"FED Legal" Baseballs

[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.