Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Ump
Not that it matters, but the way you were calling it (with the "allowed two or three steps" thing) was the way I was taught and the way that I believe all organizations taught it several years back.
I believe it was somewhere around five years ago when the rule was changed to "one stop", which of course means as noted in an earlier post that the runner could run all the way, right up to 2B, before deciding to stop and go back. Though, realistically, that never happens.
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Don't know what rule set to which you are referring, but for ASA I'm pretty sure it has always been an allowance of one stop for the runner once the LBR was effective and I can document that back to, at least, 1999. The obvious exception is when the stop is while in contact with the base while the LBR is in effect. In 2000 the rule was adjusted to specifically cover the different scenarios of subsequent actions of the batter-runner after over running 1B.
And in my 22 years of ASA ball, I do not recall ever being trained or told of any distance, time or speed to which the runner must limit themselves to avoid being ruled out for an LBR violation.
I guess we also had to take into consideration that a decade or so ago, we did not have the large scale ability for ASA staff to communicate with the masses of mechanics and rule changes and clarifications. Back then it was the National UIC Clinics, but not all UICs would attend or go home and pass on the information to everyone. This probably left some areas to do the best they can in making their own decisions on rules and mechanics.
We still see that at some level when you hear about umpires still applying the old rules "about to receive", unreported sub penalties, re-entry allowances, etc. in their games and this is with the internet and the ability to get changes across in a heartbeat. Could be it is people not agreeing and making up their own rules, or just not paying attention to what they are told. It is not unusual to have people come up after a clinic to clarify an issue you just addressed and complete distort not only what was stated, but also displayed on a screen behind the clinician.