8th grade girls, FED rules. After a base on balls, the runner rounds first and continues on to second with out stopping, runner that was on third with a lead off the bag, ready to go if they throw to second. Catcher throws ball to pitcher in the circle who doesn't make or attempt a play. Umpire made the girl go back to first because she wasn't 1/3 of the way to second before the pitcher recieved the ball. Where did this come from? Umpire was young so I didn't think It was an old unlearned rule. Are FED and ASA the same on this?

Thanks, Stan

Stan,

Never heard of the "1/3 of the way rule". Sounds like the umpire kicked this one. LBR isn't in effect with runner/s on base until the BR reaches first base.

Michael

I have no clue where the umpire came up with that one. There is no such rule in either ASA or NFHS.

Bad call. What did the girl from 3rd do? She's got to make a choice when the runner gets to 1st.

http://www.click-smilies.de/sammlung...smiley-024.gif This ranks right up there with the "must go past the 'mound'(??) unless it is tipped by a glove" rule from the "Pop-up to Pitcher" thread.

Sometime, maybe during the dead of a MN winter, I'm going to search the web boards for the goofiest made up rules and put them together in a list along the lines of Joel's myths list.

She went back to 3rd on her own after the rule discussion started, I wish she would have taken off for home just to see what the call would have been. Our fans and coaches are fairly harmless so no real big deal. (we won easily anyway) Also, my daughter is one of the coaches and she has learned that arguing on the court, or field, does no good. I think we understand the LBR but were wondering where the 1/3 thing came from. We have goofy old wives tales rules in basketball that have never been in the book, but that seem to never go away.

Thanks, Stan

Of course there is no 1/3-of-the-way rule, but some rec leagues institute similar rules to hold down the chaos. That ump probably thought that somebody's house rule was an actual book rule.

For example, some leagues (usually 10-and-under or below) play that once the pitcher gets the ball in the circle, runners who are not halfway to the next base must go back. Anyone who has ever umpired such games knows that most rec players that age run station to station anyway, so the house rule clamps the lid on overzealous coaches eager to exploit the fact that at some levels, if you hit a ground ball and keep running, you'll probably score.

That would be :cool: cool. I think the numbers would exceed
the 40 myths list though.