NFHS vs ASA Dead Ball Base Running

[greymule]

Did the ASA and NFHS technocrats get it right when they wrote the NFHS version; and did ASA just forget in the drive home? OR – did ASA just screw it up?

ASA changed its rule in 2002. It had read just like Fed's. Here's ASA's 2002 re-write:

"When the ball becomes dead, runners may return to touch a missed base or a base left too soon even, if they have advanced, touched, and remain a base beyond the missed base or the base left too soon."

Notice that (though they misplaced the comma) they originally had included the word "even." They also later changed "remain" to "are."

I find also that the previous wording represented a rule change for the 1998 book. I can't remember what the ASA rule was before 1998. Apparently ASA has gone back and forth on this matter.

In my opinion, ASA's rule is far superior to Fed's, which unfairly limits the runner's opportunity to return. It's certainly arguable also that ASA's rule is superior to OBR's, which again can trap the runner unfairly (though not as ridiculously as Fed's.)