Strange Day and strange Me
 

yesterday i got to explain to a local legend, high school, why a girl could steal on a foul tip. It was almost surreal, game was being shown on local cable station. And i felt like i needed to really slow down and get this right.
He acted like he had never heard of this but he bought it. Catcher was telling me she had never had this happen to her and could i explain it to her-so in between innings I did.

Now here is the SITCH that occurred and i hope I got it right.

Player squares to bunt,pitch is coming high and inside. player pulls bat back to her chest area. ball hits her hands. At this point she gets hit about 1 foot inside of batters box. i call dead ball and award 1B. The legend starts off with hands are part of the bat. i kibosh that. Then says cause she squared around its a strike. So I explained that the relevant part of this decision is was the ball in the strike zone. he and I agreed to disagree and we moved on. Does my explaination fly according to the rules ?

Definitely

On the play, it reads like the right call, pulling back makes it not and "offer" even in NCAA. Then as said, just a question of in or out of strike zone. In = dead ball strike, out = HBP (assuming the pull back was avoidance).

Did you have a question about the foul tip?

Foul tip
 

No question about the foul tip. I was sure i nailed that one. Thought it seemed kinda strange me and my partner were the only ones who seemed to know its okay to steal on a foul tip.

That's why we are there. :cool:

Had coaches not knowing that BR could run to 2nd on a walk, even if ball is thrown straight back to pitcher. Same coaches didn't know a fouled bunt after 2 strikes was an out.

And this is the middle of the season.

Is that also true in NCAA?

That coaches don't know, or that the runner can advance? ;)

Yes.

Yes.

I had a varsity game with two well seasoned coaches, or so I thought. On a foul tip a runner from 1st steals 2nd, no throw. One of the defensive coaches yells, "That's a foul ball." The runner gets up, dusts off and trots back to 1st as the catcher throws the ball back to the pitcher, who is not in the circle. When the runner gets back to 1st the offensive coach tells the runner, "That was a foul tip not a foul ball go back to second." So the runner trots back to second. No throw no nothing again. Now the defensive coach goes nuts and calls time. Since nobody is doing anything we grant time. He ask, "What just happened, that was a foul tip?" I tell him, "Yes sir a foul tip, the runner stole 2nd, and then stole 1st and then stole 2nd again." "But that was a foul tip." "Yes sir, on a foul tip the ball is live runners can advance with liability to be put out which she wasn't." "Then that is a look back rule." "No sir, your pitcher was not in the circle when the runner started back to 1st or 2nd, when your pitcher was in the circle the runner never changed direction, lets play."

Bugg

Bugg

A few weeks ago we had a successful steal on a foul tip in a HS varsity game. Pitcher tried to send the runner back to first because "it was foul." Runner was ready to listen to the pitcher before I killed the play.

In a different game a catcher gunned down a runner attempting to steal on a foul tip. I complemented her on knowing the rule. It turned out that (1) she didn't know the rule, and (2) didn't realize that it had been a foul tip. :rolleyes:

I am busting up reading this quote! I think she should get credit for at least two stolen bases on the play in the scorebook.

My best one so far in our young high school season: B1 squares to bunt but the pitch is hideously high. She goes after it anyway, basically pushing her bat all the way up to about forehead level. I say "Yes, she went! Strike!" and here comes the coach.

Tells me he has spent a lot of time studying this and it is not a strike if her attempt at the ball is completely outside the strike zone! He is not obnoxious, rather very sincere. I just said, "OK, coach, but it's 0 and 1, let's play". He seemed happy with my accepting his argument even though I didn't change my call. I was happy because the absurd conversation was over and we were playing ball.