Dang crazy Fed guys... :)

Had the exact same situation occur to me in a game. Took about 5 minutes to convince the Navy head coach that what the other team's batter did (in running back toward home plate) was perfectly legal. Ah, love them snow birds.

..hard to envision multiple appeals becoming a travesty in FED, since the procedures are so liberal that the umpires can save time and make the appeals for them....

but I guess there's a coach out there somewhere who is up to the challenge :D

I think I've read that this ruling (if not the reason) is correct in (some levels of) softball. Many of the "rules myths" have a basis in similar games.

No, in softball, the B/R would be out because s/he is not allowed to retreat to home plate to avoid or delay a tag. This has nothing to do with making a travesty of the game.

Softball automatic out
Baseball legal

Remember when Jimmy Piersall ran the bases backward after hitting a home run? Not 3B to 2B to 1B to home, but backward as in his body was turned around, so he backed his way around the bases.

MLB was not happy with the stunt and fined him.

I met Jimmy Piersall once long ago.

Wow, you're old.:)

Yes, but it has nothing to do about making a travesty of the game.

And also smart baserunning if the defense falls for it. Nowhere near being a travesty of the game either.

The "Travesty" wording was adopted in 1920 by MLB. This was inserted as a response to Germany Schaefer, a second baseman with the Tigers and Senators, among others, who would "steal" first from second on a pitch with a runner on third, to draw a throw and attempt to double steal home from third. He did this at least once prior to 1909 and again in 1911. Why MLB took so long to insert the rule is unknown.

True enough, you are correct. Old Germany was dead long before then, he died a couple of years after he retired. Although he did play into his early 40's, I believe.

You must not remember the "potato" throw-down to 3rd base.:)

And I believe that thinking the hands are part of the bat is a travesty also. :D

The whole "travesty" thing comes up a lot, is often wrongly applied and is one of those missaplications that really stick in my craw.

The actual rule:

(7.08) Any runner is out when- (i) After he has acquired legal possession of a base, he runs the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense or making a travesty of the game. The umpire shall immediately call “Time” and declare the runner out.

The first point is that this rule is clearly applied ONLY to a runner. Not a batter, fielder, pitcher, coach, bat boy, hot dog vendor...

The second point: How can anyone read that rule and come up with the interpretation that it is saying:

Any runner is out... if he run the bases in reverse order for the purpose of confusing the defense OR IF ANY OTHER GAME PARTICIPANT DOES ANYTHING IMAGINABLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY NOT COVERED BY THE RULES, AS JUDGED BY THE WHIM OF THE UMPIRE, HE SHALL ALSO BE CALLED OUT.

Yeah, I get a little wound-up about this one...:D