Baseball at Stetson, Tue, 2/25/25, 6:30 pm

https://ncaaorg.s3.amazonaws.com/ch...l/rules/2024-25PRMBA_RulesInterpretations.pdf

Kind of looks like we needed to tag the runner coming back to the base. If we didn’t do that and the player was initially called safe, I’m not sure it was a reviewable play. I missed the play live, but don’t think we tagged the runner and appealed before he returned to the bag. If true, wonder how the ncaa defends upholding the call.

 

Reading that - it does sounds like the appeal should have been upheld.

 

It’s a very screwy rule.

 

Mat—

Isn’t this kinda like there’s no such thing as a little bit pregnant?

 

Lol, yes.

What’s your take? I get that it doesn’t matter at all at this point, just curious.

 

I think it’s a base and a rule the game never needed. It’s like vicarious liability—just a fancy way of saying “what if”…

There’s no safety net for every possible injury in sports but it looks like that’s exactly what they’re after.

 

Question, what was the rule before if a runner missed stepping on first and he kept running down the line without turning towards second? Was he out if the first baseman caught the ball and was on the bag after the runner passed or did the first baseman have to tag him before he got back to first? I would think stepping on the bag with ball in glove is an out before the runner touches first even if he misses it and tries to come back. Think of the other side of it. If the first basemen gets pulled off the bag to make the catch the runner is safe if he touches first before the first baseman gets back with the ball. But what do I know.

 

Wouldn't that fall under the regular appeals process?

8-6-a:

It's interesting that the modified rule uses the term "appeals" in a context that is different than what is in the rule book.

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,WESGATORS

 

Also, Appendix E starts off with this:

Also:

What's the point of an appeal if the plays are reviewable?

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,WESGATORS

 

Maybe there’s some extra, unnecessary verbiage, in the new rule, and like you are thinking, the rule defaults to the old rule about missing the bag if they don’t hit the sissy bag. That was reviewable and, like you said, would defer to the fact that the first baseman made the play before the runner touched the bag. No need to tag him on the way back.

The link I posted may be someone’s interpretation of the rule and not the actual rule too. I’m not sure. The link kind of implies some action must be taken before the runner comes back to the bag, but that’s obviously not how the umps on that day interpreted the rule, and based on the ruling from the ncaa, not they way they interpret it either.

 

The other practical implication here is that FLORIDA wasn't going to schedule a makeup date to drive down there to play 2+ innings of a baseball game. So it would either have gone as no contest or a FLORIDA win. The game being played is technically better for Stetson's resume than for the game to not be played. Not sure what they gain if they had won the appeal other than one less L on their record.

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,WESGATORS

 

That definitely seems to trump the way the link I posted interprets the rule, or at least the way I’m interpreting the link.

 

Never looked at the dates on any of this stuff, but that is nuts.

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,WESGATORS

 

Ready, shoot, aim

 

While there has been plenty of testing of the double base, other than the nice little explanation in a post on this board, I haven't seen good info anywhere. I've read or heard about the rule taking effect from several sources, but other rule changes in baseball and other sports have had more publicity. Is that someone's fault?

The mistake was spotted in the Gator dugout, which made the appropriate response that had the player called out. I've heard Sully briefly, but specifically, say the double base rule would be used this season and the team had worked on playing with it. In this case, was it a matter of someone happened to notice the runner stepped missed the bag, is there a Gator assigned to watch every touch at first, does everyone in the dugout watch for a miss, in the same way they watch for a miss of any base? The rule was adopted before fall and preseason workouts and meetings and there were as many opportunities to work on learning to play the double bag on defense and offense as opportunities to work on double plays or hitting the cutoff man. Whatever Stetson did over that period failed in practical application.

Baseball is a great sport to be a traditionalist because there are so many opportunities to complain about changes. Baseball changes its rules of play; size of the strikezone; height of the mound; uniform fabric, color and pants length; concessions menus; stadium design. Double base may be the best we get this year.

 

I'm not going to say any names, but...



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,WESGATORS