|
one plus one
This phrase has been around as long as I can remember (back to the 1950s). About 25 years ago, I wrote to "Ask Hal, the Referee" at the Sporting News to ask its origin. He responded in his column that he had long heard umpires use the term, but since it was nowhere in the rules, it must have been something that was simply picked up and then repeated enough that players and umpires assumed it was some sort of official term. "Hal" went on to remind his readers that "one plus one equals two."
It is "one plus one" that makes people think a runner gets the base he is returning to plus one. As I remember, some softball codes did use such a rule in the past.
the old "one from the IF, two from the OF" types of award
I still hear people say this, including announcers. Does anyone know where it came from? I wonder whether it was in somebody's code long ago.
In the pregame of a recent FP tournament, my new partner reminded the coaches that it was "one base from the mound, two from the field." Neither coach asked what he was talking about, but I made a mental note to make sure to watch whether the pitcher stepped off the rubber before attempting a pickoff.
__________________
greymule
More whiskey—and fresh horses for my men!
Roll Tide!
|