ASA sneaky stealing
 

ASA Fastpitch. I was thinking about this after seeing this play in MLB the other night on TV. Say R1 is on first base and the pitcher has the ball in the circle and she is just standing there behind the pitcher's plate. The F6 and F4 are kind of not paying attention and the R1 just breaks off the bag to 2nd and beat the F6 and F4 to the bag. Is this legal? Time out has never been called.

Legal? Yes. An effective play? No.

If the pitcher has the ball in the circle, as soon as R1 leaves the base, R1 is out on the Look-Back Rule. Time wouldn't be called, but the LBR is always in affect with the ball in the circle. No reason for F6 or F4 to pay attention.

That was a definite "brain fart" by the defense in that one! Had Escobar (I think it was him) not taken 2B he would have never scored, and tied the game in the top of the ninth. VERY alert baserunning from the kid. Even though that is rare, it can work in little ball because there is no requirement for maintaining base contact.

In fastpitch, once the pitcher has control of the ball in the circle, the runner(s) must stay on the base, or be called out. It is automatic. If the pitcher however is OUT of the circle, runners can go.

Ah, but doesn't the LBR entitle the runner to advance or retreat as long as they don't stop? I compare it to the base on balls when there is a runner on 3rd base and the runner just keeps going. the only difference here is that the runner was already on first base.

Once the runner stops at a base and the pitcher has the ball in the circle, if they come off they are out on LBR. Dave

Pretty simple to understand...perhaps if you read page 118, you can better understand the rule.

Sorry, I am not an umpire nor in possession of page 118. Which is why I asked this question. I know you guys don't get into the philosphy of the rules but really it seems silly that one can run through the base while the pitcher has the ball in the circle, but you cannot leave from the bag when the ball is in the circle.

Aside:

But anyways, thanks for your smug and somewhat condesending reply. Because we all know how simple it is to understand the rule book even when you consider that they had to write an entirely separate book (case book) to explain it.

It's the stopping on the base that locks the runner to the base. The running through it on a walk is fine, since the BR didn't 'stop' on the base.

The rule is to prevent the cat and mouse games that you see in baseball. Once the runner stops on the base, she is committed to staying on the base, until an action by F1 releases her. Continuing to move, as in your hypothetical situation, the runner never 'committed' to staying at the base, so she is free to continue to move. Once she stops, she must commit to a base and continue to move toward that base, unless F1 commits an action to release her from that committment.

Call your ASA commissioner and buy a book. It's only $9.95

You're welcome. It's a public service I provide.

Edited per the advice of a Hooters waitress in law school.

You are aware, I assume, that your umpire association has violated the ASA copyright. Buying the CD does not grant the right to re-publish on the internet.

I was about to say the same thing. Highly recommended you take that offline.

I'm sure that if our executive board receives a cease and decist order from ASA's copyright attorney, we'll gladly remove it from our website.

Then the title of this thread is ironically appropriate

In other words, without this, there is no "prevailing legal authority".

Maybe they missed the part where it says, Odd, since it doesn't say "All of this book may be reporduced unless a written cease and desist is received."

You guys haven't even protected it from download, so you are giving it away to anyone who drops by your web site.

Silly me; I paid for my pdf rule book.

Dear Richard Cranium,
That's not smug nor condesending. Considering that what you are proposing is contrary to both the letter and spirit of the rules, it was damned nice.