[SRW]

Originally Posted by jimpiano

Unless a pitched ball is illegal for another reason one that simply fails to get over the plate is a ball and is dead, unless there is stealing.

Page 225 refers to games with stealing and the prescribed mechanic has no meaning in games where there is no stealing, i.e almost all slow pitch softball games.

The umpire is under no obligation to explain, visually or verbally, why a ball is a ball,,,,,but the universal pounding of the fists is clear to all players,including the "umpires" at shortstop and in the outfield, that the ball did not cross the plate.

Whoever invented it should get royalties.

I guess I don't see in the mechanics where "pounding the fists" is a prescribed mechanic... especially a "universal" one. Can you explain how that's done, or where in the umpire manual that it talks about that?