NFHS Jewelry Rant
 

:mad:
As our high school season gets underway, I want to make sure you're not that umpire.

You know the one. The "other umpire" who allowed the girl to put tape over her earrings to cover it up. The guy who decides to overlook the little circular bandaid covering their nose stud. The homer who didn't make them take off the braided string bracelet.

Hey pal, I got something to say to you. Don't make my job tougher in my game by not enforcing the rules in your game. :mad:

Ok, I'm done now.

O so your THAT guy. That inspects every girl up and down trying to catch something that they might be hiding? Do you make them all lift their shirts so you can make sure nobody has navel rings on? This can go both ways.

I agree with you jewerly shouldn't be worn there is a rule....but I also think there is a fine line, between alowing everything....and inspecting every player well enough to see a flesh colored band aid. If I see it I'l make you take it out, but I got to see it first and I got a lot going on in a game to be that focused on jewerly

Ok my rants over too.

Here's my comment on this: making sure the players are properly and legally equipped is the coach's job, not the umpire's. (4-1-2-d) If I happen to notice jewelry before the game, I'll inform the coach. But, I don't "inspect" the players. If I notice jewelry during the game, 3-6-1 Penalty applies. If a player or coach asks if they can tape over jewlery, I tell then no, not unless it is a religious or medical-alert medal.

My jewelry pet peeve is not with high school that has a penalty. My pet peeve is with ASA, where there is no penalty so the players try and get away with wearing jewelry. If caught they take it off, if not caught they feel as though they have won the battle.

I cannot stand having to stop ASA games three, four times for the removal of jewelry, it really does affect the flow of the game.

ASA, please put a penalty into the rule book. A rule with no penalty is not worth the paper it is written on.

Horsecrap. There is a rule if they refuse to take it off. If I tell you take off jewelry that I judge to be dangerous, you'd better do it, or I'll toss you for showing up an umpire and committing USC.

Easy way to handle it: as you walk into the dugout for the bat inspection, remind the players to take off their jewelry. If anyone has a question about an individual piece, they can ask me then.

I rarely have problems with jewelry on my field, and I frequently get thanked for reminding them.

So, obviously, my anal-ness over jewelry is misplaced. Tell it to my three grandkids who don't have a paternal grandfather because he died when their dad was less than a year old. His dad was garroted at second base by his own necklace.

Tell it to the girl six years ago who was doing her job on a steal play at second base. Baserunner came sliding in, helmet went askew, baserunner's earring left a scar like barbed wire just above the left eye of the second baseman. Less than an inch lower it wouldn't have been a scar just above her left eyebrow, it would have been her eye. The scar is still bad enough. It looks like she has a jack (the child's toy, not the tire thing) embedded in her forehead.

I can tell you more ... and I will if it doesn't sink in.

What other rules do you people ignore? Does the whole ball have to be over the plate for it to be a strike? Do your half innings only require two outs, or four outs, or do you mix it up because you don't want to enforce the three out requirement this half inning?

Yes coaches are responsible. We also know some coaches are not. In NFHS, the rules are plain and they are there for a purpose. It is YOUR responsibility to enforce them. If you are NOT going to enforce them, then step away from the game. NFHS has a different purpose than ASA, NSA, USSSA, ISA, Dixie, Babe Ruth, Little League, PONY, 5 Star or anything else. (And in the other organizations neither you nor the coaches are acting in loco parentis, which is why you have to rule it to be a danger. When I do ASA, there is NOTHING around the neck of any player unless it is religious or medical.) It's is YOUR JOB to do YOUR JOB according to the rules, manuals and directives of NFHS. That includes the jewelry rule.

I just hope it doesn't take a death on YOUR field to get you to enforce the rule. Will it take a maiming or a death on your field to make you decide to more diligent in your enforcement?
If for no other reason, enforce it in memory of Dana Wall and the life that could have been.

The rule is there. If you feel it is a danger, enforce it. The rules don't say anything about the flow of the game. Just don't mess it up as an umpire. If the players mess it up, that's their fault.

And the rule is NOT a gotcha. "Gotcha" umpiring is a different thing entirely.

Nice rant, if a bit over the top. Nowhere did I say I do not enforce the rule. However, I do not have the players line up holding their bats at "present arms" (or is it "inspection arms") for an equipment and uniform inspection, either. I don't ignore jewelry, but I don't inspect for it, either. It is mentioned at the plate meeting for High School games.

Hell, NO! ASA's is just fine. If some idiot parent wants to let their child wear something that will not harm another, that is their problem, not mine.

If you expect me to be the player's parent, I want to be able to claim every one of them on my taxes.

Don't you claim them already, Mike?

We should at least be able to claim the coaches. :D

Regardless of how you recognize the jewelry, remember we can not tell a player to remove anything, just that they can not play while wearing it.

Formal inspections no, but I do watch the players as they go out to field, so that I can correct all of them at once, not one each inning. :rolleyes:

Sorry about that, I didnt see it.
Maybe you see too good. :D

I didn't say you did or didn't. I also do not expect people to line up for inspection, neither does SRW. We're usually very happy they actually have their bats and hats out of their bags for us to have a look.

Now:

Don't you dare mistake my passion for being over the top.

When he was younger, I had the "honor" of telling my oldest stepgrandson why he didn't have two granddaddies like his friends. You do that, then come back and tell me it's a bit over the top. This guy was one of my very best friends in the world, long before his son and my stepdaughter ever joined hands. A bit over the top indeed.

Sorry for their and your loss, but adults would seem to responsible for their own behavior.

I can also really empathize with you..

And I've also seen injuries - I've seen a pitcher get her face crushed, I've seen a player in the dugout get smashed and taken off in our ambulance, a good friend and umpire had a stroke in middle of a tournament... the list goes on as I'm sure it would for each of us.

This is a dangerous sport. Period.

Things do happen and I'm sure there are regrets.. and I'm sure each each of our life experiences affect what we do...

So that is said, and I understand that..

In terms of an overall approach for ALL umpires to your cocern - it is still over the top.

For you, it may indeed be your passion.

That doesnt make it my passion, even if I can empathize with why you would feel the way you do.

Although it does kind of twist on me you would allow medical or religious necklaces - it seems to me they can kill/injure just as easily....

In any case, in NFHS ball the rule is clear so if you see it, you must take care of it.