She'd better wipe off after she begins dribbling.

Didn't we have a long discussion about this last year, most of us thinking it was a mstake?

The rule or the discussion?

Or the spelling of mistake?

Just one little note from me... AND does not imply sequence - it just means both things had to happen for the ball to be live. A AND B could mean B happens and then A happens, as you are assuming... but it could also mean A happens, and then when B happens, the ball is live.

Could be, but I don't remember it.

But I would wonder if it was a mistake, why did it appear in both the 2011 and 2012 books.

And also the part that I keep thinking was changed, I remember as reading something like, "the pitcher is in the circle (or in position, or ready to pitch)" and the umpire says play ball (or whatever).

(That is the way I see the ball being put back in play most of the time anyway - despite the wording of the rule).....

Isn't that obvious? The one behind the plate!!! :D

Hmmmm.....he's alive!!!

I rarely "declare" the ball ready for play. For that matter, I never say play ball (what else are you there for?) and if I say "play", it is my indicator to both teams that the other team and the umpires are ready, so they better get their tail in gear or the umpire may start without them.

I Found It
 

I realize I am the only one who gives a sh1t, but up until 2009, the NFHS rule read:

the 2010 is the first to use
now I can sleep.

BTW, I admit to not really paying attention to whether or not she is in contact with the plate. As a matter of fact, I admit to being rather lax about even putting the ball in play in a lot of situations......:o and when I do, its always with the single word, "PLAY"

That was one of those things I noticed when I began umpiring softball here five or six years ago. I started my umpiring career in LL Baseball, and they preached to us that we HAD to put the ball in play after every dead ball situation. That's probably because everyone had to understand exactly when the ball was made live again so that pitchers could make pickoff attempts of runners, defense could make appeals, etc.

But when I started doing softball, my clinic instructors never put any emphasis on that requirement. And my seasoned veteran partners would never actively put the ball in play. Basically, when the PU put the mask on and got behind the catcher, everyone understood that the ball was live.

With no leadoffs, you've eliminated 99% of the cases where this matters.

For the other 1%, usually it's rather obvious. A ball goes out of play, someone misses a base and the defense sees it - the whole team is screaming for the appeal, and pitcher wants the ball. In THAT scenario, I will say play so they can make their appeal.

(And 1% is probably a high guestimate --- if this happens once a year, I'm surprised).

A dead ball appeal wouldn't work?

Not it you want to get the runner out who, once the ball is declared dead, must be given the opportunity to complete all running tasks including returning to a base missed or left early on a caught fly ball before any further action, including an appeal, is allowed.

And, in that case, a live ball appeal wouldn't work either. :p

Also, don't forget that dead ball appeals aren't allowed in all softball organizations. LL Softball, which in many ways mirrors LL Baseball, does not recognize the dead ball appeal.

and well, and on vacation. :cool:

OK, I guess 2 weeks was long for me. :)