Quote:
Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)
Steve,
Maybe you are using the word "trap" differently than I would.
If the fielder does not have secure possession of the ball in his hand or glove at the time of the tag, it's not a legal tag.
If he is using some other body part (e.g., his chest) to maintain possession of the ball, and would lose possession without it, he has not met the criteria for a tag (or a catch, for that matter).
JM
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I am equating it to a low throw in the dirt that F3 "traps" between his glove and the ground. If he comes up with the ball in his glove, it's an out. If the ball gets left on the ground, it's not an out. Same logic applies: If he "traps" (Charlie's word) the ball against his chest with his hand or glove (my scenario) and then shows the umpire the ball in his hand or glove after pulling it away from his body (much like the ground in the first scenario), then he has proven possession. If the ball falls to the ground instead, then it is not an out, and I give the emphatic safe signal followed by the "double dribble" signal, signifying the bobbled ball. What I was saying is that not enough info was given to make a blanket statement that the out wasn't recorded at the base originally, with no "abandonment" or "disertion" or any other manufactured situation, just a plain-old force.