When does a foul/dead ball become live?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Manny A

Like BretMan, I get frustrated by the lackadaisical attitude USA Softball has over putting the ball back into play again after Time or Dead Ball is called. There should be a formal procedure established to make the ball live again. There's guidance in the USA Softball Umpire Manual under "Plate Mechanics" Section 3, "The Pitch" that says:

Maybe USA doesn't believe the umpires are so inept they need every scenario specified. When play is suspended for any reason, the ball is not live until the umpire indicates it as such.

USA doesn't specify the order in which bases must be touched, but are you going to allow a runner to run to 2, 3, 1 and home and still score the run?