"Time, hit-by-pitch, batter 1st base." .... "Yes, I saw it. Yes, it did bounce. No ... it is definitely not a dead ball!"

Here we go again on the fourteenth time I have had this discussion this season. It has to be in a book somewhere, under the "try to fool the umpire by saying" section. Let's not argue history or even the different rule book numbers covering this one ... just consider:

"OK coach, let's play the game your way, I might be mistaken you know. Next time the ball bounces it is immediately a "dead ball" and your runners cannot advance either! What ... not right? I agree, all the catcher would have to do is not touch the ball anytime there are runners were on base .... yes, yes .... oh ..... my interpretation might be correct .... coach, what do you mean by "might be?"

So it makes sense, a pitched ball bouncing on the ground is a live ball and is going to remain live and in play all the way until it is:

• hit by the batter at which it will be ruled fair or foul
• hits the batter and is ruled a dead ball (hopefully not a strike!)
• hits your batter but is called a "ball" because no effort was made to avoid it. Dead ball! (Let's be honest coach: hits isn't really accurate, "slowly rolled" is a better description.)
• is called a "ball" and remains alive.
• or is touched or not touched by a fielder. It will remain in play.
• or any crazy combination of the above.

Yes ... I've left out all the oddities, such as what happens if it lodges in my mask, on purpose.

By the way, no, the hands are not part of the bat!

I can just see the catalogue now: "META-BAT, the only bat sold with clone copies of Fred Billion's hands included!" This could be the ultimate in "sting-stopping" bat construction. Guaranteed to take even the weakest batter over .400 this season. No batter will ever be afraid to step up to the plate again!.

When the ball hits the hands the ball hits the batter, period. No arguments, just a need for some ice. The batter gets first base. Noone else advances unless forced ......

.... with two exceptions ... your batter was swinging in which case it is a strike! .... or .... your batter had their hands or the portion of the body that was hit in the strike zone, again the call is strike! And I'll add one note for you: no runners advance because it is a "dead ball". Dropped third strike rule? Sorry, it does not apply here! Strike Three ... the batter is out! The explanation will be found below.

Finally about the weirdest play I saw this season ....

Batter swings at the ball and misses ... the ball hits the catcher's glove and pops into the air ... the batter's overswing causes the bat to strike the ball and it rolls into fair territory.

We argued over my "dead ball" call for a few minutes didn't we! Lets review why I made that call. First, a batter can only hit a pitched ball. Under 2.00 that means a ball "delivered to the batter by the pitcher. All other deliveries of the ball by one player to another are thrown balls." So first off, the ball hitting the catcher's glove meant that F2 was actually sending up a "thrown" ball except really no "hand and arm" were involved in "propelling the ball" as required by "a throw." So my ruling was simply 5.09(d) an illegally batted ball, runners return.

I am thankful it was not strike three. Consider what I would have had to rule if it was a "dropped strike three" and the batter entitled to try for first base! The mind boggles! Is it interference? Actually the AL helps me when in their case notes for INTERFERENCE BY A PLAYER they note: When the batsman strikes at a ball and the momentum of his swing forces his bat into an arc so that contact is made with the ball or the catcher before or after the ball is securely held by the catcher, the umpire shall rule as follows: If, on the third strike, the batsman is declared out, if, on the first or second strike, call a strike only. In no event may bases be run as the result of a batsman's interference. Thank you AL for solving the problem.

Still calling them as I see them,

... written November 4, 1996