Rule Question

I just saw a prime example of the difference in "proper" score keeping and what even the "qualified" score keepers at the LLWS do.

With 2 outs and a runner on 3rd, a ball is hit to F6. He plays it cleanly and makes a good throw to F3, but the runner is called safe. the problem is, the score keeper wasn't paying attention to the ump who made the call.

He signaled safe and the signaled that the 1st baseman's foot was off the bag. Now some may say this is picayune, but as a scorekeeper, when the ump literally tells me what happened, I listen and score it accordingly.

To start with, that signal told me that if he would have kept his foot on the bag, the runner would have been out. That's easy, shortstop gets an assist and the 1st baseman gets an error. Further, the batter gets no hit and since there were 2 outs, no RBI. And still further, the run becomes unearned.

So, although the actual score is still the same, the batter's average goes down instead of up, the shortstop's fielding average will improve and the pitcher's ERA will decrease instead of increase.

Before anyone gets in an uproar over the note in 10.05, see below, there are two things to consider. There is no rule 10.0 in the LL rulebook! That rule was omitted purposely because LL Inc. does not want stats to be kept.

10.05 NOTE: In applying the above rules, always give the batter the benefit of the doubt. A safe course to follow is to score a hit when exceptionally good fielding of a ball fails to result in a putout.

However, when the screwballs removed that rule a few years back, they didn't realize that now there is no definition of a hit or an error anymore! Personally, I wish they correct that oversight because without it, a hit or an error is what anyone wants to call it, and that stinks!

Someone might argue that since the rule and note still exists in OBR, that's what should be used, and it would be except, the LL Inc rulebook is all that can technically be used since its a restatement of OBR as LL Inc wants it used.

The whole thing is moot anyway because the umpire has told everyone what to do. That's one of those things that I would mark as I said, but as soon as possible, if I was the official scorekeeper, I would ask the umpire why he made the call he did and correct the score book if necessary.

Waddaya think Rich? In your opinion, should the LL rule book have at least have those portions of rule 10.00 put back in?