Say what now?

[Welpe]

I'm working the plate in a rather small league tonight that is supposed to be Colt. Naturally my understanding is we're playing Colt rules and I had thought this had been clarified with my assigner.

Middle of the 2nd inning, the visiting manager comes up to me and asks "We're playing HS rules right? I am going to want to take my pitcher out, put him in the field and then put him in later."

I respond with "No, we're playing Colt which means once he's out he's done for the game."

He gives me a confused look and goes off to the dugout. End of the 2nd and he comes up and says he spoke to a board member and they said we were playing HS rules.

I go confirm with my partner and he said he thought we were playing Colt also. He ran out to his car and grabbed his phone. He sent a text to our assigner who confirmed it is HS rules.

I think that is the first time I've ever had a game change rulesets mid game. What a mind job that was.

[johnnyg08]

hmmmm....could/should you have clarified this at the plate meeting?

[Welpe]

Evidently but I never have done that before except in non league games

[johnnyg08]

Fair enough.

[Richvee]

I've got 2 or 3 different travel leagues I call. 10u (when I have to), 11,12 50/70, 14U etc. They all seem to play a different rule set. I have made it a point at plate meetings to clarify the ruleset, any "league rules" like continuous batting order, special pinch runner rules, etc.

[Thunderheads]

Fortunately I do 2 rule sets only....FED, and OBR modifed w/ FED slide rule ..... :smachhead:

[Welpe]

Jeff, so do I it just so happens that one of the leagues actually uses one and not the other. :shrug:

[Mike Prince]

Probably a good plate meeting validation point, especially if you work multiple leagues/rulesets or it is a new league to you.

[mstaylor]

If they are Colt, they use OBR with Pony mods. If they are using FED then they are either AAU or something indepentant. If they are truly Colt then they can't by charter use FED rules. I would never dream to ask what rules we are using.

Yesterday I has doing a four day music festival. The last band in their closing number the two drummers lit their sticks and were playing drums with fire mallots, IN A TENT! I shut it down immediately and ripped the guy when he came off. He said nobody told him he couldn't. I didn't tell the other previous bands over four days they couldn't either, never dawned on me that it was an issue. If you are going to use fire on stage you ask beforehand. In your case if this league is calling itself Colt but uses nonColt rules, they need to mention it, not the PU ask.

[Welpe]

Thank you Michael, that's exactly how I looked at it also. I've been working on clarifying the important details, such as what rules are actually being used in this league, and it's not very clear unfortunately. I'm half expecting "Just play baseball." to be the answer. At any rate, this has been a good league to stage my return.

Though I did have one partner that I worked with freak out when I told him on a check swing appeal I'm coming to him even if he's in B or C. Said he'd been trained to never ask a partner in B or C and disagreed with me when I said the rules (OBR) required it if I were asked. :shrug:

[Mike Prince]

Swing appeals are still one of the BU's responsibilities no matter which position he's in. Sometimes you have no choice but to ask him.

[Welpe]

I completely agree. I told him I was coming to him if they asked and for him to just give me what he has. Still seemed like a strange reaction.

[James Walker]

In b or c you still have a better view on checked swings than the PU... If you're in the right position.