God help me, I'm going to borrow a page from His Holiness.
If a fly ball is hit over the infield grass with runners at first and second or first, second and third with less than two outs, I'm going to call the IFR. Any situation you can come up with that alleges that SOME infielder cannot catch that fly with ordinary effort is bull, or a third world scenario that
is not going to happen in the real world.
I don't care if every infielder is lined up on the first base line and the fly goes to the third base line. There is a fielder there that can make that catch with ordinary effort. Does it matter if he DOES make the catch? By rule, no.
Or, take "youbefoolin's" example:
Example...the shift is on. Third base is playing shortstop, shortstop is playing second, etc...
Ball his as a pop-up right smack down the third base line on the dirt cut-out. No one home T...what's your call? Now sell that puppy.
Let's add, 4A varsity game. My call? "Infield fly, batter is out."
Sell it? No need. Coaches are smart enough to know reality. But just in case one has read the stranger posts in this thread: "Hey Blue, there wasn't any fielder at third."
"Coach, just because he decided not to walk the thirty feet from short to get under the ball is no reason that it couldn't have been done under ordinary effort, you know it, I know it, he knows it."
End of discussion.
But again, in the real world, I don't know a coach who would embarrass himself with such a complaint.
Look for boogers all you want. Quote the black and white of the OBR all you want. Experienced umpires who truly do higher level games are going to call the IFR as I described.
Now then, those who work games with "players who don't shave above the armpits" can do whatever they want. Umpires who work the big dog games and those who hope to become big dogs will call the IFR.
Hey Tee, how's my impersonation of Peter?
HHH simulation: [OFF]
[Edited by GarthB on Oct 18th, 2002 at 03:57 PM]