5-Man Infield and Appeals (ASA SP)

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by BretMan

Yes, a dead ball appeal must come from an infielder, either with or without possession of the ball (in all versions of ASA softball, not just slow pitch).

Why? Beats the heck out of me. It just...is.

Decorum. How many times do you have outfielders just screaming and hollering to appeal this, check that, etc.? Neither umpires or players need to be screaming, and possibly being misunderstood, things across a big field.

Used to be a joke in some schools that if you have an OF with the right appeal an no IF was smart enough to pick up on it, the umpire should continually put hand to ear and scream what until the OF came in so far that you could consider him/her an IF and take the appeal.

[NCASAUmp]

So to all who believe that the appeal should be honored, how does 4-1-C-3-a fit in?

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

So to all who believe that the appeal should be honored, how does 4-1-C-3-a fit in?

That does muddy the waters a little bit (but not enough to make me change my mind ).

My take would be that this rule lists the fielding positions normally used in a game and establishes a convention for identifying them (F1, F2, F3, etc.). It doesn't establish or restrict precisely where on the playing field any fielder might position himself. It doesn't specifically designate or define any of the positions as being "infielders" or "outfielders".

So, if I have to determine which players are "infielders" or "outfielders", I'm going by the definitions of those positions listed under Rule 1.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

So to all who believe that the appeal should be honored, how does 4-1-C-3-a fit in?

What about it? Read rule 1, definitions.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Decorum. How many times do you have outfielders just screaming and hollering to appeal this, check that, etc.? Neither umpires or players need to be screaming, and possibly being misunderstood, things across a big field.

Used to be a joke in some schools that if you have an OF with the right appeal an no IF was smart enough to pick up on it, the umpire should continually put hand to ear and scream what until the OF came in so far that you could consider him/her an IF and take the appeal.

Or, even simpler, just ask the nearest infielder, "What'd s/he say?"

[BretMan]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Decorum. How many times do you have outfielders just screaming and hollering to appeal this, check that, etc.? Neither umpires or players need to be screaming, and possibly being misunderstood, things across a big field.

That was kind of what I figured and was the only good reason I could imagine.