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Originally Posted by BigGuy
How about this - the dead ball tables only cover a fairly hit ball lodging in a defensive player's uniform. It says nothing about a thrown ball.
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Ah, but the "Baserunning Awards Table"
does mention a thrown ball entering a defensive players uniform! It says the award is two bases from "time of pitch".
Frankly, I am shocked- SHOCKED!- that there is a glitch in the FED rule book!
Who knows what their true intent is here? The silver lining- when they offer conflicting rulings on the same play, the umpire can never be wrong! No matter which way you rule, you can point to whichever part of the book you need to prove your case. The flip side is that the other guy, if he know's his way around the rules, can just as easily prove you wrong.
Jeez, I hate ambiguity in the rule book!
Base awards, in general, are an estimate and a compromise. They are based on what "probably" would happen in a given situation. I can think of a handful of plays where the stated base award might rob the offense- and another handful where the offense comes out ahead.
Personally, for this play, I would prefer that the umpire had the right to kill the ball and award whichever base, or bases, he judges to negate the ball entering the uniform. Unfortunately, when working a game I don't get the luxury of making rules to fit my personal beliefs. When working a FED game I will enforce the FED rules exactly as they are intended.
If we could only figure out what the heck they intend for this one!