maven

Everything OK, Velho? The mallard is an internet SOS...

Same ruling in all codes (not only FED). If a batted ball is first touched by a fielder over fair territory, it's a fair ball. The position of the fielder, and what subsequently happens to the ball, is irrelevant to its fair/foul status.

LeBron doesn't think so.

Fraternization is fine. Antagonization is not.

.. and runners return to their TOP bases (that is, it doesn't matter whether they were "half way" or any other such nonsense that's not in any code).

How could that possibly follow logically from what he said? I take it he was responding to your question about there being "2 slide rules." The definition of illegal slides applies to all slides, on all plays. FPSR has a more limited scope, applying only to force plays. It adds additional protections for infielders. Illegal slides also may violate FPSR; but not all illegal slides invoke the FPSR penalty. Illegal slides may also be INT. All slide rules prioritize player safety.

For FED, F1 in the windup is limited to "two pumps" of his arms, whatever that means.... And he can't stop everything during a pitch, no matter the position (he can stop the hands, if that's what started the motion, provided something else is moving).

Disagree. It's also allowed on days starting with a consonant.

That's correct. I'll add that there's a reason we don't see this in pro ball: there, they know that it just gives runners a huge advantage, as they can take off the second the hands move without fear of being picked off.

Once F1 comes set, he may legally disengage, step and then throw/feint to a base, or pitch to the batter. The first two require F1 to move either his pivot or free foot, as they both involve a step. This must happen first, or at least simultaneously with any motion of the hands. Any step with the pivot that is not a step backward and off the rubber is prohibited. Any step with the free foot that is not a step toward a base commits F1 to pitch. A pickoff requires F1 to "step directly," which precludes prior movement of the hands/arms. (Normally applied to the step, requiring distance & direction.) Any motion of the hands or arms (that's not part of a jump turn/jab step or other legal pickoff move) after coming set commits F1 to pitch, as it marks the start of the pitch by rule. NFHS 2-28-2: "For the set position, the 'time of the pitch' occurs the instant the pitcher, after coming to a complete and discernible stop starts any movement with arm(s) and/or leg(s) that commits him to pitch." So to answer the main question: the hand/arm motion you observed is legal if part of the pitch, illegal if it proceeds a pickoff.

Same here.

This is an umpire forum. Better check scorekeeper-empire.com.

"The rules don't prohibit digging a moat around HP or bringing a wolverine on the field either, but the good order of the game does. It's my job to keep everyone here safe, sometimes against their own judgment." I discourage anyone from referring to the baseball diamond where you happen to be officiating at that particular moment as "my field," unless you own the property on which it is situated. That's a terrible look in 2025, and needlessly confrontational ("me vs you"). Asserting authority should be a last resort, not the first club out of the bag. At every opportunity (including here) I strive to talk about "we" and "us" instead of "you." In youth baseball in particular, all the adults on the field have the same mission. We should always be on the lookout for opportunities to forge collaborations. It doesn't always work (asshats gonna asshat), but it's an essential tool in deëscalation.

As a general principle, this is incorrect. Baseball is a game of defense, and in general we should respect that. But I'm sure you meant this in the context of OBS, in which case, I agree. A better general formulation for your consideration: "the umpire should err on the side of the offended team." This will apply to OBS, INT, MC, and other infractions. Though old schoolers will insist that we be perfect, and not err at all, ever.

Once again, it comes down to the most effective way to communicate our ruling. The tricky part is that R1 is neither out nor safe on the play, he's safe at 3B due to the award (protected). The players (F5, R1) have every reason to think that R1 is out, so to prevent a circus we need at least to verbalize something to indicate that it's not so. "Safe on the obstruction," or the like could serve, but that's a lot of syllables (harder to process, harder to hear in the heat of the moment). I wish I had a better suggestion. We don't want "stay here," because if the defense did misplay on the BR at 2B (or back into 1B), R1 should have an unhindered opportunity to advance (and we just told him to stay there). We can't properly award HP on the OBS, so that won't end well. The good news is that it will be a rare F5 who can process this fast enough and read a possible play on BR at 2B. Unless the runners are vastly different in speed, BR should be sliding into 2B within 1–2 seconds of R1 arriving at 3B. So IRL (HS varsity and below) the need for any mechanic at 3B will be ameliorated by the play ending moments later. We can kill it and make the award per FED's rule.

Not sure if the title question is live or just clickbait, and I haven't worked that sport in a few years, but in case it's a real question: For NFHS (which is what Ohio uses) this is a flagrant intentional foul and an immediate disqualification. The fouled player (or a sub) will get 2 free throws, and the offended team will get the ball back (throw in) out of bounds nearest the spot of the foul. The fouling player is disqualified and must watch the remainder of the game from the bench.

I agree. The rule aims to protect middle infielders from runners, but not from themselves. If they position themselves in front of the base, they're in the flight path. A legal slide that contacts a fielder in front of the base is nothing. The case play confuses its own point with "slides late." That might not be an illegal slide (conforms to that part of FPSR) but could yet be INT. I gather the point of the case is to illustrate a situation where contact by a sliding runner is NOT a FPSR violation—it might have been clearer to describe an ordinary legal slide that contacts F4 in front of the base, rather than something that might be (otherwise) illegal.

That doesn't always stop F1. It's worth knowing how to handle it for cases where it doesn't stop him. Or when we don't process it fast enough. In general, I don't like the idea of trying to get around proper enforcement of the live-ball balk by inserting a "time" call where one wouldn't naturally go. If the dead-ball balk is going away, let it go. JMO. As for pitch/throw: a pitch is one kind of throw (and J/R knows that). A rule that references 'throws' without qualification could reasonably be interpreted as including pitches, especially in this particular context.

How could I possibly be aware of that, not having watched the video or reading the first page of posts in this thread? C'mon Rich, be reasonable!!

I'd put it more strongly still. On a BB (with no other runners) there's no play. Without a play, there's nothing to hinder. Without the possibility of hindrance, there's no possibility of INT. I don't see that code would matter to this question. There are opportunities for MC, UNS, and other infractions, depending on the code. OBS is possible, of course, because we have a runner advancing legally on the award, but it would have to be some sort of grabbing or tripping.

I'm guessing that you mean the area that is out of play behind center field? In that case, of course—all that's prohibited is using the video for any purpose during the game.

FED's approach is the obvious result of (1) the acknowledged need to protect both runners and fielders at all levels, pro and amateur, and (2) FED's lack of control over HS fields. FED has no way to make mandate bigger bases, expanded running lanes, or double bases (though they could recommend all of those). They can change an interp with the stroke of a pen.

~

We should be able to read that as we move into the infield. If F3 is in the vicinity of the base, then we can adjust to see the action around the base. On a safe extra base hit where F3 has moved to cut off, we can glance to get the touch and go. Good idea to have an idea where F3 is going so he doesn't obstruct US.

Could be that negotiations with the MLBPA are coming up (2025–26), and the billionaires are priming everyone to think that MLB is losing money.