intentionally dropped ball

[Igotthetag]

I can tell you that the "clinic" for City of Tampa umpires says that there is no thing as guiding the ball to the ground, call it IDB. That information has been promulgated annually for at least the past 10 years that I am aware. When asked the City UIC said that the ASA director told him that that was the way it was meant to be called, so there.

[Andy]

Originally Posted by Igotthetag

I can tell you that the "clinic" for City of Tampa umpires says that there is no thing as guiding the ball to the ground, call it IDB.

The clinicians are wrong (for ASA).

Originally Posted by Igotthetag

That information has been promulgated annually for at least the past 10 years that I am aware. When asked the City UIC said that the ASA director told him that that was the way it was meant to be called, so there.

They are both wrong, too (for ASA)!

[Igotthetag]

I know that they had it wrong because I read the manual, but I will guarantee that it is not unusual to hear that Tampa, Florida is not isolated in their interpretation and training. I don't umpire as much as I used to as I am an administrator for a senior softball association and we hold tournaments across the state and I have included this situation in our umpire meetings and have received similar responses across the board. I know how we call this one, because of a certain amount of enlightenment, how do we get the ASA people to call it correctly.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by Igotthetag

I know that they had it wrong because I read the manual, but I will guarantee that it is not unusual to hear that Tampa, Florida is not isolated in their interpretation and training. I don't umpire as much as I used to as I am an administrator for a senior softball association and we hold tournaments across the state and I have included this situation in our umpire meetings and have received similar responses across the board. I know how we call this one, because of a certain amount of enlightenment, how do we get the ASA people to call it correctly.

Protest the game.

[Paul L]

So all rulesets for both softball and baseball have an immediate dead ball, batter out, runners return for an infielder intentionally dropping a caught (secure possession, voluntary release) fly ball. And they all permit the infielder to allow the ball to fall to the ground untouched. And they all prohibit an infielder from intentionally failing to catch a fly ball and instead guiding it to the ground, EXCEPT ASA.

So in ASA, and only in ASA, would an excellent infielder be one who intentionally fails to catch a catchable fly ball, but instead skillfully knocks it to the ground and gets an extra out or two.

Okay, got it.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Even though most players cannot process the possibilty that quick, remember it was the offense which put the defense in the situation that allows this to happen.