Delayed infield fly rule call

[EdLovrich]

NFHS Rule 2.29 Infield Fly Rule (excerpt)

Infield fly is...a fair fly ball that can (not should) be caught by an infielder with ordinary effort...

A coach/manager would be hard pressed to convince me that his fielder gave less than ordinary effort after the fact that the ball was dropped. Wind/sun can change what constitutes ordinary effort. Point is the umpires screwed up, that is a given. But, the fact the ball was NOT caught is justification that the fielder could not catch the ball with ordinary effort.

 

[EdLovrich]

If I call an IFF and the fielder doesn't catch the ball, would a coach have grounds for coming out and saying I SHOULDN'T have called it since the ball was not caught?

 

[mmeece]

If I call an IFF and the fielder doesn't catch the ball, would a coach have grounds for coming out and saying I SHOULDN'T have called it since the ball was not caught?

Nope

 

[EdLovrich]

Nope

And yet how often does it happen? I am not saying it changes the call, but the argument is there, never-the-less.

 

[SoulFY]

People yell and argue about the stupidest of things. Balls get dropped all the time in the infield and outfield. Sometimes it makes me want to say, I dont know if your player is that bad or you just cant coach them well enough to catch a pop fly.

 

[Mike Hurd]

I would hope the offensive coach then went out and had a discussion with the umpires. If the SS was not comfortably under the ball, I am not sure I would have called it...but it is a split second decision on the umpires part and easy to get wrong, or right.

SS being comfortable under the ball has no bearing the IFF rule

 

[heman1202]

If coaches would just learn the rule and teach their players the rule, some of this is avoidable.

Just because the ump does not call IFF doesn't mean it's not. It is not a dead ball so how could an umpire award a runner who ran at her own risk after the play and was tagged out her base back? No way. The coach and the players have to know the situation, regardless of what the ump calls or doesn't call. BR is out and any runner who ran at her own risk and was tagged out would also be out.

 

[canyonjoe]

I don't complain if an umpire calls IFF while ball is in the air even if I think it's not catchable. It's a judgement call in a split second. I do have a problem when the call it after the fact when no one was out because of it. It just seems like one rule where the offense should have the ability to request you call it retroactively if they felt they were hurt but it not being called (subject to umpire ruling). If you were on defense you get no such ability. If the defense things it's an routine play they should just make it, if they don't they shouldn't be rewarded.

 

[canyonjoe]

If coaches would just learn the rule and teach their players the rule, some of this is avoidable.

Just because the ump does not call IFF doesn't mean it's not. It is not a dead ball so how could an umpire award a runner who ran at her own risk after the play and was tagged out her base back? No way. The coach and the players have to know the situation, regardless of what the ump calls or doesn't call. BR is out and any runner who ran at her own risk and was tagged out would also be out.

But it's not avoidable on a tweener ball that's not caught. If it's not called what is the runner or base coach supposed to do. Just assume it should have been called while they just throw home, 3rd and to 2nd for a triple play and they say it should have been called?

 

[EdLovrich]

SS being comfortable under the ball has no bearing the IFF rule

Actually, being comfortable, or 'camped' under the ball is one indicator an umpire will use to determine if there is 'ordinary effort', so yes it does have bearing on the call, especially on balls in the grass.