I had lunch yesterday with a dozen experienced college-level umpires, and this play came up. I was amazed that the split was 50-50 toward IGNORING the batter being out of the box "in this game-ending" situation. My side said "We're there to see it - someone gains an advantage if it's seen and not enforced". The other side said, "It's one of those situations, then, where WE are deciding the game". They liken it to ignoring the foul on the last second shot in a basketball game so WE don't decide the game by putting a player on the line.
As you see, we were literally AND figuratively "chewing the fat".
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JJ
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Mon Oct 09, 2000, 08:00am
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