Yesterday the Cubs won a 17-inning game that ended when the opposing center fielder caught a fly ball but then dropped it after crashing into the wall and falling to the ground. The no-catch call was correct, of course, but the announcer on the evening's highlight film said, "Good call by the ump. The rules clearly state that [for the catch to be valid] you have to take the ball out of your glove. That's right in the rule book."

It's not in mine. Is it in anyone else's?

It's in there, just worded differently.
Also, not usually called "by the book"
on a routine catch (ump doesn't wait for the
voluntary release to call the out).
Although TV announcers constantly
mess up on baseball rules, this guy
had it right. Read OBR definition 2.00
CATCH: "...It is not a catch, however,
if simultaneously or immediately
following his contact with the ball,
he collides with a player or with a wall,
or if he falls down, and as a result
drops the ball...In establishing the
validity of the catch, the fielder shall
hold the ball long enough to prove that
he has complete control of the ball and
that his RELEASE OF THE BALL IS VOLUNTARY
AND INTENTIONAL.

To add a bit more interest:
IF the player didn't drop the ball,
had been knocked out, and was unable
to voluntarily release the ball,
his team mate must remove the ball
from his glove to fulfill the
"voluntary release" part of this definition.
I have never seen it happen.

Marty,

I can't stand it anymore. You have a lot of good things to say but I have difficulty reading your posts. You don't need to press enter at the end of every line. Just keep typing. The computer will "wrap" the words. It isn't like a typewriter where you need to press return at the end of everyline.

Thanks.

Rita

Rita:

Thanks for the typing critique. I am the opposite of you in this regard. I find those Longgg sentences harder to read than my shorter versions. But, if it makes you happy, I will "just keep typing."

Also, I don't know how to make part of my post BOLD or italicized (like when quoting someone else), and my reply NOT bold. Can you give me a heads-up on that? Guess I know more about baseball than computers.

Yes, I've read the definition many times. I guess the announcer meant "release must be voluntary." However, that does not mean the same thing as "there must be voluntary release." The unconscious player lying there with the ball in his glove did not release the ball. That's an out!

Total control.
 

A release is not necessarily needed to prove a catch. The fielder must have complete possession of the ball AND control of his body. Once you see that, you can call the out. G.

Thanks,
Rita,
for
pointing
out
an
irritating
habit.

While
Marty
may
think
he
is
making
it
easier
to
read,
someone
may
prove
him
wrong.

Just
my
opinion,

Freix

Freix, with your last post you may have violated the federal Cyberspace Waste Prevention Act of 2002. You could be subject to fine and/or imprisonment. Expect some men in black at your door.

Thanks,
Rita,
for
pointing
out
an
irritating
habit............................................. ..........

Hey: Once Rita pointed out that my format was annoying to her (and apparantely to others, as well), I complied to her request. What more can I say? "That's a BALK!"

On WSCR sports radio the next day, their Cubs reporter offered her opinion that the call was blown, that the OF had held it "long enough."

Anybody surprised?

Highlights and Other Things
 

Marty - You asked how to make part of your posts <b>bold</b> and <i>other</i> <u>creative things</u>. Well I am not expert but here goes:

Posts to website discusion groups get processed using HTML. HTML recognizes special commands that allow to enable special features. Typically, those commands are surrounded by special characters < and >. The commands are letters which stand for properties. So < b > (with no spaces) would <b> turn on the the bold feature. </b> And < / b > (no spaces again) turns it off.

b = bold
i = italics
u = underlines

In addition, there are commands that allow to change color and insert jpgs. But I like to keep it simple and feel bold, italics and underline is sufficient. If you do a search on Google for HTML commands you should be able to find more information.

Re: Highlights and Other Things
 

b = bold
i = italics
u = underlines

<b>Hey Mike. </b> Thanks for the <i>lesson. </i> I wouldn't have figured it out on my own. <b> But, </b>it <u>really works!