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Originally Posted by Manny A
I find it a bit unsettling that the rule sets allow the defense to take advantage of the orange bag in situations like this.
The purpose of the DFB is to enhance safety on the single play of when a throw is going to first to retire the BR going there from home.
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You want safety? Get rid of the double base and teach the players how to play the position. The double base is a result of "dumping" hitters at 1B and/or treating F3 as a non-skilled posItion. IOW, it is a result of lazy/bad coaching skills.
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To treat it as "one big base" afterward for all other situations really provides the runner no benefit, but gives the defense an edge in plays that I feel they shouldn't have.
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Why should the runner have a benefit? That isn't the purpose of the base. However, it actually does give a smart runner a benefit as if properly used, gives them the ability to get a running start off of 1st base.
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Suppose in the OP, F3 makes a diving catch of the line drive about 10 feet or so in foul territory while R2 is a few steps off the bag. F3 is able to dive back and tag the far edge of the orange bag with the ball in her mitt a split second before R2 can reach the opposite edge of the white bag. R2 would be out because F3 had the advantage of not needing to stretch 15 more inches.
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If R2 doesn't want to be put out, R2 should have been off the base.
Let's play with math. R2 has an advantage of being 15" closer to 2B from the line, why shouldn't the defense enjoy the same? The defense has to cover the full distance from foul line to foul line, yet the runners are given an allowance to cut off a little over 40" off the diamond
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That said, are you sure the double first is treated as one on these type plays? I just checked the ASA rule book, and this was a brand new add to rule 8-2-M-7. But I don't see an equivalent ruling in the FED book.
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No, it was not a brand new rule. It was a clarification added because (and this is for you, Topper
), too many people tried to overthink the wording and had a difficult time understanding that the rule change effective in 2006,
yes, 2006 opened up the entire base for access to the offense and defense for any play not coming from fair territory on the BR only.
The NFHS addresses this in 8.10.3