ruling on this play???

[Ed Maeder]

In NFHS this is a legal play as there is no rule about where the mitt can be used. In ASA reference rule 8-8-O which gives the offended coach the option of taking the results of the play or return all base runners to where they were at the time of the pitch and batter back to bat assumming the count at the time of the pitch. If the umpire was able to notice the mitt in the wrong fielders hand have them change before this happens. Don't forget to get rid of the mitt in the wrong position also. All this must be done with the same ruling of an appeal play, before next pitch legal or illegal, before the pitcher and all infielders have left fair territory and the catcher has left their normal fielding position on the way to the dug out, or before umpires have left the field at the end of the game. It doesn't have to come from the offended team though, it can be detected by the umpires also.

[Edited by Ed Maeder on May 30th, 2004 at 04:00 PM]