[greymule]

Stop and think about that statement for a second

Not sure exactly what requires thinking about. If it's the statement about the case play, I cited it because it mentions that the ball did not go higher than the batter's head (what the original post asked about) and says that the umpire rules it a foul tip. Then it says that the ball is not a foul tip because it "did not go directly to the catcher's glove from the bat." The problem is that the play describes a fair ball in the first place.

The Fed case play is accurate.

As for how the catcher could reach up and catch a ball directly off the bat, I've seen it many times. The pitch is high, the catcher moves up to catch it, and the batter then ticks it with a high swing. By rule, that's an out. It does not meet all the criteria for being a foul tip. However, I agree with you that it should be called a foul tip.

"Not higher than the batter's head" therefore does not disqualify certain pitches that are higher than the batter's head. And we know that balls can be lower than the batter's head and not be foul tips. "Not higher than the batter's head" is not a defining factor.