ASA - Infield Fly Rule

[Andy]

Originally Posted by HugoTafurst

Out of curiosity, how often has the BU pointed and the PU not called the IFR (assuming the situation is correct).
Not trying to be argumentative, just curious.

Never too old to learn (and boy sometimes I feel old), but I always treated the IFR as any umpires call. Not only that, but somewhere along the line, I thought it was a call that was to be (or could be) echoed by other umpires (unlike a foul.. )
I've never heard a post game comment when I called it as a BU.

It has happened to me twice in the last few months. In both cases, I was BU.

1. JC game, cold and very windy. IFF situation, high pop fly hit to F6, she takes a step or two backward, and catches the ball. Because of the high winds, I did hesitate before I pointed up. My PU partner did not call the IFF. After the catch, he loudly announces..."There is no such thing as ordinary effort today" referring to the windy conditions.

2. Men's FP, IFF situation, high pop fly hit toward F6. When the ball was hit, I saw F6 playing a bit deeper than normal and even though the ball would have landed past him, I judged that he only had to back up a bit to make the play, so I pointed upward. My PU partner did not call the IFF. We talk about it later...what I didn't see was that F6 misjudged the ball and basically did about two and half twists trying to find and get under the ball. He did end up catching it though.

In both cases, I was working with very good and very experienced partners.

Thoughts?

[Chess Ref]

Originally Posted by Andy

It has happened to me twice in the last few months. In both cases, I was BU.

1. JC game, cold and very windy. IFF situation, high pop fly hit to F6, she takes a step or two backward, and catches the ball. Because of the high winds, I did hesitate before I pointed up. My PU partner did not call the IFF. After the catch, he loudly announces..."There is no such thing as ordinary effort today" referring to the windy conditions.

2. Men's FP, IFF situation, high pop fly hit toward F6. When the ball was hit, I saw F6 playing a bit deeper than normal and even though the ball would have landed past him, I judged that he only had to back up a bit to make the play, so I pointed upward. My PU partner did not call the IFF. We talk about it later...what I didn't see was that F6 misjudged the ball and basically did about two and half twists trying to find and get under the ball. He did end up catching it though.

In both cases, I was working with very good and very experienced partners.

Thoughts?

1. I think that is a little silly. I, too, have experienced some nice Arizona wind blasts in my day. But what if the wind eases up in the later inninngs-does he now announce "ordinary effort" is in play today ?

2. Vaguely similar to what my opening thread was about, except I was the PU. BU in my game -who called IFF, very quietly, wanted me to honor his call. I didn't think I should....

Is there anywhere in the book or somewhere that says BU can also make that call? Because I only found the reference on page 244. PU has the respnsibility for call.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

Is there anywhere in the book or somewhere that says BU can also make that call? Because I only found the reference on page 244. PU has the respnsibility for call.

Is there anywhere that says BU can make the out call on a line drive to shortstop? No... but what do you do if he DOES make that call, and you see it differently?

I'd treat the OP the same way.