Licked Fingers & Others...

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by Dakota

As a practical matter, moist fingers touching a softball is not a detriment to safety. This is not baseball; the ball is too big and too heavy for that little bit of moisture to have any material effect on the flight of the ball. In fact, it may be the opposite, since isn't the pitcher typically doing that to improve her grip?

I don't disagree; however, I understand the intent is for all similar offenses to be treated similarly, without assuming all within the rank and file can effectively judge which foreign substance may be safe and which might be unsafe.

Have you ever called men's fastpitch when they were applying pine tar? OMFG!!

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve

I don't disagree; however, I understand the intent is for all similar offenses to be treated similarly, without assuming all within the rank and file can effectively judge which foreign substance may be safe and which might be unsafe.

Have you ever called men's fastpitch when they were applying pine tar? OMFG!!

Shouldn't the real point of the rule address the application of foreign substance to the ball?

Applying anything from saliva to gorilla gold to the fingers or hand doesn't do anything unless it is transferred to the ball. Getting a better grip on the ball is not forbidden.

Even if something is applied to the ball, from what I understand it is too large a sphere traveling too short a distance for anything that isn't obvious to affect the pitch.