Safety Bag Rules

[BretMan]

ASA has done a good job of covering all of the possible "what if's" in their double first base rules. It does make for one rather long rule, taking up almost an entire page of the rule book! But they do lay out scenarios where the defense may use the colored bag and the offense the white one. For instance, when the throw is coming from foul ground or the fielder at first has the ball and must complete the play from foul territory.

These exceptions to the rule make sense. If the fielder has the ball in foul ground, but we still require her to complete the play by using the white bag, the safety base ain't so safe anymore! Requiring the fielder to use the white bag on this play puts the runner and fielder on a criss-crossing collision course. So, the well-thought out ASA rules make some exceptions in the name of safety.

Unfortunately, not all sanctioning bodies have included such exceptions in their rules. Some still require the runner to use the colored bag, and the defense the white portion, on all plays at first base. No matter the good intentions behind the safety base, without some of these exceptions you just have an accident waiting to happen.

Before making any blanket assumptions that the defense ALWAYS has to use the white bag and the runner ALWAYS has to use the colored one, you really need to read the written rule for your particular association or sanctioning body.

 

[SoCalDad]

I saw this article earlier today about a baseball player who died in a collision at first base. Makes you wonder if BB had a safety bag rule whether this could have been avoided. Sure there are going to be freak accidents that no rule can prevent but it seems that with one base and no alternative for the runner these types of collisions are destined to happen.

FOXNews.com - Teen Dies After Baseball Collision

 

[shockcoach]

Get rid of the stupid "safety bags" and TEACH the kids how to cover and run to 1st base! All those %&$*@ things do is cause confusion.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

I saw this article earlier today about a baseball player who died in a collision at first base. Makes you wonder if BB had a safety bag rule whether this could have been avoided. Sure there are going to be freak accidents that no rule can prevent but it seems that with one base and no alternative for the runner these types of collisions are destined to happen.

FOXNews.com - Teen Dies After Baseball Collision

I have a staked double safety base that I use for my 4th grade baseball and 2nd grade softball teams. I've gotten funny looks but no objections yet. However, the safety base(?!?) is illegal for use in both baseball and softball in our league.

 

[Chris O'Leary]

Get rid of the stupid "safety bags" and TEACH the kids how to cover and run to 1st base! All those %&$*@ things do is cause confusion.

That doesn't work in rec ball where some kids only make 25% of practices.

 

[shockcoach]

That doesn't work in rec ball where some kids only make 25% of practices.

I have to chuckle a bit, because our rec leagues around here aren't the one's who have these. It's in travel ball where I see them more often.

Either way, you have to teach your kids how to use the safety bag. Let them know on a single, you must use the orange or green bag to be safe, but on a multi-base hit you can hit the inside of the white base and you're okay. Also, 1st baseman...you still can't sit on the bag when a multi-base is hit. You have to get away. Better yet, you SHOULD be about 5 feet off and looking to make sure that the batter-runner touches the bag when running to 2nd base. If not, make sure you call time and make a dead ball appeal that the runner didn't hit the bag.

It's still called coaching.

 

[BretMan]

I call cames in one local rec league that this year, for the first time, will institute the double first base in all their softball games. This league uses NFHS/high school rules, with some of their own modifications.

The pre-season handouts to coaches "explained" (I use the term loosely) to them that "the runner always has to use the colored base, the defense always has to use the white one" when there is a play at first. Not so under high school rules, which are pretty much identical to ASA.

I can already imagine the confusion and arguments that will ensue the first time either side legally uses the opposite bag!

 

[Coach JV]

patsox-to clarify, I interpreted your post as you are intentionally setting up your 1B in
foul territory. I did not mean to offend, but I could not erase the mental picture of your
1B set up foul waiting for the throw. When Blue sees this he will scratch his head after
awarding the runner 1B. Safety bag is designed for the runner to be allowed ample room in
foul territory and the defense ample room inside the line

 

[ASAPAump]

patsox-to clarify, I interpreted your post as you are intentionally setting up your 1B in
foul territory. I did not mean to offend, but I could not erase the mental picture of your
1B set up foul waiting for the throw. When Blue sees this he will scratch his head after
awarding the runner 1B. Safety bag is designed for the runner to be allowed ample room in
foul territory and the defense ample room inside the line

Sorry Coach, but on a D3K situation where the ball is and the throw is coming from foul territory, F3 SHOULD set up in foul territory and wait for the throw there. This is allowed in the rules, as Bretman has already explained.

ASA 8-2-M.4. On any force out attempt from the foul side of first base the defense and the batter-runner may use either the white or contrasting color portion of the base.

In other words, if F3 chooses to use the colored portion, the runner is allowed to (and should, for safety reasons) use the white portion.

 

[patsox]

Bretman and ASAPAump, thanks for the clarifications. Coach JV, yes I was indeed recommending setting up in foul territory. See the following pdf (page 4) for an example of what I was trying to describe in text. http://www.kirkwood.k12.mo.us/paren...ontents/PDF Files/First Base Fundamentals.pdf
By setting up in foul you avoid the possibility of the ball crossing the first base line and hitting the runner. This is how it's taught in baseball and I wanted to be sure the same play could be executed in softball. Based on the above clarifications, it sounds like I was on the right track. Thanks again.