Never removed so much equipment from a game.

[Umpire in Chief]

Saturday I had 4 Pinto (coach pitch) tournament games.

3rd game of the day and I'm now behind the plate. (We don't gear up for this we stand to the closed side of the batter and count pitches)

We do not check bats etc before these games we deal with them as they come up.

Top of the first the home catcher comes out and the jaw pad of his mask is hanging on by one ratty velcro strap and is basically hanging down like a second throat guard. I walk him to the coach and tell him, "We're not going to play with this mask. If a ball were to hit the mask it would push the mask into his face."

Coach says, "That's all we have and this was supplied by the league so it has to be legal."

"Sorry coach, were not going to use it."

"We've played with it all year like this and nobody else has said anything."

"Well this is the first time you've had me, and I can not allow it."

The visiting coach sees what is going on and offers to share his mask with the other team. Between innings I'm getting a drink and talking with the official scorer. He tells me he's on the board and thanked me for taking that mask out of play. HE said while his league isn't rolling in money they have more than enough to replace some of the crappy equipment they have.

We're cruising along and somewhere in the middle innings a batter on the visiting team hits a ball. And based on the sound of the bat I knew something was up. There were no other runners on base so I retrieved the bat. It was cracked. I gave it to the VC and told him this bat has to be removed from the game.

He actually looked at the crack and asked, "Is this too broken to play with?"

"Any crack and it's done." I told him.

Next inning also the visiting team We had a R2, batter hits a ball to the outfield. I step up to clear the bat, when I grab it I can feel the cracks, but I gently toss it to the side. The scoring runner picks it up and starts to walk to the dugout with it. The BR is still running (my partner has him) and I'm trying to ask the batter to leave the bat. The play stops. I run to look at the bat. This one has multiple cracks running between the grip and the barrel. I tell the coach this one has to go too.

He wasn't happy and said, "But this one didn't make a funny noise when the ball was hit."

"But it's still a cracked bat, it has to go."

Next half inning the home team has a cracked bat too. This time I found out the hard way. This time as I grabbed it to toss it to the side the crack nicked my finger. So I retired that bat too.

1 game 4 pieces of equipment removed... I think all season I've only removed one helmet which had a very noticeable crack in it.

[tjthresh]

I'm not surprised at all.

Even though most of the kids in the league my sons play in have their own bats and helmets, the league provided catchers gear is a mess. I makes me cringe every time I see a kid up it on.

I think I've kicked 10 to 15 helmets at the JV level this year. That kind of surprises me.

[Mike Prince]

I removed one cracked helmet and a cracked composite bat in the same game, actually it was the same player in a single at bat. First the helmet when he stepped in, then the bat on the first foul ball when it sounded funny and caused me to inspect it.

Got the same line you did, "I've been using this all season". I replied with "I don't care how long you have been using it, I'm telling you it won't be used in this game". Based on the attitude of the kid (12U) and coach I was certain that helmet and bat would be attempted to be used the next game.

Edited May 24, 2010 by bikerider

[buddywilshire]

Am I missing something? Why would anyone want to play with a broken bat? It seems like not having one would be better.

[DirtyDawg]

Am I missing something? Why would anyone want to play with a broken bat? It seems like not having one would be better.

Ahh.....here is where we hit that gray area. Most kids in the younger groups want to use the broke bat because it is their bat. Others want to use it because it is the popular bat. You'll find that when you get in the upper leagues (especially in slow-pitch softball) that people want the "broken" bat because it is broken in, giving it more of a trampolene effect (that rattling sound you hear going on inside of a softball bat is actually deemed cracked, and therefore illegal).

[yawetag]

Got the same line you did, "I've been using this all season".

My first game this year, a Varsity game. We can't find a BESR logo on a bat where almost all of its labeling is gone. When the player hears the bat isn't allowed, he says "I've used that bat for four years!" My partner replies "That's the problem."