Possession
 

I had a second baseman come across the bag and await the throw from the shortstop. While on the bag, the ball deflected off of his glove and lodged between his arm and his side. The ball was not moving and was pinned against his side. Does this constitute possession or does he have to have the ball in his glove or bare hand? There was no controversy, because he calmly grabbed the ball with his bare hand in plenty of time.

This is not possession.

What constitutes possession, in this case?

Is it considered possession if the player has the ball pinned or trapped to his body with his glove or bare hand?

Thanks for the help! I've never seen this before and want to make sure I get it correct!

It needs to be grasped by the hand / glove. It can also be touching the body, of course, but cannot just be "pinned"

Yep...you'll probably see this most often at 1B in an attempted scoop...but of course you saw it at 2B also...

The question is easy to answer
 

Does he have possession of the ball?

Can he throw it, or switch it to his hand to throw it without doing anything else?

There's your answer.

That second question doesn't apply. If I "trap" the ball in the crook of my left elbow, I can transfer it to my right hand to throw it just as easily as if I had caught the ball in the glove on my left hand.

correct and if the ball is trapped by F3 in the manner which Bob describes in post #7, you cannot call the BR out at 1B...

It can apply because once grabbed by the throwing hand, posession has ocurred. The fact that it was trapped by the elbow means nothing other than if it kept the ball from touching the ground (fence/umpire/offense, etc.),
an actual catch can still happen.

Hmmmmmm! A ball lodged between the player's arm and side would be concidered possession in football! How's that?

I agree that "once grabbed" it becomes posession. that's not what the questions asked, so the question doesn't apply.

Oh Regan. . .
 

NOW THIS IS POSSESSION

http://www.retrocrush.com/scary/exhead1.jpg

WOW Steve! You've found the first genuine balk to second base!!!

"IINIFLBTBTSB"

(It Is Not Impossible For Linda Blair To Balk To Second Base):)

Now, now, gents, we all know that turning the head to look at the runner does not constitute a balk!