NEW Slowpitch Rule
 

Just when you think you have heard and seen it all at the ol' ballyard. All the stuff with the play doesn't really pertain, but here it is for you who are very anal:

ASA Co-ed slowpitch.

Man, batting lefty, hits a fair ball just back of third. The sliced ball is spinning like a top on steroids. It is headed toward out of play when SS fields it...then takes two steps and steps out of play.

I kill it and make the awards.

So...SS comes running toward me.

"Blue! Blue! You can't call that catch and carry."

"Sure I can."

"But...but...(now get ready)

The ball is spinning like that and there's barely a chance I can get to it, but I hustle and get to it and take two steps and then go out of play. There's NO WAY you can call that a catch and carry!"

So...add that to the list of new rules.

Pretty good. I'd put that one in the top 25.

Does it above or below the one I heard a few years ago?:

Batter hits a line drive over shortstop and twists his knee getting out of the box. He writhes around a bit but then manages to get up and starts to limp to 1B. The (rather slow) relay from the outfield beats him to 1B by a step, so I call him out.

Him: "How can you call me out on that?"

Me: "The ball got there before you did. Same as a ground ball in the infield."

Him: "But not on a base hit! That was a base hit!"

I had two new rules I learned last night...

1. With no runners on base, a fly batted ball is caught in foul territory by the left fielder on the run, and is carried into dead ball territory. In this case, the runner's not out, they're awarded 1B on the catch and carry.

2. The "clamshell" backstops with the "roof" have different rules as to what constitutes a foul tip. If the ball is popped up and only goes less than half way to the roof from the ground and is caught, then it's only a foul tip. If it goes more than half way up and is caught, or hits the roof, then it's a foul ball. But then it depends on if it's caught in fair or foul ground. If caught in fair ground, even after hitting the roof, it's an out. If in foul ground, it's merely a foul ball.

I was amazed that Kevin R. and the NUS didn't mention these in Atlanta last week...

And some people think DP/FLEX is confusing. :eek:

I'm glad we have a regular, perpendicular backstop at most of our fields. :D :p :D

They actually sound like ground rules for the Metrodump, er, I mean Metrodome. :D

I always thought the purpose of those curved backstops was to direct the foul pop ups back down on the umpire's head! :D

(Actually, I saw an umpire who would regularly tip his mask up to cover the top of his head for foul pop ups to the backstop with that "clamshell" style.)

I'm sure I have seen that mechanic in the ASA manual somewhere! :p