ASA Should Be Ashamed

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by shagpal

OK, now I understand, you are putting that emphasis on the umpires. I won't disagree with you, umpires doesn't get a free pass. I am putting far more emphasis on the ASA than most staunch ASA guys can stomach, but that's just me and makes for great diversity of viewpoints.

My point is, the ASA owns its problems like it or not, and taking an oblivious approach and passing the buck doesn't help matters. So many give the ASA a free pass for what is so obviously self made problems.

I sometimes wonder that those that staunchly defend the ASA aren't really the problem.

I'm hardly a "staunch ASA guy". Last year, I didn't even register with ASA.

However, as a front-line witness to the sanctioning food fight that went on here over the previous 5+ years, "ASA" (including ASA national all the way down to the state commissioner) has no authority over the individual umpire. He is an independent contractor and he owns his own gear. He can wear his shirt and hat anywhere he wants to. The ASA official-dom cannot even "punish" bad actors by not assigning them games or tournaments, since that is all done through independent assignors, who work agreements with the leagues and the tournaments, not with ASA. The state commissioner tried to lay down the law regarding ASA-logoed gear being used at non-ASA games, but, in reality, he had no law to lay down. The only hammer the ASA has is with their championship play assignments.

What do expect ASA to actually do? They don't control the umpires. They don't control the leagues. They don't control most of the tournaments. They don't control the assignors. The "don't care" umpires who wear whatever they have to any ol' game don't want to do an ASA national anyway, so even that "stick" is a wet noodle to them.

NCAA & the NCAA conferences have a much bigger stick, since they control the game assignments (I think... college guys here can correct/elaborate if they wish). You can't really compare schools (college or HS) to independent leagues sanctioned through ASA.

And, nobody would wear USSSA shirts to a non-USSSA event because, well, they are RED!