[greymule]

According to Bob Mauger, Chief (?) UIC of NJ, any ball that hits the ground before the bat hits it is a "ball," and the swing does not count. In other words, those clinics taught the rule incorrectly.

Therefore, while ASA's wording "swings . . . after the ball hits the ground or plate" may have been clear to the people who knew what they meant when they wrote it, it can easily be misinterpreted by the non-mind-readers among us. Fully precise wording would take some thinking, but better might have been something like, "A batter cannot legally swing at or hit a ball that has hit the ground or plate." The insertion of an example or two wouldn't have been a bad idea, either.

This would also mean that when a batter swings and misses a pitch such that the bat passes the ball after the ball has hit the ground, that swing does not count and we are to call a ball. That one's not going to be easy to sell on a 3-2 pitch, but I must admit I'm eagerly looking forward to making that call.