Quote:
Originally Posted by teebob21
Steve, you used the phrase "about to receive" in your examples above. In your opinion, under the new rule verbiage, would it be accurate to judge the act of catching as starting when the fielder is about to receive the ball, and ending when the fielder either possesses it, or no longer has a reasonable opportunity to legally gain possession?
I'm sure the fall camps will cover this rule change, but I want to have some sort of mental idea of the difference, if any.
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In my opinion, the act of catching begins when the ball first touches the glove or hand of the defender; this is slightly later than the "about to receive" moment even when following the guidelines previously directed, and is meant MOSTLY to limit/reduce/eliminate the ridiculous argument (and sometime umpire judgment) that stretched about to receive as almost anytime a defender set up almost anywhere, more than to shorten the time frame. I believe this was the best verbiage they could come up with to more clearly define a clear point in time; G-d forbid they consider matching the rule of (literally) everyone else in the world.
The other question posed earlier about when it ends if the defender fails to catch it I haven't heard officially, BUT my personal interpretation would be somewhat similar to what it was previously, that if the initial block is legal, then it would require a second and separate act that hinders the runner if the ball is uncaught. Also, similar to the "step and a reach" philosophy, the defender should still be protected from obstruction if the ball is still right there and her efforts are to control the ball, and not specifically to hold the runner there until she can retrieve it.