[greymule]

Did you read that interpretation as a runner can never correct an error if it was more than a body length? If that's the case, I'd have to say that the J/R is actually talking about how big an error may be corrected "the final time" by the base. It is not talking about the correcting of errors by undoing them in the normal course of live ball play.

I didn't think it meant that a runner could not correct a gross error, only that he could not correct it "last time by." Certainly, in live play, he could correct any error, assuming as you say that the placement of other runners makes it possible.

For example, Abel on 1B takes off on a long fly ball. Abel is between 2B and 3B when F8 makes the catch. Abel cuts directly toward 1B as F8 falls down 420 feet from home plate. Abel is almost to 1B when the coach yells for him to touch 2B. Abel runs to 2B and makes it back to 1B. That's fine. He's safe.

I guess that even if Abel, after using the shortcut, actually made it back to 1B, he would still have the opportunity to go retouch 2B and then try to make it back to 1B before F8 picks himself up and gets the throw back in.

With the ball dead, we might have a different story, though. Suppose Abel takes his gross-error shortcut to 1B, and then the throw enters DBT as Abel is standing on 1B. How does he correct his error? Since he can't do so using "last time by," can he run to retouch 2B, go back and retouch 1B, and then take his award? Or would the situation be different if the throw entered DBT and then Abel arrived at 1B?

I'm trying to understand just how a 20-foot error is treated differently from a 3-inch error.