[greymule]

Most Men's Slo-pitch players haven't a clue when it comes to the rules.

I can't count the times I've explained what we would all consider basic rules to SP veterans, even those who play on top teams. I had to explain once to a well-known NJ slugger—a veteran of thousands of games around the country—that in ASA softball, illegal pitches, not balks, result from improper actions by the pitcher. He freely admitted that he had not known that fact, and was thankful for the information.

As for the local leagues and business/co-ed teams, most of the players know less than nothing, though self-anointed experts abound. We all know the main softball myths, but from these players we could add:

1. The baseline belongs to the runner (therefore, a runner in the baseline cannot commit interference)
2. One base on an overthrow
3. A ball that hits the plate is foul
4. If the coach is in the box, he does not have to move for a fielder attempting to catch a foul fly
5. It is physically impossible for a pitch to land more than 18 inches behind the plate and be a strike
6. Runners cannot leave their bases until a fly ball is securely held
7. The umpire must grant a request for time as soon as the ball is returned to the infield
8. The batter cannot step on the plate after he hits the ball (as in running to 1B)
9. You must "veer or avoid" when running to 2B
10. One of my favorites: Abel on 2B, 2 out. Baker gets a hit and Abel scores, but Baker is subsequently thrown out at 2B. Abel's run does not count, because for Abel to be credited with having advanced 2 bases, Baker must also advance 2 bases. Yes, that's what somebody told me.

Oh, yeah—number 11—when a fly ball hits an outfielder's glove and then goes over the fence, it is a 4-base award only if the ball would have gone over anyway.