Never saw this before....

[CajunNewBlue]

Had the pleasure of working a championship game with a umpire whom IMHO has seen it all and done it all and I respect greatly... so long story short, I am in C, he has plate... 2 strikes on the batter, pitch comes in and is fouled directly back to the catcher whom doesn't touch it except for the fact she catches it in flight with her knees. PU calls it foul... light chirping from the defensive dugout. He sells it (I close my gaping mouth "I was amazed that she actually caught it like that) and we proceed to finish the game. Now the confusing part...
Walking out we meet up with the UIC, PU says to UIC "I think i kicked that foul ball /foul tip call" he agrees... I chime in "I never saw that before" mouth still gaping.
Ok, so 4 days later i think back on it,( I am at dinner with 2 coaches who both think the batter is out on foul tip strike 3) then I goto work and ask a coach here and he has her out on foul tip strike 3.(I have way too many coaches in my personal life ) 3 coaches thinking opposite of me? I wasn't gonna have it. So... I look in rulebooks/case books for FED, PONY, OBR (I need to buy a ASA book) both baseball and softball. And as far as i can tell he got it right at the plate. Foul tip must go directly and sharply to the catchers mitt. Is this correct or did I miss something just to be right.

[DaveASA/FED]

I think there is a hand in there. Sharply and directly to the hand or glove and be controlled. Other than that no you got it right. Now what I would question is if that was a caught foul ball. Since it didn't go sharply and directly to the glove it can't be a foul tip.....but it could be a foul ball. And if she didn't catch it in her equipment and got control prior to it reaching the ground could it be a controlled catch?

[NCASAUmp]

ASA - Because it didn't go directly to the glove or hand, it can't be a foul tip. Since she caught it between her knees, then grabbed the ball and had it controlled before it ever got to the ground, well... I hate to say it, but that sounds like it can only be a foul ball that was caught. I have an out.

[BretMan]

You could have fifty coaches tell you this is a foul tip...and they would all still be wrong!

The umpire had it right on his first call. No need to second guess himself here- this is a simple foul ball.

[NCASAUmp]

Did she pick up the ball from between her knees before it touched the ground? I was assuming she did. If so, caught foul ball. If she let it drop, just a foul ball.

[greymule]

NCASAUmp, it cannot be a catch (caught foul ball) if it went sharp and direct back toward the catcher. Sharp and direct to the catcher can be a foul tip (if it goes to the hand or mitt first) or a foul ball, but not a catch for an out.

CajunNewBlue, whom taught you grammar?

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by greymule

NCASAUmp, it cannot be a catch (caught foul ball) if it went sharp and direct back toward the catcher. Sharp and direct to the catcher can be a foul tip (if it goes to the hand or mitt first) or a foul ball, but not a catch for an out.

CajunNewBlue, whom taught you grammar?

Ah... I had a different image in my mind. You're right.

[canump]

All I have on this is a foul tip "foul ball." It does not meet the requirements to be a foul tip strike nor does it meet the requirements of a foul fly ball for an out. Unless I'm missing something here, which has happened before.