, make different quality balls, the ones I have seen are pretty good. Every Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings ball I have seen are not the best quality.

Even the Rawlings Major League Baseball? I get these quite often, and they are the real deal.

[MrUmpire]

Here's the problem with inconsistent quality of "FED" baseballs as opposed to MLB baseballs.

MLB has set standards and randomly tests balls that bear the MLB logo and are used in MLB.

The only standard FED enforces on those balls that bear the FED stamp is whether or not the check cleared.

Any company willing to pay for the right to use the FED logo, no matter what piece of crap they produce, may do so.

[DG]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Even the Rawlings Major League Baseball? I get these quite often, and they are the real deal.

My last post on baseballs, as this has gotten boring. I don't work any games where the Rawlings Major League Baseballs are used. I do work some games where very good Rawlings baseballs are used.

Most high schools around here use Diamond D1 or Wilson 1010 and they are very good.

[Publius]

Originally Posted by DG

Starr, like others, make different quality balls,... Every Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings ball I have seen are not the best quality.

True that, but the NCBA balls are Starr's top-of-the-line model, and they are junk after two innings. None of the teams I work for use them for non-league play. I can't imagine how poor they are down the line.

Steve, I think he meant, "Not every Diamond, Wilson and Rawlings ball I have seen is the best quality." That's true, too, particularly with Wilson in my experience.