Urban Myth #1 - One base plus the one you are going to.

I'm sure many of you have heard this "rule" spoken of with authority :-)
The ball is overthrown and someone mentions softball's most common urban myth.... the runner gets "One base plus the one you are going to."

The Rule is clear: "All runners, including the batter-runner, shall be awarded two bases, and the award will be governed by the position of the runners when the ball left the fielder's hand"
ISF Rule 8 Section 7 f

But isn't that roughly the same thing?

No, it's not. Imagine a player standing on 2nd base watching an enthusiastic shortstop wildly over throwing the ball at 1st. The player isn't going to any base, so the urban myth would put the runner on 3rd. The rules say the player gets awarded two bases and goes home.

Imagine a player running back to 1st base after leaving the base too soon and the ball is caught. A quick thinking fielder, whose intelligence is better than their accuracy, over throws 1st base trying to get them out. The runner was heading to 1st... are they only then going to get 2nd base? No, the rule doesn't mention anything about bases. It doesn't mention anything about the base you are going to, the last base you legally owned or the last base touched. The rule says you get awarded 2 bases from where you are when the ball is thrown. So the runner goes to 3rd base.

So to clarify.... there is no such rule and you can privately mock those who say there is. Or better still send them here to be enlightened.

The Batter's Box

Feedback has suggested the wording in the Guides could be clearer.
(Thanks Nick - Meteors 3)

"At the time the batter makes contact with the ball, both feet must not be completely outside the box..."
or maybe
"At the time the batter makes contact with the ball, neither foot can be completely outside the box..."

It doesn't matter if the ball is hit fair or foul, the batter is out if one foot is completely out of the box on contact. A foot in the air is allowed (but probably something your coach or team mates will tell you is not how to bat!)
Rule 6 Section 6d

But hold on...
What do Umpire's do about pitches where there are no batter's boxes marked out? (Finsbury Park for example)
First off tell the Captains what you plan to do along with other ground rules.
It becomes a matter of judgement but the foot will need to be obviously far outside the imagined box to reasonably call someone out. Warnings and a quiet word will keep players in line.

Softball Rules Help Sheets

So we've been busily working on writing help sheets for Softball Rules and they can now be downloaded on the GLSML website. Yay!

But why?

• Let's face it the Official Softball Rule book is written like a legal document and it takes weeks of study to actually work out what happens in certain circumstances. The majority of players (and even some Umpires) will never bother and that leads to confusion, Urban Myths and sometimes people even thinking they know better than the Ump!!
  
  
• Knowing the rules will make you a better player... imagine trying to play chess without knowing the rules. (btw All kinds of bats are illegal in chess)
  
  
• Remembering the rules can be tricky. Was it one base, two bases, from the throw, from the hit!?!
  
  
• Our league has some exceptions and differences from the Official rules buried in our constitution.
  

So version 1.0 is out and at your disposal. Please ask questions and send feedback!

Thanks
Paul