[greymule]

As I said in my post, it's obvious that a runner who has not yet advanced to the next base is able to retouch. Therefore, the rule need not remind us of that fact.

However, WestMichBlue did pose the question: Now what the hell does that say? If they have not advanced, touched, and are a base beyond – are they prevented from returning? So he for one was not sure.

So "if" in this case did not mean "only if," though it often does. "They'll let you on the airplane if you have two photo IDs" means "only if you have two IDs," not "and also if you don't have two IDs."

The fact that some colleges no longer require knowledge of grammar is a reflection of the sad state of affairs in American education. Colleges gave up the standard because they had no choice, not because they decided such skills were unimportant.

And there would be no reason for the runner to return had they not missed a base or left one too soon. There is no need to offer perceived options.

I don't understand the point. The options in question did not involve why the runner was returning, but whether the runner could return either before or after having advanced to the next base when the ball became dead.