Pops

A lot of wasted energy. But it didn't seem to diminish Juan Marichal's effectiveness.

That's cruel! It'll be -25 with the wind chill here in Illinois tonight.

I understand that tagging the runner coming back to 1B would result in an out. But in this case, how would touching 1B result in an out? F3 has already stepped on 1B when he caught the ball. (Or were you speaking of situations involving other bases?) An appeal must be voluntary and intentional. The umpire would have to know that they were appealing the missed base. Got it! Thanks.

Yes. The answer was incorrect. There was a correspondence to one of our board members in Illinois recently: Thank you for your email involving the test your question. We made an error involving the magazine and you are correct the answer is c. The batter is out and all runners must return to bases occupied at the time of pitch. We apologize for that. Thank you for your continued support to Referee Magazine and NASO. If you have any other questions please feel free to contact me Chris Szolyga Assistant Editor Referee magazine/National Association of Sports Officials

I understand that tagging the runner coming back to 1B would result in an out. But in this case, how would touching 1B result in an out? F3 has already stepped on 1B when he caught the ball. (Or were you speaking of situations involving other bases?)

Maven: Is the timing of the appeal important? What I mean is...Can the defense appeal verbally while the BR is returning to 1B during the live ball situation? Or do they have to wait until play has stopped (which means the BR is already on 1B)? And you're not suggesting that the defense must tag the runner during the appeal, are you? Maybe I just misread your comments. I get what you're saying now. Thanks.

I don't think you can make a verbal appeal in FED during a live ball. So, tag the runner or tag the base (and, in both instances, make it known that it's an appeal) Doesn't this have to be done BEFORE the BR returns to 1B and touches it?

That makes sense. But if you wait till the BR returns to 1B and then he actually touches it, can the appeal be made by the defense? After all, the ball was originally caught with F3 on the base when the BR originally missed it. That's why I said it's a timing situation on when you appeal.

Maven: Is the timing of the appeal important? What I mean is...Can the defense appeal verbally while the BR is returning to 1B during the live ball situation? Or do they have to wait until play has stopped (which means the BR is already on 1B)? And you're not suggesting that the defense must tag the runner during the appeal, are you? Maybe I just misread your comments.

You are right saying, "To each his own." It's obvious from this site that everyone has their own satisfaction with CPs, shins, shoes, shirts, pants, etc. I own the Unequal CP, and it just feels very comfortable to me after it is in place. I don't think it's heavy at all...but I switched over from the Honigs K-1 about a year ago. The argument over protection will never end unless someone can prove the original designers wrong. All other opinions are just that...opinions. As far as the Unequal shins, I think they are super (you forget they are attached to your leg). As far as their protection, I was told that you don't need the interior padding that is velco'd on the inside. The padding is a comfort feature only...it may supplies only a little extra protection to the leg. Evidently, the protection you need is permanently attached by metal rivets to the inside of the plastic exterior. So, I tried them last season w/o the padding and they were fine...even lower profile and they did not catch on the pants. Wearing a thin legging also helps comfort.

Yup. 3-1-1 includes this: "Should there be no announcement of substitutions, a substitute has entered the game when the ball is live and: a. a runner takes the place of a runner he has replaced," So, since you killed it to bring on the CR/sub, when you make it live and he's on/near the base, he's in the game. So would you say anything to the coach before you put the ball in play (because that's when the unreported CR becomes a sub)? Or if you know he's running for his pitcher, do you assume he's a CR?

Yes. CR 8 in the case book states that an unreported CR is really a sub. And that's one of the reasons for my question. You'd have to tell the coach that his runner is a sub and that changes his player management strategy.

The following questions pertain to players who are going to be baserunners: Coaches are putting CRs into the game for their pitchers and catchers (sometimes without saying anything, sometimes when you have your back turned, during a time out, or when foul balls are being brought back in, etc.). It can happen pretty quickly, especially from the 1st base dugout to 1B. I don’t miss very many, but it can happen. I understand that runners who enter the game without the coach saying anything are essentially subs and not courtesy runners. And once the player enters the game, the coach can’t change a sub to a CR. This can happen when he verbalizes it so softly that the PU doesn’t hear the coach. Also, I know coaches who do not know the CR rules and just assume they can run their players into the game this way. So I’m not only looking to understand the rule better, but to avoid this issue with a little preventive strategy. Once a player “enters the game,†he’s a sub according to the fed rulebook and casebook. The question is, When does a CR (or a sub) officially “enter†the game? Is it when he is announced by the coach? Is it when the runner actually reaches the base? Or is it when he leaves the dugout? And does it have anything to do with the location of the runner that he is replacing (i.e. when he leaves the base or the field)?

When is the second foot considered out of the box? Is it when it comes up off the ground or is it when it lands outside the box? I've never heard this one discussed anywhere.

I think if the left leg moved upwards and toward home first I would balk him. But if the left leg steps immediately toward first, that's legal.

If lefties can do it, so can righties!

Good morning! 12 inches so far in Northern Illinois.

As far as 2-man mechanics, you have to study and ask yourself questions about the many scenarios you might find yourself in during a game. Keep reading and visualize yourself on the field ...where is my best angle to see the play? what will I do if the ball is hit here or there? where will my partner be? And probably most important when learning is to ask yourself: WHY am I doing that mechanic in this situation? If you know why you're doing a mechanic, it will make more sense than just memorizing it. You'll find that the more games you do in the beginning, the more comfortable you'll get. Before every pitch, figure out what you'll do when the ball is hit. Then hustle. And don't forget to talk it through with your partner before the game. Sometimes verbalizing it out-loud helps a lot.

Or tennis balls at first if you're scared. I would not say that I am scared. It's more of an involuntary reaction......thanks for the advice. Just another point of view on flinching... I'm usually rock solid and have seen a lot of action behind the plate, but after I get hit, I flinch once or twice on the inside pitches until I make a mental effort to hold solid once again. It's a mental thing that can be overcome, but it takes a little self-talk to get past the "jumpiness." Give yourself a pat on the back the first time you stand your ground without flinching or closing your eyes. Then make it a habit on every pitch.

All correct. Thanks.

So if I'm understanding this properly, the HR is a dead ball. As the runner reached 2B, he committed an infraction (missing 1B) and can not correct this infraction by returning to 1B. You do not let the defense appeal until the runner is done running the bases. Then after the appeal, you call him out. (And probably you'll have an interesting discussion with the OC). Am I understanding this?

I know there are multiple rules for retouching missed bases and how to appeal missed bases. In this scenario, the batter hits a HR (over the fence) and misses 1B. When he reaches 3B, the coach tells him to go back and retouch first. So he retouches 2B on his way back to 1B and then proceeds to touch each base again all the way to the plate. During this process, is the ball dead or live? I am thinking that the defensive coach can not appeal the missed base even though the runner reached a base beyond the base that was missed. Is there anything else I am missing here?

Great comments. Thanks guys.

If an illegal player is put out or scores and there's a pitch to the next batter, all you do is restrict him to the dugout for the rest of the game. There is no further penalty, at least not until he tries to re-enter. Here's what I'm looking for: We have an illegal sub that is not discovered... several innings and ABs occur... then the opposing team brings it to your attention...if all you do is restrict him to the dugout for the rest of the game and there is no further penalty, is everything that happened up to the point of discovery legal regardless of who gains the advantage during the period of time when the illegal player was in the lineup? If so, the burden of proof appears to be with the opposing team, correct? And a team could get away with several runs scored due to the illegal player. If that's the way it is, I'm fine with that...just verifying my suspicions.

I haven't seen this yet, but if an illegal sub is slipped into the game (offense or defense) and not discovered until later in the game, what happens? I'm looking at 3-1-1 in the Fed rules and case book, but can't see a specific example of this happening. It only addresses discovery of the illegal sub before the next pitch. Can someone point me in the right direction here? I could have missed something.