Wrist Bands

[BigBlue4u]

I was asked a question by a younger umpire:  Can a pitcher or any other player, attach a wristband to his belt?  I read somewhere that equipment must be worn as prescribed, thus it would not be legal to wear a wristband around a belt.  I am also having a hard time trying to find a rules cite.   Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

[Senor Azul]

The following case play I think will at least give you written support for items needing to be worn in its proper place. From the 2016 BRD (section  578, p. 374):

2019 NFHS Case Book Play 8.1.1 Situation Q:  A 1-1 pitch, which is just off the plate, strikes an armband-type placard device used for play situations, which is loosely attached to the batter’s waist. RULING:  The umpire shall call the pitch and declare a dead ball. The batter shall not be awarded first base. COMMENT:  The armband placard is not designed to be worn on the waistband of the uniform pants. It was intended to be properly worn on the wrist/forearm of the player.

Official Interpretation:  Hopkins:  A team is wearing “quarterback-style” wristbands “that have defensive plays listed under a Velcro flap. The pitcher has a black wristband down near his glove.” This is legal provided they are not dangerous. If the umpire believes the pitcher’s band is distracting, it would be removed. (Website 2010 #10)

SITUATION 10: The visiting team is wearing “quarterback-style” wristbands that have defensive plays listed under a Velcro flap. The pitcher is wearing a black wristband down near his fielding glove. The home coach claims that the wristbands are illegal, and all players must take them off. RULING: Provided the wristbands are not dangerous, they are legal. If the plate umpire judges the wristband worn by the pitcher to be distracting, he would need to remove it. Otherwise, it is legal for the pitcher as well. (1-5-9, 6-2-1f, penalty). Black wristbands are not considered distracting, but brightly colored or custom wristbands probably would be.

[Senor Azul]

Apparently the FED pretty much leaves it up to the UIC to decide what is and what isn’t distracting to the batter. So I think the rule that you need is 6-2-1f and its following penalty that tells us the umpire has sole authority in this regard.

2019 NFHS rule 6 SECTION 2 INFRACTIONS BY PITCHER

ART. 1 . . . Illegal acts include:

f. wearing any items on the hands, wrists or arms that may be distracting to the batter;

PENALTY:  …For infraction (f-i), the infraction must be corrected before the next pitch. In (f), the umpire has sole authority to judge whether or not an item is distracting and shall have that item removed.

2004 NFHS Baseball Rule Interpretations SITUATION 9: The starting pitcher has been wearing a batting glove under his fielding glove. In the fifth inning, the offensive coach complains that this is not legal and the pitcher must remove the batting glove. RULING: If U1 feels that the batting glove is distracting, he would instruct F1 to remove it. If U1 feels it is not distracting, F1 would continue to be able to wear it. The umpire has sole authority to judge whether or not an item is distracting. (6-2-1f Penalty)

[Thunderheads]

8 hours ago, BigBlue4u said:

I was asked a question by a younger umpire:  Can a pitcher or any other player, attach a wristband to his belt?  I read somewhere that equipment must be worn as prescribed, thus it would not be legal to wear a wristband around a belt.  I am also having a hard time trying to find a rules cite.   Any help would be appreciated.

 

Thanks

DO NOT be this umpire.  Don't go looking for stuff like this.  There's plenty to focus on in a game that is EXPONENTIALLY more important than where a wristband is being worn.  @Senor Azul example of the hit by pitch w/ the band on his waist, that's a different situation, and should be officiated appropriately like the example.  However, ... simply having the wristband on the belt shouldn't be an issue unless it's being suggested that it's "distracting" in some way (pitcher).

Remember, ...if you can't find a rule to cite, then ...there's no rule to enforce  

[GreyhoundAggie]

Correction: We have been instructed to not allow them to wear the bands on the belt and that if worn they must be worn properly.

 

 

[Kevin_K]

1 hour ago, Thunderheads said:

DO NOT be this umpire.  Don't go looking for stuff like this.  There's plenty to focus on in a game that is EXPONENTIALLY more important than where a wristband is being worn.  @Senor Azul example of the hit by pitch w/ the band on his waist, that's a different situation, and should be officiated appropriately like the example.  However, ... simply having the wristband on the belt shouldn't be an issue unless it's being suggested that it's "distracting" in some way (pitcher).

Remember, ...if you can't find a rule to cite, then ...there's no rule to enforce  

I think it is important, however, to know how to handle it when someone from the other team asks us to address it. In this case, it might be wise to embrace the "In my judgment..." axiom that helps us shut down conversations that have the potential to become more than they should, especially if one team or the other perceives that they are being improperly compromised.

[Velho]

9 hours ago, Senor Azul said:

Provided the wristbands are not dangerous, they are legal.

Does stopping players from learning how to thinking for themselves count as "dangerous"?  

[boyinr]

I can't recall who from here first said it but, "use the rule book to solve problems, not create problems" seems to fit the situation.  

[FLBaseballCoach]

https://www.nfhs.org/sports-resource-content/baseball-rules-interpretations-2022

See situation #3, this was clarified this year.  

[Velho]

3 hours ago, FLBaseballCoach said:

See situation #3, this was clarified this year.

SITUATION 3: The plate umpire notices that several infielders on the visiting team are wearing their signal sweatbands on their belt. The visiting team’s head coach says the umpires, at the last game, ruled the equipment legal. RULING: Equipment must be worn as intended by the manufacturer. Sweatbands were not made to be worn on a belt. This equipment is not legal if worn on a belt. (1-5-11)
 

So if the manufacturer calls it a ‘signal card holder’ they can wear it where ever they like?

[MadMax]

1 hour ago, Velho said:

The plate umpire notices that several infielders on the visiting team are wearing their signal sweatbands on their belt.

(This isn’t directed at you, @Velho… you merely brought it up)

Annnnnnd, how does this affect the game’s proceedings? 

🤔 

… 

🤨 

… 

Simple! It doesn’t. It’s a non-issue. Move on to the next thing, as that – likely the lack of chalked inner box lines – is more important than this (hint: even absent inner chalked box lines are not that crucial an issue).

[FLBaseballCoach]

Not the Umpire's job to determine if a rule is worth enforcing or not.  Personally I would not point it out, but if an opposing coach points it out, it should be enforced.  It is the rule.  Do your job.

[MadMax]

44 minutes ago, FLBaseballCoach said:

Not the Umpire's job to determine if a rule is worth enforcing or not.  Personally I would not point it out, but if an opposing coach points it out, it should be enforced.  It is the rule.  Do your job.

Your name says "Coach". Would you be one of those coaches that would bring it to the attention of the Umpire? 

What benefit does this serve you and/or your team? I'm talking about a "rule" such as the wrist card specifically.

[Senor Azul]

Mr. FLBaseballCoach, you have done nothing wrong if you ask an umpire if something is against the rules. We as umpires are taught not to go looking for trouble. Rules that really do not have a penalty are good examples like this one under discussion.

There is at least one other rule where umpires do not make a ruling until a coach brings it to his attention—that is a coach having to be in the coach’s box. We don’t enforce the rule unless someone complains but it is a technicality that we usually ignore. There is no penalty listed in the rule book so we direct the base coach to remain in the box and if he does not comply then ejection would be the only recourse—something we would really like to avoid.

When a coach would ask me about such a rule I would tell him that he is right but it is a technicality that I then would have to enforce for both teams equally. Sometimes the coach would change his mind and other times I had to enforce the rule for both teams the rest of the game which would make me look like the Overly Officious Official (OOO)—which has become a standard acronym used by umpires. So that’s why we dislike this question.

[FLBaseballCoach]

Thank you, and I appreciate the way that you would handle the situation.  I had a parent complaining about the opposing team this past Thursday.  It was a great game between 2 teams ranked in the top 3 of our respected classifications in Florida.  Every player on the opposing team was wearing the wristbands on their belts, and the parent insisted that it should be brought to the umpires attention.  Just curious if it was legal or not, thats how I found this thread.  Not something I would bring up, but it is something that I would tell our players not to do.

[Thunderheads]

16 hours ago, FLBaseballCoach said:

Not the Umpire's job to determine if a rule is worth enforcing or not.  Personally I would not point it out, but if an opposing coach points it out, it should be enforced.  It is the rule.  Do your job.

Uhm .... this type of jargon doesn't belong on this site, and ...there are many other ways to say what you're meaning without using this phrase.  Which, as you know, is common bullSH*# comment used by coaches when they think they're getting screwed.

How about ... "it is the rule, and should be enforced."    Comes across EXPONENTIALLY better, and the point is similar.

[GreyhoundAggie]

I got "Do your Job'd" by a wonderful jerk fan the other day.

That's not a phrase we enjoy hearing on the ballfield because its not said nicely generally.

[MadMax]

2 hours ago, FLBaseballCoach said:

I had a parent complaining about the opposing team this past Thursday. [snip]... Every player on the opposing team was wearing the wristbands on their belts, and the parent insisted that it should be brought to the umpires attention.

Know why you got this, from this parent? Unless the parent in question is a member of the NFHS Rules Committee (marginally remote chance, but it exists), the only way they know about this rule is they themselves (or their kid, more accurately) were penalized by an umpire for this. I have dubbed this "viral umpiring" on this forum, and I (personally) believe it is a far more damaging and far-ranging threat to amateur umpiring than abrasive fans. 

I know how the story goes... kid (and/or parent) happens upon a "great idea" and starts using and relying on the wrist card. As kids love to mimic each other, others on the club start to do the same, and soon, several players on the club are wearing the wrist cards... but since they all pitch, and they see college players do it, they stick the wrist cards on their belts. Then, on a game somewhere, all it takes is one OOO to preemptively step in and decree that all those wrist cards are illegal, aren't to be worn, and any dissent devolves into warnings / restrictions / ejections. 

We, collectively, don't strive to be that OOO. 

[The Man in Blue]

I may be wrong, but in my experience things like this are only brought up by teams who are taking an 18-1 butt whooping.  (You know, that game that you cost them by letting them wear wristbands on their belts, Blue!)

You may be right and you may prove it after the fact on an online forum ... but unless you can show me what effect it is having on the game (safety concern? advantage gained?), I am not going near it during a game.  Not even if you bring it up.

I will try not to be a pedantic ump.  Please try not to be a pedantic coach.

[Mister B]

I was working a JV game the other day, I was on the bases. One of the teams had wristband, but they could hold 5 sheets. They used all 5 sheets because they had offensive and defensive plays on there. The coach had a clipboard with about 40 pages of plays on it, which he would frantically flip thru between plays. It was humorous to watch, because he would call a defensive play, all his players would try to find it and then, if the ball was hit, there was usually an error. Between innings I asked my partner if he thought the plays were written up as errors? He got quite the laugh. 

[LRZ]

"You're right, coach, they can't wear wristbands on their belt, but I'm not going to enforce it." I have always been in the "don't be that OOO" camp, and I agree that this issue has nothing to do with playing the game fairly, but something about ignoring a violation that a coach has brought to your attention doesn't sit well with me. Senor Azul's approach seems reasonable to me: "OK, Coach, you're right. I'll enforce it for both teams." I wouldn't like being in that position, but do I have a reasonable, legitimate option when the rule is clear?

And when there is a rule against wristbands on belts, this is not a matter of judgment, i.e., whether it's distracting.

[The Man in Blue]

Since we are now fashion-police, can I enforce my disdain for long baggy pants and straight-billed caps?  That is not what the game intended ... 

 

[cjroman]

On 5/13/2022 at 12:42 PM, The Man in Blue said:

Since we are now fashion-police, can I enforce my disdain for long baggy pants and straight-billed caps?  That is not what the game intended ... 

 

I use Flat Billed hats worn by a late 20s to early 40s coach as a reliable "DB" indicator. Combined with a pair of over knee length athletic shorts and white Oakleys, you know exactly what you're dealing with. 

[The Man in Blue]

I had forgotten about this but you reminded me …

I was at a tournament where the PU ejected a bro-coach at the plate meeting for wearing his hat backwards.  PU instructed him to turn it around and he refused.  PU’s stance was the coach was “refusing to wear his uniform properly once instructed.”

The coach had been an A-double-two-hole the whole tournament and this PU said he wasn’t even going to let him start.  He followed through!

[ErichKeane]

I had my first run-in with the wristbands on a 14U Senior Fed JBO/NFHS game on Friday.

The coach kept having the batters step out to hear a 6 digit number that they then spent a while looking up on their darn wrist sheets.  I warned the players a few times to get back in the box, then discussed it with the coach at one point (that they need to keep their feet in the box between pitches, but likely too late in the game) and the coach told me he 'never heard of that rule'/etc.  He then dared me to enforce the rule, but I wasn't confident enough with the 7-3-1 exceptions to enforce it, particularly 'e', so I just kept telling the batters to get in the box.

Next time I get it though, I'll be MUCH more confident with the exceptions list and make sure use it to keep the game going.  It slowed the gamed down an unfortunate amount.