3 New Rules Learned This Weekend

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

Oh, come on now. I believe we have covered this many times before. This is one of the very basic rules in the coaches rule book. Also, you are aware that you cannot call it a fair ball when the player is clearly standing in foul territory and touches the ball in fair territory. Also, if the player touches the ball in fair territory, and falls with it into foul territory then drops the ball, it is a foul ball.

Hold on now! Are you trying to tell me it is supposed to be "foul player" and not "foul ball"?

Extra winks for Michael

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

Oh, come on now. I believe we have covered this many times before. This is one of the very basic rules in the coaches rule book. Also, you are aware that you cannot call it a fair ball when the player is clearly standing in foul territory and touches the ball in fair territory. Also, if the player touches the ball in fair territory, and falls with it into foul territory then drops the ball, it is a foul ball.

And believe it or not, this rule came back to bite me on the butt not once, but twice last night. Working a varsity for two small (literally one horse, well 1A) schools. First one was a hard shot down the third base line, fielder, with one foot in foul territory fields it cleanly in fair territory (not on the line.) I of course, being the dummy umpire that I am, signal fair ball. BR safe on errant throw. After the inning was over, I hear the coach of the then offensive team tell his player, "you got a lucky break on that one. It should have been a foul. She was in foul territory." (Not a word about the wild throw that F5 made!)

Then toward the end of this "epic" match-up, had another shot by the same team down the first base side. F3, with, you guessed it, a foot in foul territory fields the ball on the line and gets the out. This time, same coach as before, comes out to argue. I tried to explain to him that it is not where the fielder is standing, but where the ball is first touched that matters in determining whether it is fair or foul. He will have none of it, and leaves our conversation with the old "you have been getting that wrong all night." (All night? On two calls???)

Anyway, to add to this humor, I hear two dads arguing in the stands behind me. One is taking the approach of "it is where the fielder stands that matters," while the other is taking the correct approach. They get louder and louder, and for a moment I thought that a fight was going to break out between the two of them. Crazy.

[Shmuelg]

I'm confused. What rules are you using here? We use ISF rules.

"1. It cannot be a foul ball if the 3rd baseman is clearly standing in fair
territory and touches the ball when over foul ground."

No, the fair-foul goes according to the ball, not the player. If the ball is in fair or foul "airspace", that's what determines the call.

ISF Rule 1 Sec. 29. FAIR BALL.
A fair ball is a legally batted ball which
a. Settles or is touched on or over fair territory between home and first base or between home and third base. . . .

"2. It is interference when a runner has to dodge the bat left lying on the
ground. . . . "

Interference results in an out. I believe he wanted "obstruction". But obstruction is a violation of the defense. How can the defense be charged with obstruction when it was the offense that put the bat there in the first place?

"3. If while trying to run to 1st after D3K runner falls, gets up and heads
towards 1B well out of running lane to fair side. Catcher got the ball back
on bounce, [backstop only 8' from home plate], Attempting to throw the
BR out, hits her about five feet from 1B, single base. Interference cannot
be called because the run fell. [This play got very heated., I don't know
why.]"

Too bad there was only one base, but the play was made from foul territory. In this case, had there been a safety base, the rights to the bases are reversed. And what does the runner falling have to do with anything?

ISA Rule 2, Sec.h:
h. BASES
. . .
NOTE: THE FOLLOWING RULES APPLY TO THE DOUBLE BASE:
. . .
EXCEPTION: On any live ball play made from first base foul territory, the batter-runner and the
defensive player may use either base. When the defensive player uses the foul portion of the double
base, the batter-runner can run in fair territory and if hit by a throw from the foul side of first base, it
would not be interference.

[JefferMC]

The OP was not serious. He was being sarcastic. Or maybe even facetious. He was listing "rules" that the coaches he was dealing with "know," but aren't in any rulebook. I thought that this had been covered in previous replies.

I had been kind of worried that a newbie might wander by and not know he was joking, but I didn't expect it of any experienced members.

[BretMan]

Nothing to be confused about- if you read all of the respnses in this thread! Glen, the umpire, was being sarcastic about "learning" these new rules. They were all examples of arguments offered by coaches who, obviously, had no understanding of the rules.

Do they celebrate April Fool's Day in Israel?

Not a season goes by where I don't get a couple of these arguments: On a foul tip- "Isn't that foul/doesn't she have to go back?"; On an appeal for leaving early- "Isn't that a force out?"; On a batter hit by a pitch- "Aren't the hands part of the bat?".

Those rule myths have been around forever and will probably be around for a long time to come. But every once in awhile, a coach will come up with one you haven't heard before!

Here are a few that stick out from my past couple of seasons:

- Strike three swinging. Pitch is low, but catcher makes a good catch of the pitch, while her glove is in contact with the dirt.

Coach argues that since the catcher's mitt was touching the ground, it wasn't a legal catch and should be regarded as an uncaught third strike!

- Batter hits ball to F4, who bobbles and allows batter to safely reach first without a throw. Instead of throwing the ball back to the pitcher, F4 picks up the ball and walks into the pitching circle.

While F4 is still holding the ball, and apparently apologizing to her pitcher for blowing the play, runner at first alertly scoots down to second base.

Coach wants Look Back Rule violation called because "the ball was in the circle"!

- Batter swings at pitch and whacks catcher's mitt (catcher had been setting up real close to the plate all day).

Defensive coach starts screaming, "You gotta call that, Blue!". She seems to think that this is some sort of infraction or unsportsmanlike move by the batter!

"Sure thing, coach. I'm about to call it. That's obstruction! Batter, take your base!".

- Okay, this one was from FED baseball, but you have to admit it was pretty creative!

With runner on first, pitcher begins his pitch to the plate, then stops mid-delivery. "That's a balk!" (and dead ball in FED).

Pitcher then fakes a throw to first base while still in contact with the rubber (which is really moot at that point, as the ball is already dead).

Coach wants TWO balks called and argues that his runner on first should be awarded TWO bases!

I did tell him, "Coach, you get an A+ for creativity, but an F- for understanding the balk rule!".

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by Shmuelg

I'm confused. What rules are you using here? We use ISF rules.

Apparently, facetiousness is not as clear when in writing and when maybe American is not your native language.
Let's be considerate of such things.

[Shmuelg]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Apparently, facetiousness is not as clear when in writing and when maybe American is not your native language.
Let's be considerate of such things.

Actually, American English is my native language, I just didn't get the sarcasm, that's all.

Have fun