NFHS Equipment Inspections

[RKBUmp]

Prime example of why you insist ALL of the bats be out for inspection. 2nd round of state playoffs yesterday, inspecting equipment and I see 4 or 5 bats still in players backpacks hanging in dugout. I tell coach they have to come out for inspection, she tells me they arent being used. I tell her they either come out for inspection or they leave the dugout for duration of game. She brings them out and sure enough 2 of them are broken. One has a spiral split of the barrel and the other has 2 cracks running up from the joint in handle. I tell coach they have to be removed from dugout and as she is locking them in storage room I overhear the owner of one of the bats say something about she was still using the bat even though it was broken. How many officials before me just accepted the "we arent using those" excuse and didnt inspect them?

[Umpteenth]

Originally Posted by RKBUmp

...How many officials before me just accepted the "we arent using those" excuse and didnt inspect them?

Apparently, all of them.

[GoRedSox]

According to Virginia per our Association we are not to ask for the bats to be removed form the dugout. I don't agree but that is their ruling.

"Bat Checks: EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY any bats that were not put outside the dug-out to be inspected prior to the start of the game, do NOT need to be removed from the dug-out. This was a preventive umpiring technique that isn't supported by any rule book or umpire manual."