NCAA question

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by maven

Three feet is a short distance: generally an arm's length. If the fielder has to move at all to reach him, then he "left the baseline."

Only if the runner is moving around the fielder. Often the runner is moving away from the fielder (partly toward a base, partly away from the fielder), and what appears to be more than 3 feet is not actually that far. Especially if the runner is already moving away before the tag attempt starts.