Baseball rules corner: here are some interesting play situations from 2001 season.(Brief Article)

IT'S TIME FOR MY ANNUAL BOBSLED ride through the hills and valleys of the baseball rulebook. So fasten your seat belt while I review some interesting situations that occurred during the 2001 season.

MARCH 24--So you think spring training is a good time to relax and get a tan under the Arizona or Florida sun? Don't tell that to Cardinals manager Tony La Russa who was ejected in a game against file Mets.

In the second inning, Mets' pitcher Al Leiter, batting with the bases loaded, chopped a ground ball to second baseman Placido Polanco. Rey Ordonez smartly stopped to avoid a double play and then danced around Polanco. Leiter was out at first, but Ordonez advanced to second while Jay Payton scored.

La Russa argued with second base umpire Matt Hollowell that Ordonez was out of the base path. Tony objected too strongly and was sent packing to the beach.

On the same day, Diamondbacks' pitcher Randy Johnson threw a pitch that killed a dove flying in front of home plate. The bird flew over catcher Rod Barajas' head and landed a few feet from the plate amid a sea of feathers. It would be insensitive to refer to this scenario as a "fowl ball." But if this should happen to you while you're umpiring, simply kill the pitch and hope the bird survives.

APRIL 2--The Orioles hosted the Red Sox at Camden Yards. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Orioles had Melvin Mora on first when Brook Fordyce hit a line drive to Boston third baseman Shea Hillenbrand who threw wildly past first in an attempt to double up Mora. The ball went into dead territory. Mora was sent to third but missed second base en route and was called out on appeal.

According to rule 7.10(b-2), "When the ball is dead, no runner may return to touch a missed base or one he has left after he has advanced to and touched a base beyond the missed base."