tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132588.post1751068270815437939..comments2023-09-11T10:35:26.165-04:00Comments on The Flagrant Fan: Are These Two MLB Rules Ignored?William J. Taskerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02313204947130235560noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132588.post-53628300451585891342011-03-17T12:51:53.047-04:002011-03-17T12:51:53.047-04:00In response to your two questions:
1) Yes, I thin...In response to your two questions:<br /><br />1) Yes, I think if he lands out of play and can only get to his feet while still out of play, then it's a dead ball. Did the play get ruled on differently? If so, I'll take a look at my out-dated interpretations manual when I get home tonight. I might have to purchase the Jaksa/Roder manual, as I really desire to have all the answer when it comes to the baseball rules. <br /><br />2) Yes, "in the process of catching the ball" is extremely vague. It definitely leaves it up to the umpire's judgment. I would say the ball has to be close enough to the catcher that he's in the act of positioning his glove to catch it. If the throw is coming from an infielder, that's probably as soon as the ball leaves the thrower's hand.Dan McCloskeyhttp://left-field.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132588.post-47083297857681691572011-03-17T12:26:54.344-04:002011-03-17T12:26:54.344-04:00Awesome response and exactly what I was looking fo...Awesome response and exactly what I was looking for. Thanks so much. A couple of questions based on your response:<br /><br />In a spring game recently, Nick Swisher caught a foul ball and flipped over the fence out of the field of play. Technically, that would count as a dead ball play?<br /><br />Second question: Isn't the ruling of "in the process of catching the ball," even more vague? How do you designate when that starts? When the ball is on the way?William J. Taskerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02313204947130235560noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5132588.post-85946066167202899862011-03-17T11:59:47.540-04:002011-03-17T11:59:47.540-04:00I attended Brinkman/Froemming Umpire School back i...I attended Brinkman/Froemming Umpire School back in 1994. So, while I don't profess to know everything about how all the rules are interpreted today, I do have some background. <br /><br />First of all, the rule book is so vague, that two former minor league umpires (and umpire school instructors), Rick Roder and Chris Jaksa, have written <a href="http://www.rulesofbaseball.com/ebooks/rde.html" rel="nofollow">The Rules of Professional Baseball:<br />A Comprehensive Reorganization and Clarification</a>. <br /><br />The Jaksa/Roder Manual was used as a teaching tool at Brinkman/Froemming, but that school no longer exists. They were bought out by Jim Evans's school, and I'm not sure if he uses the manual or not. Either way, it's not "official," but it represents most of the accepted interpretations of the MLB rule book that are being used today. <br /><br />For your second example, I can say that rule has come to be interpreted to allow the catcher (or other fielder, for that matter) to block the base while <i>in the process of fielding a throw</i>, in addition to while possessing the ball. <br /><br />In the first example, I'm not 100% sure, but I think what constitutes "in the dugout" is defined by the park's ground rules. Plus, the fielder is allowed to go into the dugout and make the catch, as long as he doesn't fall down. <br /><br />For the example of falling into the stands while catching a ball, I think it's generally interpreted as: if he reaches in, catches the ball, but his feet come back down in the field of the play, he's not considered to have left the playing field. Even if he lands with his feet dangling in the air, as long as he can get back on his feet in the field of play, he's OK. If he jumps entirely into the stands, the rule is enforced. I think the Jeter play, if it wasn't the third out, would have resulted in the rule (and one base award) being enforced. <br /><br />I hope this clarifies a little.Dan McCloskeyhttp://left-field.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com