From a High School "Fall League" INSTRUCTIONAL game (free substitutions, light on the pitching rule, work with slappers, just let coaches know what is going on).

"She's out of the box, blue" "Oh for crying out loud, her toes are out of the box blue. The whole foot must be in the box or she's out." (From "a fan")

"She stepped on the plate blue. She's running towards the ball, and stepped on the plate." You gotta call that, blue". (Note: BR stepped to slap the ball, a ton of sand in what is called the batters box BARELY touched the black part of the plate--further, I was mostly blocked out by the catcher who was going after the INSIDE pitch)

On bouncing hit down 3B line that girl touches fair (she is standing about2 feet from line, reaches across her body when the ball hits the heel of her glove--saw it clear as day): "How can you call that fair?" BTW, girl chases after ball with a lot more speed than they do when the ball is foul.

(U10) Lookback rule is called and I have a daddy yelling through the fence that the pitcher has to have the ball in the glove for it to be called and that in the hand is not good enough. "Come on learn the rules blue". I asked the coach to help him with it.

And from the "what-in-the-world-is-he-talking-about?" department:

Girls' 16u FP. Runner coming home. Ball beats the runner easily, and F2 sets up a yard toward 3B preparing to apply the tag. Runner slides. Mild contact with the catcher, but a clean play. Out. Runner is shaken up (but continued to play).

Dad comes out of the stands and screams, with righteous indignation: "That play happened in the baseline! <i>In the baseline!! It was in the baseline, Blue!!</i>"

LOL - thanks for that one... I'm still laughing.

The ball got there well before the runner.

Did the runner slow down before the ball got between the runner and the catcher? Could this be a form of OBS? Some of the threads I read say if the runner slows because the baseline is blocked this is OBS.

Yes sir, you are correct, it was in the baseline. Good job...now SHUT UP!

<b>Did the runner slow down before the ball got between the runner and the catcher? Could this be a form of OBS? Some of the threads I read say if the runner slows because the baseline is blocked this is OBS.</b>

The "about to receive" condition effected by the ball being between the runner and the fielder is no longer operative in ASA. However, the play I described did take place when that stipulation was still in the book.

In this case, though, F2 caught the ball and then moved to block the plate. The runner was not nearly close enough to have been forced to slow down.

Thanks grey mule,
I still have a problem deciding at what point a runner slowing down is not obstructed without the "about to receive" line in the book.
A non agresive runner could slow 15 feet(or more) before the plate before the ball comes between the runneer and tha catcher. I feel this has actually made for the possibility of graet difference what one umpire might judge OBS compared to another. I am not saying we as umpires should not have to make judgements, just that this could lead to different interpretation of this rule by creating such a broad range of OBS. As runners get smarter won't they be abel to create OBS by slowing before the ball arrives?

Just something to think about.

Hmmm, clueless father! It happened in the baseline. Man, talk about clueless. I'm trying to figure out which planet he learned that one from.

Yes Sir. That was in the baseline - directly. You've got good eyes. We ought to get you a blue cap and an idiotclickerthingamobob and you could be an umpire! Yes sir, an umpire. With your enthusiasm for making the call you're sure to be great. Yes sir, Great! :D

How about from my partner?
 

Preseason NFHS game. I'm on the bases with the PU a guy that's new to our org, but says hes been calling for "many years."

Speedy, the lead-off, has gotten on and stolen 2nd every at bat. Top of 5, two outs. Speedy walks and then steals on the first pitch. I see it perfectly and signal a routine safe.

Then I hear my partner, "She's out! She's out!" Speedy looks at me unbelievingly but just leaves. (I'm thinking maybe batter's interference.)

Coach signals me with up turned palms as if to say "What the heck just happened." He goes and talks to my partner and then walks away shaking his head. He looks at me with this half-laughing grin.

After about a half inning, the coach comes to me and says, "You know it this was a real game during the season, I would be ejected and you'd be having a @#$%$# time trying to explain your partner." When I ask why, the coach told me that when he questioned the PU he said, "I overruled the call at second because my partner completely missed it. The PU is the UIC for in the game and suppose to overrule any calls that are wrong."

That was preseason. He didn't make it to the regular season with us.

Planet Baseball? Maybe? :)

Is there a Planet Baseball????

Last game of the season. In the Championship Game of what is supposedly the best league in the program (yeah, right!), I learned that any time a thrown ball hits a runner, interference MUST be called an another runner ruled out.

Must be true, "it's in the book", or at least that is what these AAs were trying to sell me.

Of course, they are ****ing idiots and haven't a clue. Their idea of learning softball rules is watching the Phillies on TV when they aren't trying to impress their girlfriends on the softball field.

To good, Mike
 

Yes, rule book scholars!