Original ASA Rule Book

[WestMichBlue]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Out of curiosity, how did you come by this rulebook, WestMichBlue? Let's get the story behind it, if you'd care to share.

Sorry to ruin your conspiracy theory, but it is too simple. I bought it – on eBay – where I bought many (over 40) for several years.

When Dakota said “original,” he meant the original source for the on-line book, not that I had the original ASA book.

I suspect that the original rules were probably typed and mimeographed just before the hundreds of teams showed up for the first national SB championship games at the 1933 World’s Fair. Despite the new set of rules, confusion reigned as all the teams previously played under different rules and equipment. I assume that the Rules Committee sorted all this out in 1934. Also that year the fledgling ASA organization got financial help from the Athletic Institute, a nonprofit organization of sporting good manufacturers. That probably put the rules in the hands of various manufacturers who printed and sold rulebooks for many years. When I started playing SB everyone stopped by the local sporting goods store and, for a dime, got a copy of the new rulebook published by Spaulding, Rawlings, Adirondack, or Louisville Slugger etc. None of them were more than 1/8” thick and were easily carried in our hip pockets, readily available to argue with the umpires!

Anyway, I suspect that in 1934 or ’35 the first mass printed books appeared. One of my undated books (Sears Roebuck) has a reference to a 1935 field diagram. The one you see (the Kapok) has a slow pitch reference to 1936. I also have a 1936 Gold Smith (kapok balls) and a Wilson 1937. All of these books are identical in rules text, so my assumption is that they represent the original rulebook – whatever year that is. 1939 is the first year that I see changes to the rules.

For more background on the origins of ASA and its rulebook, see my History of Softball Rules when Dakota finishes editing and posts it on-line.

WMB