Get a load of this . . .

[greymule]

After a college doubleheader yesterday, I went and did the third game of a triple-header at a different college. This was a "club" game played on the varsity field. It is sort of like a JV league, but many of the players are pretty good—one girl hammered the ball all over the park but apparently just doesn't want to commit to a full schedule. Teams travel to NJ from U Conn, Maryland, and so on to play Rutgers, Princeton, etc. They wear regular school uniforms, and if you didn't know better, you'd figure they were simply two lower-level college teams.

So . . .

Bases loaded, no outs. Weak popup, about 20 feet in the air, in front of F3. "Infield fly. Batter's out." (The BR continued to run, but I did not call interference.) Runner at 1B runs back to 1B, so F3 decides not to risk a collision and fields the ball on one bounce. When the runners see the ball hit the ground, they run. But F3 flips the ball to F1, and all the runners walk back to their bases.

The BU and I look at each other and shake our heads. After the inning, I go over and remind each team—and each team's coaches—that the infield fly is not a dead ball, that everything remains the same except that the batter's out, that those runners walking back to their bases were in jeopardy, etc.

The reaction from both teams was basically, "Oh, Gosh! That's right. Everybody just stopped when you yelled 'Infield fly.'"

So I figure I've straightened them out.

Last inning, bases loaded, no outs. Popup to F4. I call infield fly. One out. Next batter also hits pop, but this time it takes F4 over toward F3. I call infield fly again. Runners hold. F4 and F3 are now unsure who will catch the ball. F4 makes a stab at the ball, but it bounces off her glove.

Runner on 1B sees this and runs. Runner on 2B reminds her that it was infield fly. Runner from 1B turns around and starts walking back to 1B, and is tagged out to end the game. Runner from 3B also ran when the ball dropped and had crossed the plate before the tag, so the run counted.

Maybe the IFR should be a question on college entrance exams.

[Steve M]

Club ball is a whole 'nother world. While each team wants to win - what they really want to do is just play ball.
They want umps there to call ball/strike, safe/out, & fair/foul. They handle all rule issues between the 2 captains.
If all the players were old enough, I'm sure these get togethers would be a big beer league.
I've enjoyed the devil out of the club ball weekends I've done, but I would not want a steady diet of it.

[wadeintothem]

I cant imagine holding a rules clinic for coaches at any decent level of ball (say anything above rec league)