Whose on first?

DaveASA/FED · #1 (**permalink**) Tue Oct 14, 2008, 09:41am

Reading another post on another board and the whole naming difference came up again. We call R1 the lead runner, they call the runner on first R1.

I have to ask, does anyone know why softball has the R1=lead runner naming? As much of a softball guy as I am I hate to say it...but the other naming really is much more descriptive, by saying R2 you know they are on 2nd base as the play starts, where our R2 has to be spelled out if they were on 2nd or 1st. Wierd we make it actually harder on ourselves

Anyone know the history??

Al · #2 (**permalink**) Tue Oct 14, 2008, 10:21am

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

Reading another post on another board and the whole naming difference came up again. We call R1 the lead runner, they call the runner on first R1.

I have to ask, does anyone know why softball has the R1=lead runner naming? As much of a softball guy as I am I hate to say it...but the other naming really is much more descriptive, by saying R2 you know they are on 2nd base as the play starts, where our R2 has to be spelled out if they were on 2nd or 1st. Wierd we make it actually harder on ourselves

Anyone know the history??

Maybe we should have a new universal rule such as......"Who" is on first, "What" is on second, and "I don't know" is on third.

IRISHMAFIA · #3 (**permalink**) Tue Oct 14, 2008, 10:28am

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

Reading another post on another board and the whole naming difference came up again. We call R1 the lead runner, they call the runner on first R1.

I have to ask, does anyone know why softball has the R1=lead runner naming? As much of a softball guy as I am I hate to say it...but the other naming really is much more descriptive, by saying R2 you know they are on 2nd base as the play starts, where our R2 has to be spelled out if they were on 2nd or 1st. Wierd we make it actually harder on ourselves

Anyone know the history??

Don't know the history, but I think the softball way is much easier. R1 will always be R1 all the way through a half inning. This allows a multi-option scenario especially for a BOO discussion. With baseball, R1 could be R3 from the time the wrong batter steps into the box and the end of the play. Now, that would be confusing.

JefferMC · #4 (**permalink**) Tue Oct 14, 2008, 01:17pm

I have to agree that the softball convention is much clearer on multi-play scenarios. The baseball way has perceived greater simplicity until you try to describe anything over a single play if the baserunner moves.

I expect congress to mandate that all diamond sports must use the baseball method due to this perception. It's how they do everything else.

bluezebra · #5 (**permalink**) Wed Oct 15, 2008, 12:19pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

Reading another post on another board and the whole naming difference came up again. We call R1 the lead runner, they call the runner on first R1.

I have to ask, does anyone know why softball has the R1=lead runner naming? As much of a softball guy as I am I hate to say it...but the other naming really is much more descriptive, by saying R2 you know they are on 2nd base as the play starts, where our R2 has to be spelled out if they were on 2nd or 1st. Wierd we make it actually harder on ourselves

Anyone know the history??

WHOSE - possessive. ie: Whose bat is that?
WHO'S - who is. ie: Who's on first?

And as a point of information, there, their, they're; to, too, two, etc., are NOT interchangeable.

By the way, referring to the runner on 1B as R1, runner on 2B as R2, on 3B as R3, automatically give position(s) of runner(s) without having to explain, such as R1 is on 3B, etc., make more sense to me.

Bob