Rules Quiz
 

Just sent a 5 question quiz to a group of people, most of whom are either big baseball fans, baseball or softball coaches, and one baseball league president. So far the best score is 60%, and questions 1 and 5 have only been answered correctly once. I know everyone here will get 100%, but send this out to your coaches / parents / fans that you know and see how they do.

1) True/False: The Hands are part of the Bat.
2) Batter hits a pop-up down the first base line. Pitcher comes over to field it and collides with the batter-runner. Contact was not intentional or malicious on either player’s part. What do you have?
a. Dead ball, batter-runner is out for interference, all runners move up a base.
b. Dead ball, batter-runner is out for interference, all runners return to their original bases.
c. Dead ball, Pitcher is guilty of interference, batter-runner gets first, other runners move up a base if forced.
d. Dead ball, Pitcher is guilty of interference, batter-runner gets first, other runners move up a base.
e. Delayed dead ball, pitcher guilty of obstruction, let the play play out, award bases if necessary.
f. Delayed dead ball, pitcher guilty of obstruction – if ball is fair, BR gets 1st all other runners move up a base; if ball is foul, it’s just a foul ball.
3) Runner on 3rd, Batter walks. Ball immediately thrown back to pitcher and in F1’s control, F1 makes no move or play. Batter-runner rounds first without stopping and makes it to 2nd base. What do you have?
a. Batter-runner is out.
b. Batter-runner is safe.
c. Batter-runner is placed on first base, ball was dead.
4) No outs, runners on first and second. 3rd strike is dropped by the catcher. Batter runs to first as the other two runners attempt to advance. Catcher throws to third baseman, who steps on the bag just before the runner from 2nd slides into 3rd base.
a. How many outs do you now have?
b. Where are there runners on bases?
c. Who are you about to eject? ( :) )
5) 1 out, 2 strikes, runner on first is stealing. Batter swings and the ball hits the batter squarely on the hands. Injured batter crumples to the ground, runner makes it all the way to third as the ball rolls fair. What do you have?
a. Foul ball, runner back to first.
b. Fair ball, play on.
c. Dead ball, batter is out, Runner stays on 3rd.
d. Dead ball, batter is out, Runner back to 1st.
e. Dead ball, batter awarded first base, runner sent back to 2nd base.
f. Batter awarded first base, runner stays on 3rd base.

The only one which might be tricky is 4(c). More than the DHC may be going after some of the defensive players pop off with their mouth about how wrong they think the umpire is.

If you get No. 1 wrong then your answer to No. 5 is probably, the batter is out for abandonment and the runner remains at 3rd.

In 2. I'd want to be sure that F1 is the proctected fielder. It might just be F3, and then you might have obstruction looming overhead.

I know these are Umpire 101 questions, but you might have someone in class from Umpire 102.

Really? So if this hit the bat instead of the hand, you have abandonment here? Why? How can you abandon a base you haven't attained, for one. How can you call it when the player is still on the field and the ball is still fair? I bet you that if all of us work every week for 40 more years, MOST of us will still not have seen a legitimate abandonment call.

Well, considering that 80% score would get you out of Umpire 101 with a B and maybe 60% score might get you out with a D, you might get asked by someone in 102. Otherwise, this is get 'em all right or don't collect the check quiz.

Is this copyrighted?
 

This quiz should be given to all parents of players below 15 years of age at the game site. If they can't get more than 3 right, they should be refused admission to the game, or better yet admitted to a nearby room where they can watch the game on TV.

(As you can tell, I had to deal with a bunch of @$$#$%^&&*((())(*&&^^% parents, two $$%&**(((& coaches and their spoiled brat kids tonight).

Whoa!!! Calm down there. Kimo Saby???(sp)? Too many games lately?

"Injured batter crumples to the ground"

I was commenting on how a person with the mentality to get the first answer wrong, could probably answer No. 5 the way I said.

I agree about abandonment and did call it once, in 30 years.

ok, here are my answers:
1. T
2. D
3. C
4a. 2
c. myself
5. F

what do I win?

How about...


http://www.jumpstartmypc.com/blog/wp.../Dunce-Cap.jpg

LOL Kyle, dont suppose you have a hat that says "Daddy Coach"?

Ok, I'll play
 

In the spirit of trying to better educate myself and any other coaches out there:

1. F
2. B
3. B
4a. 1 - I don't think this is a force play since the BR is out since 1st is occupied and there are less than 2 outs - the runners advance at their peril so they need to be tagged out
b. runners on 2nd and 3rd
c. hopefully not me
5. B - and hopefully the catcher isn't a humanitarian who is torn up at the sight of someone writhing in pain and tags the BR out (hey, he's not moving right?).

Now if you understand that the hands are NOT part of the bat - how did you get B on number 5? What is the first thing that happens when a pitched ball contacts the batter?

I guess that's the part the confused me on the question. Since he swung at the pitch I thought that took precedence over the ball making contact with the hands (i.e., if he hadn't swung and the ball hit his hand then that's a dead ball). The ball rolling fair after contact is considered a "hit" for that reason. Apparently that's not correct though.

So it would be a dead ball, BR to 1st, R1 to 2nd?

Rufus,

No that's not quite right.

Anytime an untouched pitch hits a batter, the ball is immediately dead.

If the batter swings/offers at a pitch which subsequently hits him (or is hit by a pitch which is in the sstrike zone), the pitch is ruled a strike.

Since the batter already had two strikes, he is out.

Any other runners return to their TOP base.

JM

No.

First - any time the pitched ball strikes a batter you have a dead ball.
THEN, you rule on what the pitch was.

So if a batter is struck by a pitch while swinging (even in the hands) or is somehow struck by a pitch that's in the strike zone - you have a dead ball, strike. If strike 3, batter's out. Due to the dead ball, no runners advance.

Mike and JM - thank you both for the correction. I'll try not to mess it up when coaching in the future.

And I can see how an offensive coach would get kind of hacked off at this rule as well. It makes sense, I think, but they certainly will want to get "something" out of a batter being struck by the ball.

Well... Was working 10U rather competitive playoff game some time back. Girl squares to bunt. The pitch (at decent speed for a 10U) came straight at her. She tries to hit it with the bat and missed - and it somehow gets between facemask and top of helmet and hits her square in the face. Blood everywhere. I've already rung her up on 3rd strike before I see exactly where it hit her. Opposing coach and partner both see this and cover their faces knowing what's coming.

After about 10 minutes of crying, etc - I get the pleasant task of telling her that not only can she not go to first, but she's out as well. Not easy.

yeah Rufus, all kidding aside, the answer to 5 is D.

D. on Q5

1st23rd and BK - thanks again for confirming the answer.

Mike - that's a terrible story and I'm sorry that the player was hurt so badly. No fun for anyone on that call.

If the coach wants to get something I'd suggest ice.

I saw an abandonment call in an NCAA game years ago. The third strike was dropped. The batter slowly walked toward the dugout. The umpire followed him. Just as soon as the batter stepped down on the first step, the umpire put his fist up.

The catcher just held the ball and watched.

I rest my case.

That's not an "abandoment" call (8-5c in NCAA). That's an out under 7-11u.

Same plate umpire that overruled a call at second and told a coach "not one more step".......right????

That's why I rested my case.

That's not abandonment. It's a separate rule.

1. F If the hands are part of the bat, drop the bat where are the hands (many times from this fourm)
2. B
3. B
4a. one out
4b. 3rd and 2nd
4c. no one
5. D Sorry kid about your dead ball third strike hope you get better.

Bugg