[greymule]

Since much of the reliance on "moving the glove to the ball" derived from ASA case book play 1-58, I'll re-post it:

(FP only) The batter, with a 1-ball, 1-strike count, bunts the ball in front of the plate. The catcher lunges and catches the ball before it touches the ground. The ball did not go higher than the batter's head, so the umpire rules this a foul tip and returns the batter to the batter's box with a 1-ball, 2-strike count.

Ruling: This is not a foul tip, for the ball did not go directly to the catcher's glove from the bat. Because the catcher went to the ball, this should be ruled a legal catch, similar to F3 or F5 making the catch.

(Of course, this play deals with a fair ball, so the question is flawed from the beginning. But it is still what gave us that "went to the ball" stipulation. Does anyone know whether this concept appears anywhere else in ASA?)

Remember the discussion that if "over the head" always meant it was not a foul tip, then a pitch that was over the batter's head and swung at and barely ticked by the bat—but at a point over the batter's head—would be considered a fly ball out if the catcher caught it. We've all seen that happen. Has anyone ever seen it called anything other than foul tip?

If that's a foul tip, then clearly it is possible for a ball fouled over the batter's head not to be a fly out. If it's also possible for a ball under the batter's head to be a fly out because the catcher has to move to catch it, then the criterion of "not over the batter's head" means nothing.