DON'T HIT THAT HELMET!

[wpiced]

All-right all you senior posters out there, turn with me, if you will to 6.05(h),"The batter is out when-"
third paragraph of the Case Book notes in the OBR.

They read: "In cases where the batting helmet is accidently hit with a batted or thrown ball, the ball remains in play the same as if it has not hit the helmet."

Next paragraph: "If a batted ball strikes a batting helmet or any other object foreign to the natural ground while on foul territory, it is a foulball and the ball is dead."

-thank you-

Now, I think I understand what these words say and mean, but WHAT THE H*LL ARE THEY DOING IN THE BASEBALL RULES!? My humble guess is that somewhere in bygone years, the base, runners were allowed to remove there batting helmets once they got to first base and left them lying on the field-fair or foul territory. Naaw, that couldn't be right.

Who can step up to the plate on this one?