brief version of ASA rules

[SC Ump]

Originally Posted by steveshane67

does anyone know of any place to find a concise version of SP ASA rules?

I do not believe there is any abbreviated version of the rule books for any organization. You can probably purchase an ASA Rule Book from Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA).

[steveshane67]

Originally Posted by SC Ump

I do not believe there is any abbreviated version of the rule books for any organization. You can probably purchase an ASA Rule Book from Amateur Softball Association of America (ASA).

i already have a copy of the full rule book. and why ASA feels the need to charge ~$20 for its rules is beyond me, i found a pdf online.

what i was asking for is if anyone knew of any league websites that may have went through the rule book and wrote a cliffs notes version of just the SP appropriate rules.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by steveshane67

....and why ASA feels the need to charge ~$20 for its rules is beyond me...

Mike R...you want to take this?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Andy

Mike R...you want to take this?

Yeah, Momma Gump was right.

When someone registers a team or as an umpire a rule book is included for less than $20 (to ASA).

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by steveshane67

i already have a copy of the full rule book. and why ASA feels the need to charge ~$20 for its rules is beyond me, i found a pdf online.

what i was asking for is if anyone knew of any league websites that may have went through the rule book and wrote a cliffs notes version of just the SP appropriate rules.

Is the PDF part of ASA's website? If not, then how can you believe the veracity of it? In a nutshell, you can't. That is why we all use the rule book. There is no short cut to understanding the game. Quit trying to find one.

[Snocatzdad]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

Is the PDF part of ASA's website? If not, then how can you believe the veracity of it? In a nutshell, you can't. That is why we all use the rule book. There is no short cut to understanding the game. Quit trying to find one.

USSSA has some faults, but having their rule book online is a nice feature. I like having a hardcopy, but being able to search for key words in an online rule book is pretty nice. Plus you can cut and paste relevant rules when answering questions.

[greymule]

Boondocks has come to mean the sticks or, in the case of the song, an inferior neighborhood, but it actually means mountains in Tagalog. (American servicemen in WW II brought the term home from the Philippines.) So down in the mountains doesn't quite add up.

[steveshane67]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

Is the PDF part of ASA's website? If not, then how can you believe the veracity of it? In a nutshell, you can't. That is why we all use the rule book. There is no short cut to understanding the game. Quit trying to find one.

first off, the pdfs out there are copys of the physical rule book, there are these things called scanners nowadays.

secondly, i wasnt trying to find a short cut to understand the game, as an umpire. however, most PLAYERS dont read rule books, and i was trying to find a concise version of the rules for PLAYERS.

quit trying to be a jack ***

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by steveshane67

first off, the pdfs out there are copys of the physical rule book, there are these things called scanners nowadays.

secondly, i wasnt trying to find a short cut to understand the game, as an umpire. however, most PLAYERS dont read rule books, and i was trying to find a concise version of the rules for PLAYERS.

quit trying to be a jack ***

Unfortunately, the rule book is such a complicated document that abridging it would be more dangerous than anything else I can possibly imagine on the field shy of giving coaches 10 shots of espresso. Anything that isn't covered in the abridged book will be assumed to be either legal or will be incomplete in such a way that the intent of the rules will be completely misunderstood.

It'd be about as useful as Cliff's Notes would be to someone getting a Master's in Literary Analysis: just enough to be dangerous, more than enough to be embarrassing for the user.

[JEL]

Wow!

Gotta be at least three conversations going on here. Guess I'll add one more.

Anyone working USFA at Liberty Park in Birmingham tomorrow? I'll be going up to watch the niece.

This by the way is a "World Series" and I know that at least two worlds will be there!

[wadeintothem]

Unless something cool happens, this is my last weekend working of the year

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by JEL

....Anyone working USFA ...

Speaking of a Cliff's Notes rule book...

[steveshane67]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Unfortunately, the rule book is such a complicated document that abridging it would be more dangerous than anything else I can possibly imagine on the field shy of giving coaches 10 shots of espresso. Anything that isn't covered in the abridged book will be assumed to be either legal or will be incomplete in such a way that the intent of the rules will be completely misunderstood.

It'd be about as useful as Cliff's Notes would be to someone getting a Master's in Literary Analysis: just enough to be dangerous, more than enough to be embarrassing for the user.

while i understand your point of view, i dont think its that bad of an idea.

99.9% of players arent going to read the rule book. players might read a "cliffs notes" version that covers common scenarios. players who know the "cliffs noted" version would be better, IMO, than players who dont know any rule versions. i know a pretty standard response i use often, to arguments posed by players, is "thats not a rule" or "thats not a rule in ASA softball"

obviously the rules would be prefaced with a statement like these are a concise version of the rules, not all scenarios for each rule, or exceptions for each rule are covered....

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by steveshane67

while i understand your point of view, i dont think its that bad of an idea.

99.9% of players arent going to read the rule book. players might read a "cliffs notes" version that covers common scenarios. players who know the "cliffs noted" version would be better, IMO, than players who dont know any rule versions. i know a pretty standard response i use often, to arguments posed by players, is "thats not a rule" or "thats not a rule in ASA softball"

obviously the rules would be prefaced with a statement like these are a concise version of the rules, not all scenarios for each rule, or exceptions for each rule are covered....

Absolutely not. I think you have too much faith in the players and coaches. Giving them an abridged version of the rule book won't do anyone any kind of service, and here's why.

1 - Coaches and players love to pick and choose rules and take them out of context. At a National, I had couple of players b1tching at me because a couple of batters hit chip shots to the outfield without "breaking their wrists." I later found out that they were using Rules Supplement #10, which has to do with check swings!

2 - There are certain sections of the rule book that are pretty long because they have to be. Do you really want to try and abridge obstruction? Or interference? How about unreported subs? I don't think so.

3 - If you give players and coaches such a book, they're going to use it as THE authoritative guide on the rules of softball. They will ignore the fact that it's the abridged version. They will swear up and down "this is the rule! I read it! I read the rules!" No, you read the abridged rules, and had you bothered to read the ACTUAL rules, maybe you would understand that.

You're giving coaches and players WAY too much credit. Trust me, while your intentions may be good, I think abridging it would only serve to confuse things even more.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Unfortunately, the rule book is such a complicated document that abridging it would be more dangerous than anything else I can possibly imagine on the field shy of giving coaches 10 shots of espresso. Anything that isn't covered in the abridged book will be assumed to be either legal or will be incomplete in such a way that the intent of the rules will be completely misunderstood.

It'd be about as useful as Cliff's Notes would be to someone getting a Master's in Literary Analysis: just enough to be dangerous, more than enough to be embarrassing for the user.

How about a list correcting the myths?