A question of liability

[Stu Clary]

I was working an adult coed league on Sunday evening. In the later stages of the second game, a young lady came to bat. At first glance, the batter appeared to be about 13 years old. I thought this was a bit odd. Remember, this is an adult league - there are grown men that can hit the ball playing in the game.

OK...so I had a quick debate with myself. Do I let her play? It's an ASA sanctioned league. The teams are ASA registered teams. I am an ASA registered umpire. I can't think of any rules (ASA or local) that would support not letting her bat, so she plays....still, against my better judgement. The batter grounded out to end the inning.

Next, I go to the manager. I ask how old she is, am told she's 16 and that the team has received "special permision" from the recreation department, allowing her to participate. If she's 16, she's the youngest 16 of all time. Anyway, while the "16/special permission" story sounds fishy, I figure that I'm covered from a liability standpoint. When I got home, I called my scheduler to make sure he is aware of the issue.

My questions: Did I do the right thing? Is the umpire covered liability-wise?