Any interference with the progress of a batted or thrown ball by any person not one of the contesting players in a game, is what is termed _blocking the ball_. Suppose a ball is batted to the short stop, and that fielder overthrows the ball to first base, and it goes toward the crowd and is there stopped or touched by an outsider, the moment this stoppage of the ball or interference with it occurs, the umpire must call "Block ball," and until the ball is returned to the field and held by the pitcher while in his "box," it is _dead_ for putting out any base runner; and such runners are permitted to run all the bases they can until the ball is thus put legally into play. But should such overthrown ball, in addition to its being stopped or diverted from its course by any outsider, be also kicked aside or picked up and thrown out of reach by a fielder, the umpire must in addition call "Time," in which case runners shall only be entitled to hold such bases as they had touched before the ball had been so kicked or thrown out of reach, the ball, as in the prior case, not being in play until held by the pitcher while in his box. HITTING BALLS FOUL INTENTIONALLY. Rule 42, Section III, requires the umpire to call a strike on the batsman every time he makes "an obvious attempt to make a foul hit." Rule 43, Section XIII, states that "If, after two strikes have been called, the batsman _obviously attempts to make a foul hit_" he is out. Last year these rules were both misinterpreted by umpires. In the first place, in both cases the _intention_ of the batsman must be plainly manifest; and to judge of this the circumstances of the case must be taken into consideration. For instance, if the batsman _bunts_ a ball foul when a runner is on abase, it is evident that he does so unintentionally, for no point of play is to be gained by such a foul hit. Then, too, the hitting of a foul ball must be repeatedly done before such hitting can be adjudged as otherwise than accidental. BATTING OUT OF ORDER. Rule 43 states that the batsman who fails to bat in his proper turn according to the approved order of batting, must be decided out by the umpire, unless the error in question be discovered and the right batsman be sent to the bat in the regular order "_before a fair hit has been made_." If, before the mistake is discovered, "strikes" or "balls" be called upon the batsman who is out of his order of batting, such strikes and balls shall be counted against the batsman who should have gone to the bat in the regular order. But the violation of the rule must be declared by the field Captain before the ball is delivered to a succeeding batsman, or the penalty of an out cannot be enforced, the mistake, of course, being at once corrected, without the enforcement of the penalty. RETURNING TO BASES ON FOUL BALLS.