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Sun Jun 13, 2004, 05:14pm
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Clarification on three rules questions encountered this weekend at 12U FP game:
1. Play at the plate; catcher receives the throw; fielder slides hard into catcher's legs, wiping out the catcher. I have had umpires in the past say OK, while others have said that sliding player must avoid intentional contact. Any clarification is appreciated. 2. Pitcher taking her warm-up pitches between innings. Next batter up waits alongside/ near the batters box, swinging as the pitch comes in, in essence, "timing" the pitcher. Where must she stand while the pitcher is warming up? 3. Pitcher on the rubber w/ both feet in contact, ball in her glove. Brings hands together and removes the ball. Takes the signal from the catcher, and during her wind-up, brings her hands together a second time. Double presenting? Also, same pitcher stands on the rubber (both feet) and while waiting for the batter to get set, "snaps" the ball into her glove. Umpire said that neither is a violation, as "pitcher was not making a motion forward to pitch." Is this correct? Thanks for any clarification. 
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Sun Jun 13, 2004, 06:52pm
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1. Legal, unless an intentional act (such as raised legs, kick etc.) is commited. Runner has a right to the plate as well as catcher has right to block it after having recieved the ball.
2. On deck batter should stand in on deck area. 3. Both are illegal actions. Ball on batter, runners advance one base.
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Sun Jun 13, 2004, 07:15pm
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Thanks, JEL. On sliding into home, if slide is initiated late (a foot or two before home) and catcher is upended (rolled), is this left to the discretion of the umpire, or is it still considered OK?
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Sun Jun 13, 2004, 08:35pm
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Yes. All contact on the field is left up to umpire judgement. Although softball/baseball is not a contact sport contact will occur.
The slide which you refer to could have been malicious contact, or merely a late attempt by the runner. This is a HTBT (had to be there) play. In my experience, in softball, few slides are initiated to dislodge the ball, or upend the fielder. In baseball, at HS and above level, it is more prominent, yet still uncommon. The rules basically state that a runner must attempt to avoid a collision (most leagues, not MLB). Sliding is one way a collision is avoided. Using that logic, a slide can not be a collision. It can however still be illegal if judged by the umpire to be malicious in nature. This type of slide can also lead to an ejection. The art of sliding is probably not taught as much as it should be in the younger age groups, which may lead to some of the "wrecks" that occur. Assuming the fielder is waiting to make the tag, a runner sliding around and reaching back with a hand, foot, knee or any other part has a much better chance to be called safe than one who does a straight in slide. I called 9 games in a tourney this saturday, 4 18U teams. One girl would slide completly past the base, and reach back to touch it. She was not tagged out once the whole day, I called all 5 of her games. Others would slide straight in and be tagged out 90% of the time. I always take the age group of the kids into consideration also. The younger groups I feel are less likely to do things out of retaliation than the older ones. As they age this seems to change somewhat. I hope they are not learning that from us adults, but.....
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Sun Jun 13, 2004, 08:57pm
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Great explanation, JEL. Thank you.
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Mon Jun 14, 2004, 02:43am
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TexBlue,
About game 5 I was hoping some rain would come our way! Fields were very dusty, temp was high 90's, and humidity was very high here in south Georgia. Most of the morning was overcast, but hot sun poked out about 2 in the afternoon. I take a 2 gallon Igloo cooler to these games, partner and I went through 3 fillups! I have learned to drink plenty of water at every 1/2 inning, and heat doesnt get me. One of our guys only made 4 games before calling it quits. He told me he drank only 2 bottles of water. He didn't look too good when he left. This was a fun tourney though, and have another scheduled for this coming w/e. If rain won't let up your way, come on over and you can pick up a few games! ____________ Buddy
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Mon Jun 14, 2004, 06:01am
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Jel, that's what I do. I take a bungee strap with me and hang it on the fence out of line of sight of the fans and away from the action. I also drink every 1/2 inning. Usually the first 2 gallons have 1 32 oz bottle of gatorade in it. After that, it's just plain ice water. Like you, if I stay hydrated, the heat doesn't bother me.
__________________
Rick
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