Batter out of the Batter's Box

[BuggBob]

USSSA Slow-pitch, the field is not prepared with batter’s boxes (just a line from first and third ending about three feet from the plate). Super Tank Mc Cool up to bat, 2 balls no strikes, no outs, bases loaded. Inside pitch, in fact so inside that it will pass behind Super Tank. However, the old Tankster don’t want to walk (walking is for sissies), he takes three steps outside and BAMO! The ball is turned into an ellipse and screams past the third baseman for a would be double.

The instant McCool hits the ball I point to the spot his foot was when he hit the ball and call, “Dead ball! Batter is out of the box. Batter is out.”

“WHAT?! You can’t be serious!” Why is it that players think that I would take that time of the game to practice my Curly Shuffle.

Hey Moe, Hey Moe (Hey Moe, Hey Moe) nyah nyah....
But we never miss a chance, we get up and dance
doing the Curly Shuffle.

I was serious, and show Super Tank the footprint he made when contacting with the ball. He then insist, “Well show me where the rules I’m out for being out of the box when there was no box.” He further insists, “You need to draw me a box to prove I am out.”

“Well partner, the box is four feet that way,” I point towards second, “three feet this way,” hitching by thumb towards the backstop, “and three feet that way.” I shrug towards third. “That is 21 square feet of batters box you were out of when you hit that ball. Just how far do you think you were away form the plate when you hit the ball?”

His reply, “Oh about Eight to ten feet.”

“Well then unless you have five foot long feet you were out of the box. Do you have five foot long feet?” Now I am doing the curly shuffle.

Super Tank is not a think tank, he actually looks at his feet and continues to whine about no box, but leaves the field. A short time later the game is over Super Tank’s team wins by double digits, and he is still whining about being out.