Titanium Necklaces - Jewelry?

I voted for the second choice but it needs a qualification. In HS and Legion they have a jewelry rule. If the umpire sees it the player is told to take it off and there is a team warning. After that anyone else is ejected. HS allows medical alert and religious jewelry but it must be tape down but showing so medical personel can see it. Anything else including Lance Armstrong braclets are illegal.

My son has worn a Phiten titanium necklace for the last 5 years, through HS, Legion and College baseball. Noone has ever commented on it at games.

Mike Taylor is correct in that NFHS (High School) rules prohibit a player in the game from wearing jewelery. (team warning, then ejection) However, I'm not familiar with any rule that prohibits it in Legion ball.

NFHS = warning then ejection.

It was a POE last year, due to the popularity of the LiveStrong bracelets. I had to warn one time all season, that was it.

HS- remove the necklace.... NFHS rules prihibit it. like Lon blue, I had to remind players all the time about the livestrong braclet last year...


Above- play on

There are safety reasons behind that rule, MPD. Players do not need to be wearing jewelry. I hope you would not allow him to wear a necklace of any type.

MST is right here texan...NFHS allows medical alert and religous medals to be worn, but they must be taped down to the body......

other than those 2........take them off....

if NFHS allows it, we have honor that....

piaa, MPD is not talking about medical or religious jewelry here. And personally, I would not want my son wearing even the latter when playing. Thankfully, he has no need for the former.

I'm talking from the standpoint of a parent, not a blue.

Thanks for the thoughtful responses. It seems clear that these necklaces, like the rubber wristbands, are not allowed in high school ball. The enforcement mechanism seems to be - tell him to take it off, and remove him from the game if he refuses.

I followed up pilsner's comment on the absence of a comparable American Legion rule. ALB now publishes their rules on their website and also includes an umpire's manual. The Rules (5 pages of OBR exceptions and 12 pages of admin) don't address jewelry at all, but the Umpire's Manual includes the following under Official Rule Interpretations (which seem for the most part to be enforced extensions of the rules):

"1.16 Wrist Bands; Jewelry:
Players will not wear white wristbands while at bat or in the field. Players, especially
pitchers, will not be allowed to wear distracting jewelry of any kind.
Players with medical alert tags will be allowed to wear the medical alert tags, but the
tags must be taped to the body in a manner and placed so they can be easily read and
not a safety hazard."
I suspect that judging what's "distracting" is too hard, so all "jewelry" is excluded.
[The Umpire's Manual makes for interesting reading (for a non-umpire) - the diagram describing the "called Legion strike zone" (essentially navel to knees, ruling out the high strike) was especially enlightening. The diagrams and instructions on umpiring mechanics also flesh out some of the statements you guys have made in the past on this board.]

quote:

There are safety reasons behind that rule, MPD. Players do not need to be wearing jewelry. I hope you would not allow him to wear a necklace of any type.

Texan,
1. I understand the safety concern inherent in the NFHS rules - but everytime I try to imagine the safety hazard of rubber bracelets and string necklaces in the context of 90 mph fastballs, 120 mph line drives, and headfirst slides at the plate, I get distracted by images of Dan Akroyd choking on a Nerf ball (from an old SNL skit - remember the "bag-o-glass" toy).

2. I agree that players do not need to be wearing jewelry - baseball players wearing gold chains, earrings, etc. while in uniform strike me as showing disrespect to the self-effacing traditions of the game. Of course, high school baseball players wear a lot of things that they do not need: eyeblack as face-paint, cushioned batting gloves when swinging a rubber-gripped aluminum bat, wristbands on other than a sweltering day, baserunning gloves, under-gloves, funny-looking pants wrapped over their shoes, under-armor, buzz-haircuts. Why? Because these things make them better ballplayers? I would suggest it's simply part of their self-identification as serious baseball players - not entirely a bad thing. It beats being identified as serious thugs, criminals, or druggies.

3. My son is seventeen and will be going off to college next fall. He would probably disagree with me, but overall there are very few things that I choose to allow or disallow. Most choices are up to him to make - I simply try to help him foresee the consequences. After hearing what I have to say, he may choose to spend $25 on a Phiten necklace that marks him as a serious ballplayer, a leader on his team - I'll allow that. He may choose to wear the necklace in the first school game - I'll allow that (not sure if coach will). He may refuse to remove it when directed by coach or umpire - I won't allow that....

I guess I'm different than most parents. As long as my children remain under my roof I will remain the parent. And that means there are times when I will draw the line, and times when I let them learn.

Should a runner's necklace catch on the fielder when sliding, it can do some pretty good damage before it snaps. And the dynamic force required to snap it is significantly greater than the static force.

90 mph fb's are part of the game and can't be avoided. Other risks aren't part of the game and can be avoided.

Personally, I want my son to realize that titanimum necklaces are snakeoil and it is his play that makes him a serious player, not some piece of marketing hyped jewelry sold on the PT Barnum principle.

quote:

Personally, I want my son to realize that titanimum necklaces are snakeoil and it is his play that makes him a serious player, not some piece of marketing hyped jewelry sold on the PT Barnum principle.

Texan, agreed 100%.

I'm thinking of coming out with a new line of necklaces made from unobtainum metal that promises to increase your batting average by projecting positive waves...

A price of about $50 apiece should be enough to convince suckers buyers of their worth.

Ok,..I'll be the one to ask,...

....if you have a titanium necklace and you wear it,..what exactly does it seem to do for you?
Do you think its been worth the money?

I'm curious. This question has come up over on the Ladies only forum as Christmas is right around the corner and us moms are busy shopping for our baseball guys.

From a parental point of view at first look, I have to admit, it seems more like a fashion trend around here.
I'm trying to be open minded and would like to hear points of view from those who wear them.
Would I be getting my moneys worth if I bought one? If so why?

It is pure snakeoil. There is no science behind them.

From my brief web research, the chief biological benefit of the titanium (microscopic particles bonded to the fabric fibers of the necklace) is that it won't hurt you. You can eat it in large quantities without absorbing any. Kind of like sand.

Purely fashion IMHO.

Jewelry doesn't help play. Practice helps play.