What to do?

[MisterV]

I am an assistant coach for a HS team. I have officiated many sports and consider myself a stickler for details. I have a master's degree in Sports Administration, and hope to be an athletic director someday. Whenever my school hosts an event, I do whatever I can to make sure it is run in a first class, professional manner. Little things like a light out on a scoreboard, a painted line in the grass that isn't perfectly straight, etc. are the type of things that just make me cringe.

Anyway, here is the problem...we get to the game yesterday, and I watch as the grounds crew starts to mark the field. When they are finished, I noticed that something looks a little off, but I couldn't figure out what it was. Then it hit me. The outer side of the chalked base lines weren't in line with the outer side of the bases. The inner edge of the chalk line was lined up with the outer edge of the bases. Technically, the base lines were in foul territory! They were four inches to the outside of where they should have been.

I was explaining this to some of our players before the game. (Obviously, they had no clue what I was talking about) I tried to demonstrate the situation by putting a softball just outside of 3rd base. The ball was as close to the base as it could be without touching the base. I said, "If the ball lands here, it should be a foul ball, right?" They agreed. Then I said,"But look, it's right on the base line. You would almost have to call it fair based on the way this line is chalked." Being high school girls, they still didn't get it.

Here's my question, finally. The umpires walked right by this before all four games last night. Apparently, none of them noticed, or they noticed, but weren't concerned by it. It drove me out of my freaking mind! I'm just the second assistant on our staff. Is this something that I should bring to the umpires' attention, or just let it go?

[sprivitor]

As a 14U Girls coach and umpire.. I'd have to say let it go... If it bothered you too much, then fix it or ask the other team if they'd mind if you chalked it correctly to prevent any possible problems..

Heck, many ASA tournaments we're in, there's no batters box, no circle, and hardly any foul lines, especially after the 1st game.

[Dakota]

Some of the foul lines I have to deal with are pretty foul!

I'd discuss it with the umpire and ask if he is going to call by the lines or call by his judgment of where the line should be. Might be important to know that in the event of a bunt near the line.

Then just play the game based on what he tells you.

I usually use the lines unless they are really bad, then I tell the coaches I'll be using a sight line down the bases, rather than the chalk.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Simple question: Do both teams use the same lines?

[MisterV]

"Do both teams use the same lines?

Thats a good point, but to me, it's a little beside the point. As a coach of girls' sports,we struggle to be taken seriously as it is. Although I'm sure it is not intentional, it seems like this is another case of, "It's just girls softball. Get the lines down and let's play."

I wonder what the response would be if a coach brought his team to a basketball game, and the free-throw or 3-point lines were four inches off. Granted, they are painted on and therefore not able to be changed. But that's just it...these lines could have been changed to make them correct, but it didn't seem to matter to anyone that they weren't.

I catch a lot of grief from the girls on the team for being so consumed with seemingly minute details, but it seems to me that if we are going to ride on a bus for two hours to play on their field, the least they could do would be to have it marked correctly.

[Dakota]

Never attribute to conspiracy what can be more simply explained by incompetence.

High school ball fields are generally the most completely and correctly lined fields I officiate on. But, even so, I've seen some pretty glaring errors on baseball and football fields (as a spectator, not an official). It's rare, but not unheard of.

Non-school youth fields are another matter. Frequently they are completely unlined - not even foul lines, let alone batter's boxes. Certainly no running lane nor coaches boxes. There usually is an on-deck batter's circle, but it is usually drawn by the first on-deck batter with her bat!

[blueump]

You think that's bad? I've shown up to ump a game, and the plate was installed backward!

If you didn't notice the umpires discussing the "foul" lines, that doesn't mean they didn't notice. I'm sure they even discussed it, we have when it comes up. Its unpractical to not play the game due to the inaccuracy of the lines, and I will call the lines.

The last argument I want is a ball that clearly hits chalk and I call it foul. This is something that I addess in the pre-game coach's meeting as well.

"Coach, the lines are a little off and I want you both to be aware that I'm calling the lines as they lay...it hits chalk, its fair!"

[mcrowder]

Agree with BZ.

It is never the umpire's responsibility to line the field. It is their responsibility to call a fair game based on the field they arrive at.

(PS - I don't believe it's a softball/baseball thing at all. I think it's a competent/incompetent field-liner-guy thing)

I've had a few fields lined so poorly that I wipe out part of the line (the worst being foul-lines that were perfect at the bases, and very meticulously lined straight at the FRONT of home plate - I erased the first 25 feet or so of the line before we started, and told the coaches I'd go by sight until the lines started, and by the lines after that), but usually it's "Coaches, these lines were put down by Cletis the Town Drunk, but we're going with them."

[Little Jimmy]

I agree with those that say it would be impractical to re-line everytime there was a problem. But I also feel Mister V had a legitimate complaint. I too become real frustrated when I step on a field and the lines are nowhere near right. The other evening I did a game that had both the white and orange bag in fair territory. As an official I always make a point to indicate the problem to both coaches an how we will deal with it.

And by the way, is it really that much trouble to get it right in the first place?

[mcrowder]

It's not that much trouble, but often, the guy who lines the field (or even the chalk machine) is nowhere to be found once these things are noticed.

In Mister V's sitch, I'd have wiped out the part of the line next to the base, and kicked some of the chalk for the first few feet near the base onto where the line should be. Yeah - the line is crooked, but at least you have a reasonably playable field.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Lines??? What are lines?

The line next to the base should be obliterated, but make it clear to the teams that other than at the base, the lines are official.

There are other things that are far more important than a crooked or off-center line. Concentrate on the game at hand, not something that is so minute, it is basically irrelevant.

Like some applications, don't go looking for boogers!

[UmpireErnie]

As Mike has mentioned.. The lines are in the same place for both teams so noone gains an advantage.

Having said that, if they are really bad and you can have them fixed, then do so.

I had a game at a 16U-B ASA regional one year, first game of the day on a feild away from the main complex and the foul lines from 1B and 3B to home were basically big arcs.

I brought both teams out, had them line up on these so-called foul lines. Then I said, "OK, ladies, rub out those lines!" They had fun scratching out the lines. Then I turned to the official scorekeeper and asked her to phone up to the main complex to have feild maintanance come down as we had no foul lines. They brought string and everything and did it right this time. We started 20 mins late but I thought it was well worth it!

[MisterV]

Thanks for the input, it is greatly appreciated.

By the way, we won our regional final last night, bad foul lines and all. It helped that our senior catcher hit a ball halfway into the next county. We'll be making only our second state appearance in school history next week!

I wonder if the lines will be marked correctly there...

[CecilOne]

Originally posted by mcrowder
... snip ... (the worst being foul-lines that were perfect at the bases, and very meticulously lined straight at the FRONT of home plate ... snip ...

Was it the same field as where blueump found the plate installed backward? Would that work out?