Quote:
Originally posted by BretMan
All foul balls are dead balls. True.
A fly ball caught over foul territory remains a live ball. True.
Therefore, a fly ball caught over foul territory cannot be a foul ball.
We might call it a "foul ball" in a generic, conversational manner, much the same way that someone calls a batted ball that is tipped back to the screen a "foul tip". But neither is technically correct. From a strictly by-the-book, rules-based definition (which I thought was the whole point behind picking those nasty nits!) a caught fly ball can never be a "foul ball".
|
I think mccrowder's point may have been that any ball touched in foul territory is foul. If it ends up hitting the ground, it remains foul. If it ends up being caught, then it is a CATCH, albeit a split second after having been touched. It must be touched before caught.
Consider this:
Bases loaded, no outs. There's a looping fly hit down the right field line. The plate umpire moves up the line to rule on the play. The ball is going to land very near the foul line. F3, F4, and F9 converge on the ball. The ball hits F4's glove (in foul territory) and pops out of her glove and into the air as she collides with the other fielders.
The umpire should signal the ball as having been touched in foul territory although the ball is not, technically, foul ... YET! It has been touched in foul territory.
This is valuable information to the runners and it is information they deserve to have immediately. It completely changes HOW the runners will react to the ensuing play. Had that ball been initially touched in FAIR territory (even though the status of a catch or no-catch is still in question), the runners may opt to get a certain distance off the base, start moving closer to the next base, in anticipation that the ball may drop and put them in jeopardy of being forced out at the next base.
The runners now KNOW that the ball was initially touched in FOUL territory. They can now stay ON the base because the only way the runners can advance is if the ball is ultimately caught. The runner doesn't have to worry about being forced out at the next base if the ball is NOT CAUGHT because it will be foul.
As F4 falls to the ground, the ball ends up in her glove before touching the ground.
Now it's a catch!
But, for a moment, the status of the ball in foul territory was pertinent even though the ball was ultimately caught.
So, one can say that a CAUGHT fly ball is never foul and, technically, that is probably correct. But, the fact that a ball is caught over foul territory can be quite pertinent to how a play unfolds. The fact that the catch is taking place in either FAIR or FOUL territory is important. The players deserve that information and the umpire should provide it promptly.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN
[Edited by David Emerling on Feb 28th, 2006 at 01:10 PM]