Pitching and Pitchers Discussion Elastic hair tie on a pitcher's wrist - jewelry or not?

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I know i keep saying college, but in the end dont you think we should play by the same rules? Earings, wrist ties, no mask on helmet,, whats next? no bows in the hair? Bret, you have no case in this..Like I stated before, rules are rules and let that make its case. Umps need to be on the same page with the college umps to make our girls better. High school umps, need to not take the pay check and get with the same program as college umps.. Rules are rules

 

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High school umps, need to not take the pay check and get with the same program as college umps.. Rules are rules

There might be some sort of point in there...but darned if I can tell what it it is.

What does getting paid to do a job you're contracted to do have to do with anything? (And, by the way, college umpires get paid anywhere from two to four times what high school umpires do.)

Yes, rules are rules, which is what I've been saying all along. High school rules prohibit decorative or cosmetic items, even those made of cloth or string, under the blanket "jewelry rule". Such items are specifically approved as "hair control devices" when actually worn...guess where...in the hair, not on the arm.

Sure, many of the high school rules are the same as the college game, but the two will never be identical. One is comprised of adult players of legal age who presumably are better equipped to make personal decisions regarding informed consent (like wearing a piece of jewelry, for example), the other of mostly minor-aged children where the coaches and schools have the responsibility to act in the role of guardians in their parent's absence. One is made up of the most highly skilled players of the sport, the other must cater to a wide range of skills from "experienced player" to "never played the game before". Those two differences are behind most of the differing rules between the high school and college game.

And, again, the umpires of either sport don't get to set the agenda. The sanctioning bodies write the rule books, not the umpires. The umpires are obligated to follow whatever rules the sanctioning body directs them to. Saying that "the high school umpires need to get on the same page as the college umpires" just doesn't make any sense.

 

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Funny how a topic like this can create such passion. I'm not an umpire, never been one but Bretman is clearly right here ... umpires are paid to enforce the rules of the game. There are lots of seemingly stupid rules including this one, but don't rag on the people paid to enforce the rules if you don't like the rules. No different than ragging on the police for enforcing the rules our legislators follow. Coaches need to make the girls take off the jewelry and such until the rules change ... end of story.

 

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Heres a question, the catcher with a velcro playbook on her arm in college, take off or no? No part of uni and sure no part of a church thing, take it off or no?

We played a team down south last week where both the pitcher and catcher had these playbook wristbands on....I would think that would be more distrating than a hair tie but really if a hair tie or something like that distracts you not so sure you should be playing ball...jmho.

 

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A necklace is around the neck...not the wrist...and nowhere does it say cloth or string types cannot be worn around the wrist. Hate to split hairs with you Bret...but if you are making girls take hair ties off their wrists, then you are opening these rules up to your own personal interpretation and not as they were intended...for safety. JMHO

I thought the hair tie was on the pitchers throwing arm? IMHO why would you wear ANYTHING on your throwing wrist anyway? ;&

 

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I agree with coach jwb.

How can such a simple topic have so many trying to find a catch 22 so the kids can have something on their body during a game that in most cases the only purpose is to make them stand out or be unique. **** it up people, a hair rubber tie/rubber band on a girl's wrist serves no purpose at all except to start controversy. Geez, take the stuff off and play the game already.

Why should Bretman need to waste his breath or bruise his typing fingers to continue fighting for the rule book? OHSAA, ASA, USSSA, PONY, and a host of others say take it off----------so take it off. You want to stand out, pitch a perfect game, turn a double play, or hit a few homeruns a game.

 

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DaBoss, I wish there was a "love it" button!!

 

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DaBoss, I wish there was a "love it" button!!

Agree completely, Sad.

DaBoss has quickly become one of our known voices of reason, like Sammy and Bretman. I'm a fan.

 

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maybe if she puts it on the wrist with the glove it wouldnt have been noticed.

 

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daboss is... DABOSS with that post!! :yahoo: I bow to the master!

 

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A necklace is around the neck...not the wrist...and nowhere does it say cloth or string types cannot be worn around the wrist. Hate to split hairs with you Bret...but if you are making girls take hair ties off their wrists, then you are opening these rules up to your own personal interpretation and not as they were intended...for safety. JMHO

It is a "hair tie" not a "braclet", unless the pitcher has really hairy arms and needs to hold the hair back from her pitching hand, It is not required equipment. If that is the case, I would consider shaving her arm to increase arm speed! just saying.......

 

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I also enjoy the (no) contact by the third base coach to the girl that hits a homerun and the ump calls her out:lmao: really! Must be a high school thing;& umps need to get with the same program the college umps are on, make the game the same

i agree 100% with you. if college players are allowed to play with necklaces and wrist bands, high school players should be allowed too!

 

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No matter if it's rubber, string, gold, silver, elastic, wouldn't it be considered a bracelet if it's worn on the wrist? just because it was "born" a hair tie doesn't mean it is always a hair tie regardless of where it is used.

 

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Im still stuck on the play books on the arms of catchers:yahoo:

 

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This whole thing has gotten to be like the Bill Clinton thing on what the definition of "is" is. :lmao:

 

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Im still stuck on the play books on the arms of catchers:yahoo:

The only organization I'm aware of that has issued a specific ruling on these is high school baseball. They have specifically said they are legal.

So what if they pop up in a softball games? Until instructed otherwise, these items would be at the discretion of the individual umpire for that game. It might depend on what they're made of. If it's soft, like a terry cloth wristband which is legal, then maybe they get the okay. If it has a hard shell, maybe it gets removed. I don't know- I've never seen one of these on a softball field to know for sure what they're made of.

And don't forget...ANY item worn on the pitcher's wrist can be judged distracting. That falls under an entirly different rule than the jewelry rule.

 

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In the game we played. The catchers looked like a combo of soft and hard materials-like a qb wears. But I think the pitchers was just a cloth material. I looked and I dont have any pics of the pitcher just the catcher. Either way our girls were not distracted at all by this. A little thrown off by the calling/yelling of pitches from the pitcher to the catcher...They were focused on the ball not some black thing on her arm. I think the rule is kinda silly but the girls need to follow it because a rule is a rule.

 

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FWIW, our umpire association said they got something specific from the state regarding the playbooks on the arm. They are legal.

 

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FWIW, our umpire association said they got something specific from the state regarding the playbooks on the arm. They are legal.

Interesting to know. Like I said, it's never come up in one of my games and I've never heard any interpretation on them for softball. Sounds like a state ruling based on a specific question, rather than something published by the NFHS.

Regardless, they must mean they're legal for all positions other than the pitcher. The rules still say that ANY item worn on the pitcher's wrist can be judged as distracting. And the rules still say that the umpires can prohibit anything judged to be dangerous. What if the "play book" is make of hard plastic? Or metal? Or has sharp edges? If they allow "play books", I doubt if they automatically mean to ignore those other rules.