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I think a fair batted ball deflected out-of-play by a fielder is a two base award. I know it is in baseball, and I suspect it is also in softball/fast pitch.
You clearly have it right in the second instance given that the runner is not guilty of interference nor is the runner out if hit by a batted ball that has first been deflected by a defensive player. The defensive team coaches, as is so often the case, were wrong.
Good video. I do this in both baseball/fastball and basketball. And it is important to measure the coach to determine whether he will be offended or grateful. In my experience the overwhelming majority are grateful when you take time with a player to get them more in tune with the rules.
perspective rather than perpetuate I think.
This is usually but not always the coach’s fault. Their batters have been told to pay attention and then some are very slow to get their signs going, or they are waiting for the runner at first to pay attention to them before running through their signs. And of course, many coaches have this convoluted series of signs because they know that a parent, or an assistant coach, or a player perhaps has been assigned to steal them. So they run through an assorted bunch of nonsense while their batter stands there waiting for the key and the sign, which often never comes, thus slowing down play inordinately. The frustration in all of this is that there is nothing we can do to hurry the coach along. On the other hand, when I see a batter standing waiting for signs that obviously are not coming, or if they dawdle coming back to the plate I say quite sternly, “Stand in, let’s go!” “MY” catchers love it when I do that. Finally, when they drift away after each pitch I tell them “Stay close!” or “Keep a foot in the box!” It usually works quite well. IC
But of course you wouldn’t be making a habit of it. You would only wait to put the new ball in play when a home run hitter had missed a base. 1 in 10 maybe.
Absolutely agree with you Bill, and especially your point about how unfair it is for a pitcher who may end up in end of season play where the rules will be enforced and who now must make a complete adjustment of their delivery, usually to the detriment of their pitching performance. I do enforce during regular season, but I usually use it also as a teaching opportunity, so I will discuss it with the pitcher (and their coach) and coax them into a legal delivery. If none of that works, then the call must be made although I will reward “effort” if I see the pitcher struggling to make it right.
Hi Robert and welcome,
This is a new site, and we are just beginning the process of populating the discussion area so we welcome your opening contribution. As you might understand it is a little odd for us to hear that you are already a month into your season, since we are still a month away from the beginning of ours. We will be holding our annual two day clinic in mid April in the hope of bringing fresh candidates into the mix, while getting our own refresher in our friendly teaching environment. We appreciate the kind words about Canadian officials coming down to work games in the States. It would be terrific if some of your colleagues could come up here to work with us and get some meaningful cross border exchange going. We are hoping this discussion board will be a useful place to do some of that information exchange going on-line. Cheers, Ian Clarke