[greymule]

That's right. A ball going directly from the bat to the catcher's mask and then to the mitt cannot be a foul tip, but it supposedly could be an out if "the catcher went to the ball." In theory, a catcher moving toward a ball slowed and spun off to the right could be hit in the mask or chest protector first and then catch the ball for an out, even if it did not go over the batter's head.

We had a play yesterday where the batter swung on a 1-0 count and slowed a ball considerably. The ball—definitely not over the batter's head—spun over the catcher's left shoulder, slowed enough that she had a chance to dive backward toward the plate ump, who had time to move and give her room. The catcher dived but couldn't quite hold the ball, and some fans, hoping for an out, moaned. The offensive coach looked over and told them, "Wasn't over the batter's head."

I think something's rotten in the state of ASA's case book. Case book play 1-58 is the only instance I can find in ASA where "the catcher went to the ball" is mentioned. It claims to define a foul tip but instead deals with an obviously FAIR ball. Somehow, I suspect that no fair ball can be ruled a foul tip.

I'm going to try to find an authoritative opinion on this.