ASA - Infield Fly Rule

[Manny A]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

BU, when pointing, is merely giving help on depth (it's often a LOT easier to see how deep the ball is going to be from B or C than from the plate)

Pardon me for coming late to this party, but this comment struck me as odd. I've never heard this before. I always thought that the BU's pointing was just a signal to remind his/her PU partner that the fly ball may warrant an IFR call.

Frankly, depth has little to do with the IFR. A ball can be hit pretty far beyond the infield, but because the infielder was playing deep, the IFR is still in effect. And even if the infielder is playing a more natural position, she may still be able to get to the ball and catch it with ordinary effort if it's hit high enough. So I would expect my BU partner to put up his/her hand regardless if the ball is going to land inside or outside the dirt.

That said, I'm not really looking at my BU partner when the IFR situation is on and the batter hits a fly ball. I'm watching the fielders. So whether or not my BU partner is holding his/her hand up is immaterial to me.