Situation:
 

Nobody on, nobody out. BR after a D3S is not fully aware of the situation but begins to jog to first, failing to drop the bat. Catcher has trouble coming up with the baseball and BR safely crosses first base, with the bat in hand. I searched my rulebook and could find a specific ruling. Rule 9.01c states that the umpire has authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules. I think I would call the runner out for disrupting the natural flow of the game but I may be missing something.. thoughts>?

Yes, you are missing common sense. Don't invent outs where they don't exist.

Tell me how it's against the rules to carry a bat to first base.

Disrupting the natural flow of the game? :p



checks rulebook, nope, not there


Hell, if thats a criterion for baseball, only about 1% of games would ever be played.

..it makes those interference calls really spectacular at 2B and 3B.

Yes, 9.01(c) "states that the umpire has authority to rule on any point not specifically covered in these rules"; however, the reasons that a runner may be out IS COVERED IN THE RULES. Thus, you may not apply 9.01(c) in this instance.

Tell me why you would even consider the fact that carrying a bat around the diamond was against the rules? How is this"disrupting the natural flow of the game"? And to back it up, we'll use 9.01c!

I swear, it we could remove 9.01c in OBR and its mate FED 10-2-2, many of these people would have to give up umpiring! Baseball is officiated by rules, not myths!

Sorry if I sound like I am getting fed up but to tell the truth, the caliber of umpiring that I am seeing lately and the posts that I am reading lately is leading me to believe that no one is opening a rule book anymore!

I will now renew my medication!

[QUOTE=ozzy6900
I swear, it we could remove 9.01c in OBR and its mate FED 10-2-2, many of these people would have to give up umpiring! Baseball is officiated by rules, not myths!

QUOTE]
That would actually be FED 10-2-3-L

It's not! He's already checked the rules and can't find anything stating it's illegal but he still feels that something should be done. I wish everyone would just take a big marker and black out rule 9.01c.

You can not call the BR out for "disrupting the natural flow of the game" unless he touched 1B with his left foot first while carrying the bat (see 9.01c). If the BR touched 1B with his right foot first then he is okay (see 9.01c). But if he jumped on 1B with both feet then he is also out, unless there were already 2 outs, then it's a "Do Over" (see 9.01c). Now if it's a Do-Over and the BR carries the bat to 1B then you force him to drag the field after the game, unless his parents offer to buy you dinner (see 9.01c).

Don't forget the exception: If the kid has a single parent, and she's a GLM, then you can offer to buy dinner. If she accepts, then the same rule applies.

Please note that this rule was written many years ago. "GLM" is now interpreted to mean any single parent of whatever sex you are interested in.

Doesn't that also come under 9.01c - Parental interference? No, that's not it... I'll come up with something.

This is 2007, so it is very possble the she could be a "Good Looking Male" So be careful when using abbreviations here????

Did I just write that?

He's thinking of softball where in the 90's you could not carry the bat to first base or you were out.:rolleyes:

Someone needs to tell umpires early in their career, and every year thereafter, that MOST umpires will never have to use 9.01c. The rules are pretty comprehensive. 9.01c is for the completely unforseen. Consider the OP ... don't you think that the rulesmakers could forsee a runner carrying the bat to first? Don't you think that if they wanted an out for this, they would have put it in the rules?

My one 9.01c situation. High pop up, not sure who is going to catch it, if anyone - between F4 and F9. I hear the crowd behind me go "OOOOOoooo!!!" and don't know why. Then BU stops in his tracks and beelines it for the 1BCoach's box ... again, I don't know why. I'm still watching the fly ball, when all of a sudden blocking my view is a parachutist! He lands somewhere near where the ball was going.

Now THAT's a 9.01c situation.

Stop using the rule as a crutch.