Questions asked
 

The comments below were my response to a question. Is this the way you handle this, within NFHS Rules?

Someone asked me about taped over jewelry. Jewelry is not allowed when playing, taped or not.
If there is tape and you don't know it is jewelry, you can't enforce the rule. But be honest with yourself.
I think it is usually obvious, like band-aids on both ear lobes and I think it is permissible to say "you can't play wearing jewelry" as a means of letting the player know without asking directly or the item being visible.

Side note - we don't say "take it off", just "you can't play wearing jewelry". Same goes for the bandannas.

OK, those comments are no longer needed, although I wonder about those playing NFHS in the fall.

An umpire asked me after the fact whether he should have let a run count on a third out. The runner had touched home before the timing play out.
The out was a live ball appeal on a tag up at first, he treated it as a "force" play.

We don't need to discuss the rule or the ruling; which we know very well.
This was an experienced umpire. What I would like is suggestions on how to better teach the rule, timing vs. force, force vs. tag, etc. or at least how to understand those who get it wrong.

Might not matter. We have a guy who's been umping for 28 years - and he's got about 2 year's worth of experience.

These are the comments I included in my monthly report to our association members. I cited USA rules because that is all we have this time of year.
-------------------------------
Runs do not score if the play results in a third out which is a force or an out at first base.
Runs do score if the runner touches home plate before a third out on a timing play, such as
- a live ball appeal of a tag up or;
- an appeal of a missed base, which was not a force out or an out at first base.
USA Softball Rule 5, Section 5; Rules Supplement 43

double base
 

the question:
"question and opinion first baseman makes unassisted play at first and only touches orange bag not white is orange bag and white bag one?"

my answer:
"
I assume you mean an unassisted play on a batter-runner.
If so, the defense must use the white/fair part of the base and the BR the colored part.

The colored part is not part of the base for defense unless the play is from foul ground.
Saying unassisted by F3 means to me it was fair ball and no throw from foul ground.

They are only one combined base when the play is from foul ground or the BR has reached first.

USA SB rule 8.2.N.3 "

An interesting question we discussed last night. Someone saw a video of this.
The batter swings the bat forward, then wraps it around her back and bunts fair from behind her back.

Do you agree that if the forward motion was judged to be a swing and miss, it was a strike and no further attempt is allowed?
Or, if the forward motion was so soon as to be not judged an attempt at the ball, the behind the back contact was the only "swing" and therefore legal and allowed? IOW, a re-position of the bat.

Not implying an answer either way, but a more extreme / parallel example:
Eephus pitch and batter literally swings twice - Not a double pump, but true swing. First is a whiff, second is a "hit."
What say you?

A swing and miss is a strike. That ends the pitch, can't have anything else; whether accidental or deliberate. Any contact on a second or continued swing
is the same as the ball hitting the batter after the swing; still a strike.
USA SB 7.4.D & I & K

I actually saw this happen in a couple of games in a tournament a few years back. I was on the plate both times.

I didn't view the "wrap around" as a swing. When the batter brought the bat around from behind her back (obviously a left handed batter) it was almost as though she was attempting to drop the bat into the path of the pitch while taking off for first base.

I don't remember if she successfully pulled off the trick with a resultant ball put into play. There were a couple of foul balls.

I have to think that this girl had some baton twirling skills in order to try this maneuver. Don't know who might have suggested this in the first place.