Travesty to the game

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Mike,

Travesty of the game appears twice in the FED book. Ridiculously excessive appeals are the other mention of this. See Rule 8-2-5 #6 "More Than One Appeal."

Dang crazy Fed guys...

[lawump]

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.

[LMan]

Originally Posted by mcrowder

Dang crazy Fed guys...

..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

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by pingswinger

R2 & BR hits ball up 1st base line. BR starts to run to first and once 1st baseman gets ball goes to tag him. BR then turns around and runs back home to avoid tag and to give R2 time to get to third. Umpire once told me that BR would be automatically out since it is a "travesty to the game." Is this right? Surely not.

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.

[celebur]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

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.

[btdt]

Softball automatic out
Baseball legal

[greymule]

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.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by greymule

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.

[celebur]

Originally Posted by btdt

Softball automatic out

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

Originally Posted by btdt

Baseball legal

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

[bisonpitcher]

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.

[bisonpitcher]

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.

[blueump]

Originally Posted by greymule

"Travesty of the game" is among the most famous phrases in the English language, and as far as I know it has never been applied to anything other than running the bases backward.

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

[umpduck11]

Originally Posted by LMan

These same people will call Skunk in the Outfield a 'travesty of the game.'

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

[BretMan]

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...