I think I'm mentally dumber now than I was before the game -- Twins first baseman Doug Mientkiewicz
I can't say that I blame him - even Batgrl's legomation re-enactment doesn't do much to clarify things.
I'm reminded of an incident from the game at McCoy last week. Batter hits a ground ball down the third base line with a lot of spin. It first hits in foul territory, flies past third base and the umpire, and lands again about 18 inches into fair territory, bounding into left field. The umpire, who didn't see where it landed, ruled it foul.
Much hooting from the stands. Some argument by the coach, pointing out where it touched down, and probably making some comments about the umpires failure to pay attention. But there's something tickling the back of my mind, especially since the umpire was clearly looking at third base, rather than attempting to track the ball as it went by.
Dad carries a copy of the rulebook with him, and sure enough - what matters is where the ball is when it passes the base. The umpire was looking exactly where he was supposed to. Given the geometry of the play, he may still have blown the call, though....
May 30, 2004 10:43 PM
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