Rule Logic?

[jr131981]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Actually it was Rounders, one word and you ran base to base (actually, post to post) and maintain contact.

My guess is that when it was stolen....er, evolved into baseball, the rule was changed to allow the BR to proceed at the quickest speed so they could brag to their girlfriends about how fast they are.

Okay, maybe the girlfriend bragging is a bit too much.

i was referring to the stolen/evolved initial version of baseball, known in those days as base ball. many places, at least in the north east, have base ball "leagues". ive played exhibition games at several county fairs and a tournament in OH years ago.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by jr131981

i was referring to the stolen/evolved initial version of baseball, known in those days as base ball. many places, at least in the north east, have base ball "leagues". ive played exhibition games at several county fairs and a tournament in OH years ago.

Yes, I'm familiar with Cartwright's Knickerbocker Rules and Regulations .

And people think today's rules are vague and poorly worded

All I can be sure of is that by 1936 the rule had been changed, but I am almost sure that it happened in a manner where a player complained that he was being put out because he had to slow down and some manager thought it would be a great idea if they allowed the BR the opportunity to be safe by giving them an exemption at that base.

[JefferMC]

He also gets an exemption at home.

Probably it comes down to evening up the playing field so that you could get people on base more often. The BR is at a bit of a disadvantage in that he doesn't get any lead off, has a few feet extra to begin with (or has to turn around), and has to switch from thinking about hitting the ball to running in an instant. If you think about how many close plays you get at first given the current situation, think about how many baserunners you'd lose.