Batter-runner in the running lane

n a lot of amateur fields the running lane is just a fig newton of the umpires’ imaginations. Don’t let that happen to you. When you trot out to the field for the first time, check to see if the kids who chalk the diamond drew that line that extends three feet from the foul line into foul territory.

If they didn’t, that’s no big deal as long as they drew the 45-foot line. If they didn’t do that, you’d better estimate where that line belongs and draw it in the sand. To neglect that is to prepare yourself for the worst by doing your least.

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