there is no tangent. you are milking it for whatever you can get.

It's simply not possible to milk something that's not even wrong.

there's nothing wrong. you are tangent.

I just came across the slew of training videos for softball posted on the NFHS website- didn't even realize that all of those were posted there. There is a video clip about the three-foot running lane and it also says the batter-runner "must run in the three-foot running lane".

Well, no she doesn't...

I've also had this same thing happen to me recently, where a classroom instructor is giving a presentation and mis-stating rules. It bugs me, but I just kind of gritted my teeth and kept quiet.

A little background...

After a decade of working ASA ball, NSA ball and NFHS baseball, I decided I'd get certified for NFHS softball. I've worked in a local league that uses FED rules for about six years, so I already have a good handle on the rule differences. I might not even wind up working many high school softball games at all, since I usually have a full slate of baseball in the spring, before the ASA season starts.

Getting certified requires 25 hours of classroom training, which we're about half-way through right now and, of course, passing he FED test. Most in this class are totally new softball umpires, a few are ASA guys and a few are experienced baseball officials.

Anyhow, last week we were going through Rule 4 and 5 (yawn). During the course of the presentation, the instructor stated that:

- Coaches do not present the ground rules. We should not ask the home coach to tell us what ground rules are in effect. The umpires, and solely the umpires, are to dictate the ground rules to the coaches, not the other way around.

This is contrary to the written rules covering the pre-game conference.

- Whenever a fair batted ball touches an umpire the ball is dead.

Not if it's been touched by a fielder or passed by them.

- Whenever a fair batted ball touches a runner after it has passed a fielder, the ball remains live.

Not if another fielder has a play.

There were more, but those are the ones I remember off hand. There seems to be a trend in this class of the instructors kind of giving half the rule and leaving out some important details, or passing off personal opinion that is contrary to written NFHS guidelines. I can muddle through and figure it out, but I'm a little worried about the guys who are total rookies taking this stuff as the gospel truth.