ASA/USA General Council Meeting

[IRISHMAFIA]

Must be no rule / code changes this year or we would have heard by now.

[Andy]

Back home now from Council Meeting. Here is a summary of the accepted rule changes and any code and/or procedural changes related to umpires:

Rules:

1. 8u Fast pitch division added for National Championship play

2. FP Catchers box changed to 7 feet back from the back of the batter's box

3. 11 and 12 inch balls for SP may be molded. Adds this manufacturing process to the acceptable types of balls

4. Womens Open SP only needs uniforms with matching shirts with numbers

5. Senior SP 65 and over goes from 11 defensive players to 10 defensive players

6. Several changes accepted relating to ADA...rules now allow for "reasonable" accommodations and for a hearing impaired player to have a sign language interpreter in the dugout

7. Senior SP Major and Major Plus will have 7 runs per inning limit

8. Time limits begin with the first warm up pitch

9. Addition of rule that nobody may have a weapon on the field or in the dugout. Some debate on how this will be applied vs local laws and regulations...more to come

10. Senior SP - the pitcher may pitch from up to 10 feet behind the pitcher's plate

11. Womens FP players may use either on deck circle

12. All FP and modified...may only use on deck circle on opposite side if it places you behind the batter

13. If SP Courtesy runner is on base when their turn at bat comes up, they are removed from base and an out is recorded

There was a proposal to reinstate the previous rule of any over the fence home run in Men's E SP be an inning ending out. This was defeated. it is only an out

Several proposals to the JO FP lineup were rejected...Either bat all players or nine players, if batting all, no DP/FLEX, listing of EPs throughout the batting order instead of after the first nine, allow any player in the lineup to be a courtesy runner is batting the roster.

Procedure changes:

Changes to the makeup of the Board of Directors related to the new region alignment of only 10 regions

Relaxing requirements for umpires to be considered for the Hall of Fame

Allowances for the Exec Director to place some of the National Championships and Invitationals as needed

There was a proposal to add Local Associations UICs as voting council members...it was rejected

Code Changes:

Allow college players to play in the A or Gold level

Any JO player that has played in a National Championship is eligible to be a pick up player in a higher division for National Championship play

All ASA/USA JO Nationals must be completed on the weekend of the last Saturday in July

The National Tournament umpire staff will participate in the pre-tournament bat check process

Allow sales of alcohol at youth events

10u ASA/USA to be split into one event in the East and one in the West

Remove 10U FP Eastern, Western, Northern, and Southern Championships

Add a class C National Championship in 10u, 12u, and 14u

2018 ASA/USA (USA Softball) JO Nationals Locations:

10U - Montgomery, Alabama - (decision forthcoming on East/West effect)
12U - Spartanburg, South Carolina
14U - Bowling Green, Kentucky
16U - Kent (Seattle), Washington
18U - Salem, Virginia (no other bidders)

Let me know if you have questions about anything else...

[IRISHMAFIA]

Just my honest opinions. Andy, thank you for providing this info.

Originally Posted by Andy

Rules:

1. 8u Fast pitch division added for National Championship play

This has been around for a while. Surprised it took this long for SoCal to get their way. But still think it is ridiculous.

2. FP Catchers box changed to 7 feet back from the back of the batter's box

I proposed similar change a few years back but was laughed at

4. Womens Open SP only needs uniforms with matching shirts with numbers

Thought it was ludicrous when they did it for the men.

6. Several changes accepted relating to ADA...rules now allow for "reasonable" accommodations and for a hearing impaired player to have a sign language interpreter in the dugout

At who's expense?

8. Time limits begin with the first warm up pitch

That gets them halfway to where is should be

9. Addition of rule that nobody may have a weapon on the field or in the dugout. Some debate on how this will be applied vs local laws and regulations...more to come

Bullshit rule especially if LEO are playing and are required to have them available

11. Womens FP players may use either on deck circle

12. All FP and modified...may only use on deck circle on opposite side if it places you behind the batter

Still trying to figure out how we survived so long without this rule. IMO, still ridiculous

13. If SP Courtesy runner is on base when their turn at bat comes up, they are removed from base and an out is recorded

Already in the book.

Procedure changes:

There was a proposal to add Local Associations UICs as voting council members...it was rejected

I proposed this before but with the caveat that the expense was that of the local association, not ASA. I hoped that caveat would get it by the council's financial concern.

Code Changes:

Allow college players to play in the A or Gold level

Shocked they actually had the courage to step back to where it never should have left.

All ASA/USA JO Nationals must be completed on the weekend of the last Saturday in July

Concession to the SouthEast, I assue

Allow sales of alcohol at youth events

This is a shock, but I assume changed to accommodate HOF Stadium operations

[youngump]

Originally Posted by Andy

Back home now from Council Meeting. Here is a summary of the accepted rule changes and any code and/or procedural changes related to umpires:

Rules:

9. Addition of rule that nobody may have a weapon on the field or in the dugout. Some debate on how this will be applied vs local laws and regulations...more to come

It's going to be an awfully boring game with no bats allowed

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Andy

...9. Addition of rule that nobody may have a weapon on the field or in the dugout. Some debate on how this will be applied vs local laws and regulations...more to come...

Ridiculous.

Even if they could deal with issues of local laws and defining a "weapon", this is just silly.

Absurd.

Ludicrous.

Do they seriously think someone who would have otherwise brought a weapon intending to do harm to someone would pause and decide against it because they might be ejected???

Those who voted this in are goofy and obviously have little ability to think clearly.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Dakota

Ridiculous.

Even if they could deal with issues of local laws and defining a "weapon", this is just silly.

Absurd.

Ludicrous.

Do they seriously think someone who would have otherwise brought a weapon intending to do harm to someone would pause and decide against it because they might be ejected???

Those who voted this in are goofy and obviously have little ability to think clearly.

I think you are being too kind. And no, people who are going to bring a gun to the field are not going to worry about being ejected. For that matter, the umpire who ejects that player may be putting him/herself and everyone else in the vicinity in danger.

[CecilOne]

8. Time limits begin with the first warm up pitch
-- good, what many have been doing
-----------------------------------------------

11. Womens FP players may use either on deck circle
12. All FP and modified...may only use on deck circle on opposite side if it places you behind the batter
--- does required to be behind batter mean not between innings (no batter)?
----------------------------------------------------

"Several proposals to the JO FP lineup were rejected...Either bat all players or nine players, if batting all, no DP/FLEX, listing of EPs throughout the batting order instead of after the first nine, allow any player in the lineup to be a courtesy runner is batting the roster. "

Good rejections. They look like those who don't want to know the actual rule, or are trying to accommodate the other alphabets.
-----------------------------------------

"All ASA/USA JO Nationals must be completed on the weekend of the last Saturday in July" Why? Ours 1st week of August this year was fine.
-------------------------------------------

"The National Tournament umpire staff will participate in the pre-tournament bat check process"
--- Does that mean all umps or just more work for UICs?

[Andy]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

8. Time limits begin with the first warm up pitch
-- good, what many have been doing
-----------------------------------------------

11. Womens FP players may use either on deck circle
12. All FP and modified...may only use on deck circle on opposite side if it places you behind the batter
--- does required to be behind batter mean not between innings (no batter)?
----------------------------------------------------

Good question...should be clarified

"Several proposals to the JO FP lineup were rejected...Either bat all players or nine players, if batting all, no DP/FLEX, listing of EPs throughout the batting order instead of after the first nine, allow any player in the lineup to be a courtesy runner is batting the roster. "

Good rejections. They look like those who don't want to know the actual rule, or are trying to accommodate the other alphabets.
-----------------------------------------

The person proposing these keeps saying...that's what everybody else is doing, we need to do it too...After speaking with him , it seems as if his intention is to get free substitution in place.

"All ASA/USA JO Nationals must be completed on the weekend of the last Saturday in July" Why? Ours 1st week of August this year was fine.
-------------------------------------------

School schedules were given as the reason...some places start school the first part of August.

"The National Tournament umpire staff will participate in the pre-tournament bat check process"
--- Does that mean all umps or just more work for UICs?

The interpretation of this is to be determined. I argued against it. The umpire coordinator needs to solicit local umpire volunteers for this duty. Times often conflict with pre-tournament umpire clinic, I don't think the tournament umpires should be checking and potentially rejecting bats, then have to go on the field with that same team and/or player.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Andy

The interpretation of this is to be determined. I argued against it. The umpire coordinator needs to solicit local umpire volunteers for this duty. Times often conflict with pre-tournament umpire clinic, I don't think the tournament umpires should be checking and potentially rejecting bats, then have to go on the field with that same team and/or player.

If they are specific to the statement, local umpires not assigned to work the tournament aren't part of the umpire staff.

I suspect that the TD/ASA Rep didn't want to be placed in the position of being the "bad guy" of rejecting a bat, so it gets dumped on the umpire. However, I often ran into non-approved bats in the dugout simply because those testing the bats did just that, and only that. This way the bat can be inspected ahead of time and make the pre-game that much easier.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

If they are specific to the statement, local umpires not assigned to work the tournament aren't part of the umpire staff.

I suspect that the TD/ASA Rep didn't want to be placed in the position of being the "bad guy" of rejecting a bat, so it gets dumped on the umpire. However, I often ran into non-approved bats in the dugout simply because those testing the bats did just that, and only that. This way the bat can be inspected ahead of time and make the pre-game that much easier.

Pre-Tournament bat testing is now mandatory at all National Tournaments, both FP and SP. The reason given for this proposal is that the umpires are the experts in this area. While I agree with this, I don't think it should fall on the umpires assigned to the tournament. I don't think it should be a big issue to get some local umpires to participate. I was a Tournament UIC a few years ago where all they did was the compression test and slapped the sticker on the bat.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

I think you are being too kind. And no, people who are going to bring a gun to the field are not going to worry about being ejected. For that matter, the umpire who ejects that player may be putting him/herself and everyone else in the vicinity in danger.

Well, I'm not intending to be the person bringing a heave-ho to a gun fight!

(And, yeah, I was thinking much worse than what I wrote ...)

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Andy

Pre-Tournament bat testing is now mandatory at all National Tournaments, both FP and SP. The reason given for this proposal is that the umpires are the experts in this area. While I agree with this, I don't think it should fall on the umpires assigned to the tournament. I don't think it should be a big issue to get some local umpires to participate. I was a Tournament UIC a few years ago where all they did was the compression test and slapped the sticker on the bat.

As they did at the one I worked and that is my point. I don't agree that umpires are the experts at the testing stage, but they are, er well, should be the experts as it pertains to the non-approved list, appropriate stamp and the condition of the bat and the rules which are to be applied.

[Big Slick]

The official version of the rules are here:

http://downloads.asasoftball.com/abo...hanges2017.pdf

One interesting tidbit (and last item on the list) is that umpire uniforms is now removed from the playing rules. I've always wondered why umpire uniforms is part of the rule book; now we need other codes to follow suit.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Rule 4 Section 2J A participant who is hearing-impaired may use a sign language interpreter or other auxiliary hearing aid during play to assist that hearing-impaired participant. A sign language interpreter shall be allowed in the dugout, on the field of play (fair and foul territory), or in other areas in order to be able to provide communication to the hearing-impaired participant, but such sign language interpreter shall be subject to any other rules, policies or practices generally applicable to participants, including submitting to and passing an annual background check screening, if applicable. Any concerns, issues or requests concerning the specific location of such interpreters on the field of play shall be resolved by the umpire(s) during game play and such concerns or requests shall be addressed to and resolved by the applicable Local Association Member, league, tournament director, and/or event organizer in advance of game play. It is highly recommended that participants provide notice of such requests to the applicable Local Association Member, league, tournament director, and/or event organizer sufficiently in advance of and prior to or during the league or tournament registration process prior to the start of a season or tournament.

Anyone else see a problem with an interpreter on the field, particularly fair territory?

And when is it applicable for an interpreter to be required to endure a background check and how is the umpire to know this?

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

(1) Anyone else see a problem with an interpreter on the field, particularly fair territory?
(2) And when is it applicable for an interpreter to be required to endure a background check and how is the umpire to know this?

(1) Yes, of course.

(2) I don't read it as umpires being concerned about background checks, just "the specific location of such interpreters on the field of play shall be resolved by the umpire(s) during game play "?

(3) Do they really expect consistency with that?