Room temperature

et's start off with a normal jinx play. According to my source, who will remain unnamed, it happened in a One A (smallest) high school playoff game three years ago.

One out, R3 on third. The batter hit a fly ball to center field. While running to first — and before the center fielder made the catch — the batter's helmet "fell" off his head.

It must have been the wind resistance, right?

The umpire, knowing vaguely that there was a rule that covered such events, took one look at the infraction — and immediately called that batter/runner out. Maybe he was thinking about 1-5-1-Penalty.

Before he rendered his "out" decision, the umpire also had the presence of mind to call "Time!" By rule at the time, that made the ball dead before it was caught. Ball was caught, R3 scored. But who knows when he left third? Was it before or after the inadvertent "Time" call?

And nobody said a word.

Continued...