Base Running Question

[greymule]

And that type of set play IS cheating.

I agree that if they're coaching that play and doing it intentionally, it qualifies as cheating, even if the defense is sleeping. It's not really the same as selling a catch. It's in the same category as deliberately sending up the wrong batter in a kids' game, where everyone involved assumes a certain level of honesty, in the hopes the defense won't notice and poor hitters can be skipped.

Famous LL play that occurred around here 30 years ago but is still talked about:

Runners on 2B and 3B, 2 out. With play stopped but the ball still live, the adult 3B coach holds out his hand and calls to the pitcher, "Son, let me see that ball." The kid throws the ball to the coach, who moves out of the way and screams for his runners to get going. (I don't know how the umpires handled it at the time, but I suspect the posters on this board would all rule the same way.)

[Rich Ives]

Originally Posted by greymule

And that type of set play IS cheating.

I agree that if they're coaching that play and doing it intentionally, it qualifies as cheating, even if the defense is sleeping. It's not really the same as selling a catch. It's in the same category as deliberately sending up the wrong batter in a kids' game, where everyone involved assumes a certain level of honesty, in the hopes the defense won't notice and poor hitters can be skipped.

Famous LL play that occurred around here 30 years ago but is still talked about:

Runners on 2B and 3B, 2 out. With play stopped but the ball still live, the adult 3B coach holds out his hand and calls to the pitcher, "Son, let me see that ball." The kid throws the ball to the coach, who moves out of the way and screams for his runners to get going. (I don't know how the umpires handled it at the time, but I suspect the posters on this board would all rule the same way.)

Why was there an adult 3B coach?

[mcrowder]

Grey, in intramurals in college, we had something called 3-pitch. Basically, the offense pitches to itself - 3 pitches per batter max (a missed 3rd pitch was simply a strikeout). There were a variety of things teams tried to do to get an advantage (1 being when your team had 2 outs on the opposing team, and a 3rd out was developing, get the heck off the field as fast as possible and throw the ball to your pitcher (which was often your 1st baseman) so that you could pitch the first pitch of the next inning before the ex-offense had time to get onto the field... another being setting up in the LH batters box and having your pitcher throw intentionally "behind" you and turn around and hit it)

One thing that occasionally worked was to have your pitcher standing near the foul line as a play developed, and then when the play "ended", putting your hand up as if to say you are ready for them to throw you the ball. If the umpire didn't kill the previous play yet (he wasn't supposed to kill it until the defense had the ball secured in the pitcher's circle), and they threw it to you, simply get out of the way - either having your runners go for an extra base or sometimes even having the ball go out of play.

Your play reminded me of that, although at least when we did it, it was college students fooling other college students... not adults fooling kids.

[greymule]

Why was there an adult 3B coach?

Common in under-12 around here. Is there a rule against it? I wouldn't know, never having done LL.