Left to my discretion...or black and white?

[gumpire]

Please all - I really need some input here....

Our local slow-pitch wreck league has a rule that teams must have "uniforms" (defined as matching sponsor shirts or same color shirt with no sponsor, and a number) by a certain date each season. Usually for Summer league it's May 1st and for Fall Sept. 1st.

Throughout the ENTIRE summer ball season teams will not have EVERY player in uniform...regularly I will point out a player not in uniform and invariably I get, "That last umpire..." or "It doesn't fit.", etc. The only time the opposing team will point it out is around the 5th inning when they are losing. This year at the Summer league playoffs (with the league coordinator present every night), teams still were not in uniform. League coordinator's comment was that you (meaning umpires) haven't enforced it all year.

So, last Tuesday, being Sept. 1st, I asked the Park Monitor if today was the day for uniforms; they were unable to tell me for sure because they could not find their Fall league handouts.

Tonight, I was mistaken which park I was scheduled to work at and arrived 3-5 minutes late for my game. The game had started and the home teams coach was umpiring. I came in at the bottom of the 1st. One of the players on the home team was not wearing a uniform or the same color, or a number. Play proceeded, and as usual, around the 4th inning, the visiting team started complaining about the player with no uniform. I told them that I was going to allow it, they *****ed but play continued. After my game, an umpire from another field came by to tell me that Sept. 1st was the uniform deadline and that "...if it's brought to my attention, I have to call the batter out."

2 seperate issues, but I'd like input on both:

I believe that the uniform issue is left to my discretion by the league based upon their allowing discretion in an ongoing basis. Right or wrong?

What should I say to the other umpire in response? (FYI: There is NO SUCH ruling regarding "brought to my attention", and in his next game, during my pitchers warm-ups, I noticed at least 3 people not wearing uniforms on his field.)

[wadeintothem]

You should arrive on time and address this matter at pregame then there will be no 5th inning thing.

If you can get them to agree to allow it at pregame, then its over with.

I would not want to OOO this personnaly.

But, then again, I would be on time.

Did I mention be on time?


Tell the other umpire "oh hey thanks!" and go about your business.

[gumpire]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

You should arrive on time and address this matter at pregame then there will be no 5th inning thing.

If you can get them to agree to allow it at pregame, then its over with.

I would not want to OOO this personnaly.

But, then again, I would be on time.

Did I mention be on time?


Tell the other umpire "oh hey thanks!" and go about your business.

Thanks for yourr reply. 150% agree with on-time....hard to do when I accidentally went to wrong field however, mistakes happen. Not an everyday event for me and 5 minutes was not make-or-break....we have a 5 minute gap between games (which I often give to the team that is short 2 players who "are pulling into the parking lot right now") and in this instance, game was over 40 minutes after it started (10-run-rule).

I'm sorry, don't know what "OOO" means?

[wadeintothem]

Over officiate the issue..

IMO Clear the air at pregame and go on. I dont set my self up as having time to parade all the fat dudes down the cat walk for close inspection. Once the games on its, on.

[Steve M]

I agree with Wade - get to the field on time and handle this at the pre-game. And, for me, on time means an hour early. This approach gives me time to get lost, fix a flat, get stuck in trafic - anyne else ever get stuck behind a horse & buggy? - or even go to the wrong field. Build into your schedule time for something to happen.
Local league rules are something I don't care for - but you've got to treat them as the same as a book rule. You should have known them.
As to the other umpire letting you know you were wrong - if done away from players & teams & everyone else, OK.

[Umpteenth]

One of our local wreck leagues has implemented a similar rule (shirts must be of similar color and must have unique number). I know myself and one other umpire enforce this rule. Either the player finds an appropriate shirt, or they don't play. Yeah, they whine and cry about it, but nothing else arises during game play.

[IRISHMAFIA]

To start, if it is a league rule, it isn't something you or the other team can waive. An umpire certainly does not have the authority to determine which rules applications/misinterpretations upon which they will or will not accept a protest.

OTOH, it isn't, nor should it be the umpire's job unless the league will accept and pay the umpire for the forfeits that will result in not allowing players to participate without the proper uniform. Trust me, forfeit a couple of games and this silliness will stop.

Suggestion: Local leagues have same rules here. Uniform must be worn by 5/15. After that date, the OFFENDED team may protest an opponent not in the proper uniform in the first three innings of the game while that player is the batter. The penalty is the player is ruled out.

Stop right there. I can hear people thinking now about "what if the player doesn't enter the game until the fourth inning" or "but what if s/he doesn't get to bat until the fourth inning", etc. The only caveat is that team members may not change shirts as they come to bat in order to avoid the rule. Otherwise, I don't care what sorry-*** excuse one has, if it isn't in the first three innings, any protest is ignored and they can take it up with the league.

This places the onus of the LEAGUE uniform rule upon the LEAGUE members and eliminates the umpire from any type of associated action other than ringing up the out AFTER the defense insists on enforcing the LEAGUE uniform rule.

[Big Slick]

Originally Posted by Steve M

- or even go to the wrong field.

I know that you would never go to the wrong field, but I bet your partner has

[BretMan]

Going to the wrong field sounds bad, but if you work over a hundred games a year at maybe three dozen different fields the possibility of it happening increases!

I've caught myself driving to the wrong park before, realized it before I got there, made a quick detour and made it on time. Luckily, I had plenty of time to get to the right place.

This past spring, I almost screwed up big time! I had a high school game in an area of town I'm not too familiar with. Within a few miles of each other were schools named East High School and another named Eastmoor High School. I thought the game was at East, but it was actually at Eastmoor!

I had my MapQuest map to East and just enough time to get there in rush hour traffic. On the way to the game, my assignor called my cell to tell me that my game at Eastmoor had been cancelled and offered me another assignment with a later start time. That's when it dawned on me that I was heading to the wrong school and would have been terribly late to the right one. Talk about dodging a bullet!

Other than that one near-miss, of the hundred-plus games I've worked this year I haven't been late for or missed any of them!

I did have one local league playoff game this year where my partner- a very reliable guy- called me about 15 minutes before game time and asked, kind of irritated, why I wasn't at the field for our game. Told him to check his schedule- I was at the right field, he was at the wrong one!

[Steve M]

Originally Posted by Big Slick

I know that you would never go to the wrong field, but I bet your partner has

HAHAHAHAHA - OK, so maybe an hour early isn't enough.
I had a partner this spring who went to a field that was 3+ hours away from the field he should have been at. And this was after we had talked on the phone the night before.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Here's how I handle this with the adult rec leagues I contract with. If the league wants a uniform rule, then I tell them that their staff is to make all decisions if that one shirt is sufficiently matching the others, that my umpires are all "color blind".

The umpires will monitor unique numbers to match the lineups, and the umpire will note if an opposing team wants to protest the jersey on another team's players; but their "duty person" or "park monitor" or "field supervisor", or whatever they call their representative, must either rule on the issue, or else report to the league supervisor for his action (to declare it a forfeit, an ineligible player, whatever). We start, and continue the game until and unless the staff person declares the player ineligible and that creates a forfeit.

[NCASAUmp]

ASA uniform rules are primarily meant for championship play, not for Tuesday night local ball. As such, most leagues have greatly relaxed their uniform rules so that the emphasis is more on participation than nit-picking the color of players' pants. I, for one, think this is a good thing.

Now, for the sake of argument, let's assume that the umpire doesn't know when the uniform deadline is. Let's also assume that there is no one from the league hierarchy present anywhere near the fields.

First, the typical "uniform" is just a matching shirt with a number. Well, what is that? Is that supposed to be some sort of "proof" that they are who they say they are? Is that meant to prevent them from bringing in ringers? No.

The first thing I'd do is talk to the coach of the player who's "out of uniform." If he knows his player is out of uniform and that we're past the deadline, the player doesn't play. If the coach honestly has no clue about the deadline, and finding out the deadline isn't a quick phone call away, AND the player's clothes don't match the opposing team's colors, I'll let it slide.

Regardless of what happens, I'm definitely going to have a "little chat" with the coach of the player who's missing his uniform. I don't appreciate my nuts getting put through the ringer over something as stupid as a uniform.

If the opposing team is worried the guy's a ringer, then there are other rules for that, and they can protest his eligibility to their hearts' content. No shirt is ever going to make a difference, though.

C'mon. This is local league softball. Yes, local "uniform rules" (if I can say that with a straight face) should be followed. But if it's just a day or two after the deadline, is it REALLY going to make that big of a difference?

I mean, really.

Fortunately, where I call, I have field supervisors right there behind the backstop at all times. I leave it up to them. Most of them, in all honesty, don't care one way or the other. As long as the uniform-less player doesn't look like a member of the opposing team, they've never raised any concerns over it.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

ASA uniform rules are primarily meant for championship play, not for Tuesday night local ball. As such, most leagues have greatly relaxed their uniform rules so that the emphasis is more on participation than nit-picking the color of players' pants. I, for one, think this is a good thing.

Really? I understand a team was in Salem last weekend and arrived with shorts that ranged from Coach's to Cargos and challenged the ASA Rep to tell them where it said they had to wear matching uniforms. Even the ASA Rep knew it was in the rule book, duh!

Of course, I also understand this may have been the same team from Indiana who won their D States, but was sent away to the E Nationals!!! Their roster supposed even had "D" as the classification. Their local District Commissioner told the ASA Rep that they allowed this because they (local ASA) was tired of sending teams away and not winning games. The funny thing though was that apparently, the teams which finished behind this team played in the D National in Salem.

And they wonder why some teams get upset about classification

[umpirebob71]

Originally Posted by Steve M

I agree with Wade - get to the field on time and handle this at the pre-game. And, for me, on time means an hour early. This approach gives me time to get lost, fix a flat, get stuck in trafic - anyne else ever get stuck behind a horse & buggy? - or even go to the wrong field. Build into your schedule time for something to happen.
Local league rules are something I don't care for - but you've got to treat them as the same as a book rule. You should have known them.
As to the other umpire letting you know you were wrong - if done away from players & teams & everyone else, OK.

I live in NE Ohio, where there is a large Amish population, so yes, I have had the pleasure of being stuck behind a buggy. I always add some time when I'm going through there.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Really? I understand a team was in Salem last weekend and arrived with shorts that ranged from Coach's to Cargos and challenged the ASA Rep to tell them where it said they had to wear matching uniforms. Even the ASA Rep knew it was in the rule book, duh!

Of course, I also understand this may have been the same team from Indiana who won their D States, but was sent away to the E Nationals!!! Their roster supposed even had "D" as the classification. Their local District Commissioner told the ASA Rep that they allowed this because they (local ASA) was tired of sending teams away and not winning games. The funny thing though was that apparently, the teams which finished behind this team played in the D National in Salem.

And they wonder why some teams get upset about classification

Yes, the uniforms were the hot item of the tourney. However, we can only tell those guys so many times in so many different ways before play begins that uniforms must match. It had been sent in writing multiple times to the managers, and the managers were told in the managers' meeting that uniforms must match. The TD even loosened up the restrictions a little for the first day, but everyone was expected to follow the uniform rules after that.

Anyway, the OP was referring to league play, not championship play.