North Georgia Amateur Umpire Association

ASA

All members of NGAUA are required to register with the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) of Georgia. All league games NGAUA is contracted for are played under ASA rules (with some exceptions) and in ASA uniform. NGAUA umpires will also have the opportunity to umpire in ASA sponsored State, Regional and National Tournaments.

For any questions regarding ASA, please contact:

Edwin Pickering ** 404-663-6170 ** epicko52@yahoo.com

NEWS

Do you know your ASA Courtesy Runner and DP Flex Rules?
With ASA Qualifiers just around the corner, do you know your Courtesy Runner and DP/Flex rules cold? How about lineup management in general? If it rains could someone pickup your game using only your lineup card notes? For a quick refresher course you might want to review the “Lineup management NFHS ASA" PowerPoint presentation from cactus umpire’s web site. Slide 28 starts the Courtesy Runners, and slide 49 starts the Flex/DP portion.

2010 ASA Rules Changes
ASA has announced its Rule Changes for the 2010 season (effective January 1, 2010). These include but are not limited to the following:

Pitching distance for 16-U A/B Fast Pitch classifications to 43 feet
Pitching distance for 18-U A/B Fast Pitch classifications to 43 feet
Metal cleats will now be allowed in 16-U and 18-U ALL divisions of play in J.O. Fast Pitch
The pitching arch height for all divisions of slow pitch is now 6-10 feet
The Double Base… Half of the base is white (fair) and half of the base (foul) is a contrasting color
No electronic equipment to include cell phones, pagers, etc. is allowed to be worn or carried on the playing field
Click here for the complete 2010 rule changes with comments

Happy New Year!
Its Time for 2010 ... and another great season of softball at NGAUA. Our first meeting of the season will be Sunday, January 24 at Lockheed Elementary.

1:30 - Meeting starts - featuring Georgia ASA Umpire-In-Chief, Jimmy Derrick
2:30-3:00 - On-site Uniform Sales from Barry Sullivan at The Umpire Shop. This is your easy opportunity to buy the required uniform, equipment and accessories. Please plan to be there early to buy your stuff.

This is a VERY IMPORTANT, MANDATORY MEETING! Attendance at this meeting is required to be paper qualified to work an ASA National Tournament (if you missed the meeting, you must go to the January 31 meeting at Emory or one of the clinics on GeorgiaASA.com to get paper qualified.

Georgia ASA's prepares to Host 13 National Tournaments in 2010
At the 77th Annual ASA National Council Meeting in Oklahoma City, Georgia ASA was awarded 13 ASA National Tournaments for 2010. Georgia will be hosting a combination of slow pitch and fast pitch tournaments for both J.O. and adult. the 2010 ASA National Tournaments in Georgia are as follows:

Girls’ 10-U Slow Pitch – LaGrange	Girls’ 12-U Slow Pitch – LaGrange
Girls’ 14-U Slow Pitch – LaGrange	Girls’ 16-U Slow Pitch – LaGrange
Girls’ 18-U Slow Pitch – LaGrange	Girls’ 10-U Class A Fast Pitch Southern – Cumming
USA/ASA Girls’ 18 Gold Fast Pitch – Marietta	ASA Men's (10) Modified, Cumming
ASA Men's (9) Major Modified, Cumming	ASA Men's (9) Modified, Cumming
Coed Class C Slow Pitch – Columbus	Coed Class D Slow Pitch – Columbus
Coed Open Slow Pitch – Columbus

Congratulations to NGAUA's 2009 ASA Post Season Umpires

USA/ASA Girls' Class A 10-Under Fast Pitch - Johnson City, Tennessee
Lamar Meers
ASA Girls' 12-Under Fast Pitch - California
Chuck Cantrell
ASA Girls' B 12-Under Fast Pitch Southern - LaGrange, Georgia
Mike Thompson
USA/ASA Girls' Class A 14-Under Fast Pitch - Marietta, Georgia
Billy Gay	Don Harris
Powell Hazzard	Shane Head
Mike Moran	Shawn Schumacher
Michael Scott	Bobby Streetmon
Randy Thomas	Wayne Tippens
John Zumbado
USA/ASA Girls' Class A 18-Under Fast Pitch - Las Vegas, Nevada
Lee Gray
Hooters ASA Women's Class C Slow Pitch East - Meridian, Mississippi
Kelly Catanach
ASA Coed Class C Slow Pitch - Cumming, Georgia
Jim Rollins
Hooters ASA Men's Class C Slow Pitch Southern - Augusta, Georgia
Jerry Clover	Jim Hiett
Jonathon Moody
Hooters Women's Championship Series- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Edwin Pickering

ASA Rule and Code Changes
The ASA National Office has published its 2009 ASA Rule Changes. Changes to rules regarding charged conferences, dented bats and run limits are a few of the rules being changed in 2009. In addition, ASA has made modifications to the ASA Code

Umpire Code of Ethics
ASA umpires are professional umpires. We get paid to umpire amateur athletes. As individual professionals, we have a responsibility to the players, fans, other umpires, our associations, ASA and ourselves to meet a high standard of professionalism both on and off the field. All Georgia ASA Umpires are expected to know and follow the Georgia ASA Umpire Code of Ethics. Georgia ASA takes this very seriously. Umpires not following this document may be brought in front of the Georgia ASA disciplinary committee and are subject to disciplinary action. Any questions regarding this code, please contact Jimmy Derrick.

ASA Document of Rule Differences Between Fast Pitch and Slow Pitch
EP, DP or Flex? What's the run limit? When do you call time? If you're jumping back and forth between fast pitch and slow pitch, then the ASA's document of rule difference between ASA fast pitch and slow pitch is for you. This document should be be in the equipment bag of every NGAUA umpire who spends time behind plate both wearing and not wearing a mask.

ASA Document of Rule Differences Between ASA/NFHS/NCAA
Are you a NGAUA Umpire who also umpires Georgia High School Softball in the fall? Or do you umpire some NCAA games in the spring? Umpire all three? With three rulebooks to memorize, it would help to have a chart explaining the differences between the three types of ball. ASA has answered that need and has published a document of rules differences between ASA, Federation and NCAA. This document is a must for NGAUA umpires who also work high school and/or college ball.

ASA Bat Logo. Where's Your Bat List?
Before every game, make sure to print out a copy of the latest ASA Non-Approved Bat List. If a bat is on this list, NGAUA umpires should NOT allow the bat in ALL NGAUA LEAGUE GAMES AND ASA TOURNAMENT GAMES. It is important that every NGAUA umpire check bats for each and every game! This list is updated to the minute by ASA. So check back each week to ensure you have the most updated list. This list and some others with photos of the bats are also available on the Forms Page.

Not sure what each bat looks like? Check out the Non-Approved Bat List with PHOTOS. Keep in mind, many bats look similar. Just because a bat looks like a bat on this list, doesn't mean it is a non-approved bat. There are also some non-approved bats that may look slightly different than what is pictured on this list. Always check the model number of the bats.

Want a bat list that is a little more compact so it will be easier to take with you to the field? Print out the Bat List For Your Lineup Card holder (Designed by fellow Georgia ASA umpire, Dana Mason). This bat list is the perfect size to fit in your lineup card holder whether you're on the plate or the bases. (Please Note: The Lineup Card Bat List is NOT updated to the minute by ASA as the other lists above. We will do our best to keep this list current. Please compare the lineup card list to the updated list to ensure that there were not any changes before heading out to the field)

Remember the penalty -- By rule, if a player steps in batter's box with a non-approved bat, it is treated as an altered bat situation. The player is called out, the bat removed, and the player is DISQUALIFIED from playing the rest of the game. Bat checks are to prevent the above from happening. Please help teams understand you are trying to prevent the above situation from occurring. In other words, you are trying to prevent them from losing a player for the rest of the game! So, again, check bats before every game!

TOURNAMENTS

Tournaments will be added as they become available.

LINKS

www.asasoftball.com -- The Official ASA Web site
www.georgiaasa.com -- Georgia ASA

UNIFORM

ASA and NGAUA take great pride in presenting themselves with a professional uniform appearance. Please make sure your uniforms are complete, clean, pressed, and polished. To purchase official ASA umpire equipment and uniforms, please contact:
(Local - The Official Supplier of Georgia ASA Umpire Uniforms) Barry Sullivan, 770-339-3370; The Umpire Shop; DUSASoftball@bellsouth.net
(National) http://www.officialgear.com 1-800-654-8337

A list of the required ASA Uniform and examples is as follows:

EQUIPMENT	DESCRIPTION	PHOTO
Shirt	New Pro Style Polo Shirt (Powder Blue) with ASA Letters	Photo
Pants	Navy Blue Pants	Photo
Cap	Fitted Cap with ASA Embroidered Letters and American Flag	Photo
T-Shirt	White Crewneck T-Shirt	Photo
Belt	Black Leather Belt with Silver Buckle	Photo
Shoes	Black Shoes	Photo
Socks	Black or navy Blue Socks	Photo
Ball Bag	Navy Blue Ball Bag with ASA Letters	Photo
Brush	Small Brush on Plate AND Bases	Photo
Indicator	Handheld Indicator with Balls, Strikes, Outs (Innings Optional)	Photo
COLD WEATHER OPTIONS
Jacket	Navy Blue Jacket (Pullover or Zip Front) with ASA Logo	Photo
Turtleneck	White ASA Mock Turtleneck	Photo
SLOW PITCH OPTIONS
Shorts	Navy Blue Shorts with Belt Loops	Photo
Socks	White Anklet Socks (Only with Shorts)	Photo
Socks	White ASA Tube Socks (Only with Shorts)	Photo