Foul Tip Signal

[mandotheman]

Originally Posted by jkumpire

There are times IMO where a foul tip signal is important.

1. When a runner is stealing and bat contact is made. It tells everyone the steal is legal.
2. It sells the fact that a strike is caught, esp. on 3rd strikes when the ball is close to the ground. When you give the signal and vocalize that F2 gets the ball before it hits the ground, you are selling the strike.
3. You can never assume that a batter or coach knows a foul tip is not a foul ball. The extra signal makes sure everybody in the house knows you have a foul tip strike with a live ball, as opposed to a dead ball foul ball.

So, IMO it is still worth using.

Thats why you do it..reason #1, I had a game the other night..r1 stealing, batter swings and foul tips and catcher catches the ball, I give the signal and I hear from the stands that its a foul ball. The runner is safe at 2nd, the coaches understand that its a live ball, but some of the fans are a little slower.....

[dash_riprock]

The sound made by a foul tip is often indistinguishable from that made by a ball grazing the batter or his clothing. The mechanic tells everyone: "Yes, I heard it, and the ball hit the bat." Not giving a signal could convey the opposite.

[umpduck11]

Originally Posted by mandotheman

Thats why you do it..reason #1, I had a game the other night..r1 stealing, batter swings and foul tips and catcher catches the ball, I give the signal and I hear from the stands that its a foul ball. The runner is safe at 2nd, the coaches understand that its a live ball, but some of the fans are a little slower.....:cool:

The unfortunate truth is that the foul tip signal isn't going to help those fans anyway.

[UMP25]

I've always done it but for a while didn't like to do it because it was a chore getting my arms up and around my gut. Now that I'm 100+ lbs. lighter, that's not an issue anymore.