Improperly Marked Bat List
 

JUCO pre-game. Home team was not ready for the bat inspection per NCAA rules. They had the latest version of the list, but it was not highlighted and did not reflect the number of team bats they had in their possession. They also had a completed list from a previous game on hand, so my partner and I asked the coach to transpose the info from the previous list to the new list if all the bats were the same.

A few minutes later, the coach handed us the new list. Still no highlighted lines (they didn't have a highlighter); they just marked "1", "2", etc., in the "# units" column. On the first page, they had "1"s for five different model bats by Anderson. But as my partner and I quickly discovered, all the "1"s annotated were one row off. The coach didn't have the old and new lists aligned when she started marking the new one!

The NCAA rule book says, "Before the game, all [bat list] discrepancies must be reconciled and bats not accounted for in the count and via highlight shall not be allowed to remain in any team area nor on the field." My partner and I fixed the team's discrepancies on the first page of the list with the coach present, but should we have done that? Or should we have given the list back to the coach and tell her to fix things? We waited long enough to get the bat check done, and we were approaching game start time.

Thoughts?

I hate NCAA bat inspections. They all seem to have at least 20 bats and they are nearly but exactly the same.

Coaches say we need the checks because their opponents cheat. What does that say about sportsmanship?

My solution would be no bat checks. Have the coach verify all bats are legal and on the approved list. If the opposing coach believes a bat is not legal and does not show up on the list, we eject the offending coach and toss the bat into the abyss.

the crew chief reminder email to confirm the game with the coach should mention the bat list and bat check protocol per 3.3.4. link to the bat list in the email.

print copies of the latest bat list and bring them along withh you. when announcing your crews arrival, ask coaches if they have the latest bat list and request they have it ready prior upon your crews return.

do the best you can with what you are provided, and get on about your business with the game at hand.

And we are told the exact opposite, to NOT include that information, that we are confirming time, date, and location, not telling the coach what his/her job is. How would you feel if their reply told you when to be there, what to wear, ask if you have all YOUR equipment, or something similar?

I agree with that approach, in all but the highest levels, or if you know the coach is intentionally ignoring the requirement. No one likes this process, so we need to muddle through it together. Helping them when needed promotes a "working together" atmosphere, where handing it back and demanding it be fixed sets off an adverserial relationship.

Similar to what I tell my crews when I UIC; tell ME if see a uniform violation and let me address it. Umpires get in enough battles over game rules, without having to create more issues over administrative issues.

I do what my assignor and assoc tells me to do. we are given a template sample email that includes the bat list protocol by the assignor and assoc.

I would do as your assignor tells you. mine tells me exactly the opposite of yours.

I only do youth and HS JV stuff. I have heard stories about the NCAA bat check rules. The umpires I have talked with always seem to have a story about games starting late because a team does not have the bat list with them, or it is not prepared properly or something like that.

The one I recall the most was when a team (NAIA or JUCO) does not have a copy of the bat list. The team is playing their rival team. The rival team (home team) has plenty of copies in the dugout that could be used. When the visiting coach asks the home coach for a copy, the home coach refuses, saying it is your job to bring your list, not my job. The coach had to have the bus take them 20 minutes away, so they could print a copy out and bring it back to the stadium, fill it out and start.

Another time when I would have applied Steve's advice:
"I agree with that approach, in all but the highest levels, or if you know the coach is intentionally ignoring the requirement. No one likes this process, so we need to muddle through it together. Helping them when needed promotes a "working together" atmosphere, where handing it back and demanding it be fixed sets off an adverserial relationship.

Similar to what I tell my crews when I UIC; tell ME if see a uniform violation and let me address it. Umpires get in enough battles over game rules, without having to create more issues over administrative issues. "