[greymule]

You're right, Del-Blue. Calling an out on a high foul tip would get you run out of town. But I do think that the rules and case book examples should be more definitive.

It's seems ironic that ASA's rule writers took the care to put the "s" on "hands," as if the verbiage had to pass legal scrutiny, but still managed to leave so much ambiguity.

In slow pitch, I have on several occasions had a relevant play. These days, especially at the higher levels, the catcher stands on the opposite side of the catcher's box from the batter. I stand directly behind the plate with an unobstructed view. This gives the catcher much more range than if he is down in the squatting or kneeling position. Batters have swung at waist-high pitches and hit balls that go directly back and up into the catcher's glove, easily over the batter's head. In SP, it's certainly not the same "directly into the catcher's glove" as it is in FP. But only once has a catcher even joked about "Hey, over his head--that's an out."