Was I being an OOO?

[charliej47]

I go into the dugouts and check equipment. I pick up the bats and do a visual inspection for cracks, dents or obvious sign on altering.

I pick up the helmets and look for cracks, missing padding or alterations.

I Check the F2 mask for missing/loose parts.

During my officiating career I have officiated five high school sports as a licensed official. I have always followed the check off rules for equipment. Although I will admit to having slipped up and forgot to when we were running late a time or two.

I have officiated “select” teams in four sports and have been involved in two lawsuits because of player injuries.

Every year in High School baseball/softball I find illegal/damaged equipment. In the last 20 years I have found altered equipment twice in non-high school sports.

This year I found more than a dozen bats and 7 or 8 helmets and 2 F2 masks that were non-playable for baseball or softball.