Quote:
Originally Posted by bob jenkins
That's not always true.
|
Bob, thanks again :-). The appeal of a checked swing is indeed not the same as an appeal on the bases. Hence the PU may initiate the appeal on his own. Here is a good article that describes the proper umpiring mechanics of the checked swing appeal:
The Amateur Baseball Umpire Home Page
Again, all of this cries for a rules clarification along the lines of "infield fly if fair". There needs to be some signal or understanding that "batter has walked if ball" or "play goes on if appealed to be a strike". Any rulings on batter interference should be made retroactively to the final outcome of the appeal. Both the offense and defense should remain alert to the "limbo" status of their actions. For example, the runner attempting a steal of second who was called out on the throw should be trained to "hold the bag" until all final rulings are made as to whether it was a ball or strike. Calls of BI should be allowed to be overturned and let the outcome of the play stand "as is" if ball four made the batter a runner. That solution would be infinitely better than the mess that was made of the Texas-ASU game.