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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 09:52am
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Every year I keep of copy of common myths and misconceptions with corresponding rules references with my umpiring gear. I post the information at several of the ball parks I work at in attempt to education John Q. Public. Many of these myths are taken from Eteamz website of OBR myths, but many have been adapted to take in account FED rules differences.
If I have made any mistakes, please inform me of them. If anyone can think of some new ones that they commonly hear, please tell me those as well. In my area, we only do FED and OBR, so take that into account in your criticism. Thanks! Top Baseball/Softball Rule Myths PLEASE REMEMBER that these are MYTHS and therefore are all FALSE unless otherwise noted by high school or local league rules. The Batter · The hands are considered part of the bat. FALSE · If the batter breaks his/her wrists when swinging, it's a strike. FALSE · The batter cannot be called out for interference if he/she is in the batter's box. FALSE · The batter may not switch batter's boxes after two strikes. FALSE · The batter who batted out of order is the person declared out. FALSE · The batter is out if he/she starts for the dugout before going to first after a dropped third strike. FALSE · If the batter does not pull the bat back while in the bunting position, it's an automatic strike. FALSE · The batter is out if a bunted ball bounces back up and hits the bat while the batter is holding the bat. FALSE · The batter is out if his foot touches the plate. FALSE in all codes except high school. This is TRUE if a league is using high school rules. See high school baseball rule 7-3-2 & high school softball rule 7-3-2. In all codes, the batter is never called out if contact is not made with the pitch. · A pitch that bounces to the plate cannot be hit. FALSE · The batter does not get first base if hit by a pitch after it bounces. FALSE Running to First · The batter-runner must turn to his/her right after over-running first base. FALSE · The batter may not overrun first base when he/she gets a base-on-balls. FALSE in all codes except high school. This is TRUE if a league is using high school rules. See high school baseball rule 8-4-2h exception & high school softball rule 8-7-3d & 8-7-3e. · The batter-runner is always out if he/she runs outside the running lane after a bunted ball. FALSE Base running · A runner is out if he slaps hands or high-fives other players after a homerun is hit over the fence. FALSE · Tie goes to the runner. FALSE. It doesn’t go to the fielder, either. The runner either beats the throw or the throw beats the runner. Ties do not exist. · The runner gets the base he/she is going to plus one on a ball thrown out-of-play. FALSE · Anytime a coach touches a runner, the runner is out. FALSE · Runners may never run the bases in reverse order. FALSE · The runner must always slide when the play is close. FALSE, but some local leagues and age groups have mandatory slide rules. Check with your local league manager. · The runner is always safe when hit by a batted ball while touching a base. FALSE in baseball, but TRUE in softball. See high school softball rule 8-8-13. · A runner is out if he runs out of the baseline to avoid a fielder who is fielding a batted ball. FALSE · Runners may not advance when an infield fly is called. FALSE Fair/Foul, Foul Tips, and Others · If a batted ball hits the plate first, it's a foul ball. FALSE · If a player's feet are in fair territory when the ball is touched, it is a fair ball. FALSE · The ball is dead on a foul tip. FALSE · A runner may not steal on a foul tip. FALSE · If a fielder holds a fly ball for 2 seconds, it's a catch. FALSE · If a fielder catches a fly ball and then falls over the fence, it is a homerun. FALSE · The ball is dead anytime the ball hits an umpire. FALSE · The home plate umpire can overrule the other umps at anytime. FALSE Appeals · It is a force out when a runner is called out for not tagging up on a fly ball. FALSE · An appeal on a runner who missed a base cannot be a force out. FALSE · No run can score when a runner is called out for the third out for not tagging up. FALSE · You must tag the base with your foot on a force out or appeal. FALSE · The ball must always be returned to the pitcher before an appeal can be made. FALSE Pitching · The ball is always immediately dead on a balk. FALSE, but this is TRUE if a league is using high school rules, but in baseball only. See high school baseball rule 5-1-1k. In softball, the term “balk” is replaced with the term “illegal pitch”. However, in softball an illegal pitch is a delayed dead ball and may be hit by the batter if the pitch is released. In this case, after the play ends, the batting team may elect to take the illegal pitch penalty or take the result of the play. See high school softball rule 5-1-2a. · With no runners on base, it is a ball if the pitcher starts his windup and then stops. FALSE, but this is TRUE if a league is using high school rules. See high school baseball rule 6-1-2 Penalty & high school softball rule 6-1-2a Penalty. · The pitcher must come to a set position before a pick-off throw. FALSE (Pickoffs not used in softball.) · The pitcher must step off the rubber before a pick-off throw. FALSE (Pickoffs not used in softball.) · In softball, the pitcher must release the ball after the first time it passes the hip toward the plate. FALSE Sources: On the Internet…http://www.eteamz.com/baseball/rules/obr/myths/ 2005 National Federation of High Schools Baseball Rules Book 2005 National Federation of High Schools Softball Rules Book
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"Not all heroes have time to pose for sculptors...some still have papers to grade." 
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 02:17pm
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What degree of measurement does it take to be able to say with absolute certainty "Ties do not exist"? If the runner arrives at 12:01:52 and the ball arrives at 12:01:53, there is a full second between the acts and everyone should be able to see the difference. If the ball arrives at 12:01:52.00 and the runner arrives at 12:01:52.01, there is 1/100th of a second difference. This is definitely not a tie, if you take it out to 1/100th of a second, but my vision cannot differientiate 1/100th of a second. Please do not take me wrong and think I am advocating telling a skipper "It was a tie, so he is safe." But to give the impression to a young official that there is something wrong with his ability if he sees a tie, is doing him a disservice. And to post the same at a ball park seems to be inviting problems. I remember the discussions on this issue in previous years. There were highly respected posters on both sides of the issue. If the "experts" disagree, why invite trouble by including this on your list? IMHO, if enough monkeys with enough typewriters can eventually reproduce a famous novel, then surely enough force plays at a base can produce a tie, regardless of the degree of measurement used.
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 03:11pm
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Saying there is no such thing as a tie is true.
Saying that we can always differentiate is false, and your handling of the calls so close is exactly what 99% of us are doing. There was a study that showed that the human eye could not differentiate between events that occurred less than .04 seconds apart - so there's no shame in admitting that you don't ALWAYS know for certain. PS - throwing a little more physics in. If you see the foot hit the bag, and hear the ball hit the glove simultaneously, you have an out. Why? The speed that the light from the foot hitting the bag is faster than the speed that the sound came from the ball/glove. If you saw/heard them as simultaneous, the ball hit the glove first.
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 03:17pm
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Didn't mean to turn this into a physics discussion.
 This information is mainly aimed at fans and coaches who don't know any better. Anyone who has attended a baseball game has heard someone from the stands or dugout shout, "Tie goes to the runner!" and bystanders may mistake this as an actual rule. I'll admit that sometimes a play appears to be a tie to me, but as umpires we have to make a decision on whether the ball or the runner got their first, period. Under no circumstances would I tell someone that I saw a tie. Incidently, my personal rule on these close plays is, When in doubt, call the runner out!"
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"Not all heroes have time to pose for sculptors...some still have papers to grade."
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 03:22pm
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 03:28pm
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Or use this rule which is commonly said in the umpire's locker room at the complex I work: Tie goes to the team with the better looking moms.
__________________
"Not all heroes have time to pose for sculptors...some still have papers to grade."
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 04:03pm
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Surely enough force plays at a base can produce a tie, regardless of the degree of measurement used.
Probably true in practical if not theoretical terms. But you don't need monkeys and typewriters, or recent theory that significant events never occur by chance. (If every subatomic particle in the universe were a computer that had been generating a billion characters a second since the big bang, we would still be awaiting a single coherent paragraph.) The problem is that the moment of the catch and the moment of the foot touching the bag cannot be defined as infinitesmal points in time. And even if those points could be quantified down to a thousandth of a second, we are now far below what anybody can discern. Supposedly the human eye cannot differentiate intervals much shorter than a twentieth of a second. And with all the close plays at 1B, even if we could define the "moment" of catch/touch down to a millionth of a second, devices that could meet that standard would still register ties. But we're far beyond the capability of any official, coach, player, or spectator. Except that guy sitting up on the far corner of the bleachers.
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greymule More whiskey—and fresh horses for my men! Roll Tide!
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Wed Mar 02, 2005, 04:22pm
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Mmmmm,
I am a member of a private baseball umpire e-mail group.
One member is a college umpire. This member worked the Stanford/Texas series a couple of weeks ago. As the PU he had a 5-2-3 double play that was REALLY, REALLY close at both calls. My friend, on the plate, called the UT runner from third out in a very close call. His partner at first, Jon Bible, called the BR out. Auggie argued both calls strongly. The fans were wild. The game ended. One UT fan got a televison replay of the game and did stop action on both plays and posted them on her "Longhorn Baseball" website. She mentioned quite strongly that what appeared at the game to the fans (that both runners beat the throws and should have been safe) was WRONG. She posted the two stop action shots showing both calls of "OUT!" were correct and the umpires were correct. She then concluded her story: "My seats are in Row 22 on the first base side," she continued, "I thought the calls were wrong but it was proven that they were indeed correct, HOWEVER, the plate umpire's stike zone was still terribly inconsistent!"
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