Was I being an OOO?
 

District quarterfinals between fourth an fifth seeds, FED rules. Batter comes up to the plate with a bat with a noticeable rattle inside. Something inside the bat was sliding from the handles to the top of the barrel. I don't allow him to use it.

OOO?

TwoBits:

It doesn't sound like you were being overly OOO. BUT, it does sound like there is more to your question than you are telling us. Inquiring minds want to know more.

MTD, Sr.

I don't see anything wrong with it, just surprised you could hear it. Must have been an awful loud rattle.

Didn't you guys check the bats before the game? ;)

Thanks
David

Did not notice a rattle during bat inspection, but to be honest I did not handle each bat and inspected some of them while they were hanging in the bat rack.

This was later in the game, so I'm pretty sure the batter had used this bat once before, making me look a little foolish that I was disallowing a bat that had been used in that game already. I did tell the offensive coach that it was possible the rattle began after the last at-bat, but he corrected me in saying that the bat has rattled most of the year and, of course, "We have been using that bat all year!"

David, it was very loud. The batter came up kind of twirling his bat, and I could here whatever it was sliding and rattling back and forth very clearly.

Sounds reasonable to me TwoBits. The bat is not is proper condition to be used any longer. This rattle is a potential safety risk in my book.

-Josh

my .02
 

based on your opinion that it was a loud rattle, I think that it sounds reasonable to exclude the bat.....

if the end cap has not come off or been pulled off and there is an aduible rattle inside then something has broken off or has become loose and may be a structural failure.......

NOT OOO in my opinion......

Did you learn from this?

That FED should leave it up to the coach to verify that all equipment is legal (like college ball) and not have the umpire check the equipment?

-Josh

Here is my question

Did you get an out?

If you told the player he cannot use the bat, then by definition the bat is illegal and according to FED rules when a batter enters the box with an illegal bat we get an out.

Pete Booth

No. Noticed the rattle before getting into the batter's box on this particular at-bat, so this was the first time I told him that I wouldn't allow it.

I don't check every helmet and every set of shoulder pads in a football game. Why does NF want us to check every bat? It's on the coaches in every other sport. The reason I won't do it in my area is because nobody else does it and I'm not willing to be the "gumdrop" that goes around digging for boogers. Don't give me a sob and a song about liability. Why make the coach mad before you ever make your first call? NF needs to get us out of the uniform and equipment policing business. You'd think that they would have already because they know we don't do it. At least not where I'm from.

[QUOTE=billken;677521]

First off I agree 110% that we as officials should not check "bats / hats",

IMO, the Reason NF wants us to check them is to make certain all are using the same bat specs meaning -3. They do not want some 6'6'' strong player weighing 200 or more pounds coming to the plate with a -5 or greater bat.

Yes that should be on the coaches but NF most likely doesn't trust the coaches.

Pete Booth

Absolutely not one umpire working HS baseball in the San Diego area, which contains approximately 90 high schools, checks bats or helmets before the game. In fact we spend as little time as possible in the dugout (just long enough to fill out pay vouchers). We don't walk the field before games either. We arrive at the prescribed time, have a plate meeting that is short, sweet, and to the point, then we play Fedlandia baseball. We ain't no "gumdrops" here either!:cool:

Does your governing body tell you that you must check the equipment prior to the game or have they given you direction not to check it? In Iowa, for instance, we've been told we must. I personally don't pick up the bats and thoroughly examine each one. I turn it to see if there are any cracks, dents, etc and to make sure there is the proper certification affixed. Some teams have 10 bats, I don't have time to go over them with a fine tooth comb.

-Josh

To my knowledge, the governing body here, the San Diego Section of the CIF, has never mandated it or made it a point of emphasis.