What do you have?

[gumpire]

Situation is this:

In our local co-ed league, we have the following additional rule:

"TAKE AWAY RULE: Players must play their position. If a fielder takes a catch away from another player (and it is obvious to the umpire that the other player should have been the one to make the catch) the batter will be called safe. It is not a take away if the shortstop covers 2nd base or if the pitcher covers home plate."

Game situation:
R1 on first, number of outs doesn't matter. Batter hits a ground ball back to the pitcher, who fields it and turns to throw to 2B. F4 (who happens to be female) is standing on the bag, facing the throw with the glove extended to catch it. F6 (male) seeing that F1 is throwing to 2B, sprints in front of F4, catches the ball, tags the bag, and make a throw to 1B attempting DP (throw was not in time, R2 safe).

What do you have, if anything?

[NCASAUmp]

I have an out at 2B and safe at 1B.

The rule, in my opinion, clearly makes an exception at 2B.

[Stu Clary]

Originally Posted by gumpire

What do you have, if anything?

An idiot attempting to improve upon the rules of slow pitch softball, and failing.

[Tru_in_Blu]

In my era, the weakest defensive links often played second base or right field. In co-ed, the weakest female often plays catcher, much to my shins' chagrin.

So should the rule apply to all leagues and levels. There's guys on the local wreck league who cannot judge a pop up. Given enough time, someone else will always meander over that way and catch the ball before the other guy misses it.

Is that a takeaway? Don't know about you, but I LIKE outs!

[SC Ump]

Originally Posted by gumpire

"TAKE AWAY RULE: ... and it is obvious to the umpire ..."

What do you have, if anything?

Well, if you're asking, apparently it wasn't obvious.

[KJUmp]

What difference does it make? You can't win.

If you rule out at 2B, safe at 1B, (the 2B exception),
the OC is going to come out an argue that the SS violated the league's "TAKE AWAY RULE".

If you rule safe at 2B, safe at 1B, enforcing the league's "TAKE AWAY RULE", because in your judgement the SS was "not covering the bag", the DC is going to come out and argue saying the rule has an "exception for 2nd base."

[soundedlikeastrike]

Check with your association and the league, this rule is put in place (the only way I've ever seen it anyway) for "batted balls".
The OP, that's the SS's throw all the way. How can an umpire be expected to judge what the defenses rotations or pre-determined coverages are?

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

As the experst in the rules of slowpitch softball the league's umpires should get together as a group and tell the "idiots" who wrote the rule that it is a stupid and unenforcable rule.

MTD, Sr.

[soundedlikeastrike]

Now, now, come on, let the guys play too.


The league we worked not only had this rule, but also an encroachment line. When the ladies came to bat, no outfielder could come closer than a line drawn from foul to foul line 200' from HP until the ball was hit, they played on a well crowned BB field, sheesh, you couldn't even see the line unless you were about 2b, talk about unenforceable.

[IRISHMAFIA]

I stand with Stu. This is nothing more than folks screwing around with the game.

Yes, it is Co-rec, but the teams will police themselves.