[greymule]

"Fans (and some coaches) go bonkers because they do not understand the rules."

Yes, I'm accustomed to this. Listing all the rules I've been accused of not knowing would be the longest post on this website. But three recent cases in girls' ASA FP are typical: (1) When I upheld a dead ball appeal on a missed base, some "fans" were outraged—even though the miss was obvious—because I had upheld the appeal improperly: the "experts" knew that the defense had to return the ball to the pitcher, who then had to "call time" and throw to the base to appeal the baserunner's error; (2) I called a foul ball when F5 reached over the 3B line into foul territory to glove a chopper, but the fans could see clearly that "both [F5's] feet were obviously in fair territory"; and (3) A runner beat the throw to 1B but touched the white base. Play continued, and a run scored while the BR returned to 1B. After play ended, with the BR standing on 1B, the defensive coach appealed that the BR "touched the white base."

Maybe things are getting better, though. It's been years since I've been lectured by a knowledgeable fan that "the fielder has to hold the ball for three seconds. It's right in the rule book!"