If you like baseball, hereis the greatest pitch ever thrown. 
That’s awesome. Almost Bugs Bunny-esque.
The old behind the back Eephus pitch. Gets 'em every time.
Heck, if you guys think that’s complicated… in rugby, if a player has one foot in touch (out of bounds) and catches a kick, his team gets the ball, because he’s considered to be part of touch. If a player jumps from out of touch, catches the ball that’s in touch, and then lands in touch, the ball is considered in play. The rules for where the lineout occurs are equally obscure (although they’re sort of intuitive once you understand their spirit).
About “automatic” and “ground rule” doubles.
Major League Baseball rules make no mention of either expression, only describing situations where “the batter and runners shall be entitled to [advance] two bases”. While “automatic” is very seldom used — I’ve heard it a couple times —, “ground rule double” has become the formula of choice even though most of the time, a ground rule double is not created per se under a ground rule of the specific field where the game is played, but under general rules. It kind of has becomed a misnomer.
No, it doesn’t have to be between the foul poles. Any batted ball that lands in fair territory and then leaves the field of play is a “ground rule” double (whether over a fence or wall, under it, or even through it). In MLB, you’ll see such a play from time to time in ballparks where the outfield seats along the foul lines are very close to them and /or the fence in rather low, e.g. right field in Fenway Park.
That’s what I thought, but wasn’t sure enough to not include the disclaimer.
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Upon further review, I should have been more precise. “Any batted ball that lands in fair territory and then leaves the field of play beyond first or third base” would be more like it…
Right, that would be foul, of course. Highly unlikely, but you never know what can happen…
Hang on.
A player already in touch who catches a kick that has crossed the line gets the throw-in, but if the ball is not in touch when he catches it, he’s conceded the throw-in.
If a player holding the ball lands in touch, the opposition get the throw-in.
I expect you are thinking of a player who leaps in the air, knocks a flying ball back into play and then lands in touch - when the ball is indeed in play.
The lineout takes place where the ball goes out of play, unless it was kicked directly into touch (and not from a penalty) by a player outside his 22 metre line. Then the lineout goes back to where the kicker was.
And here I was thinking I had the rules of baseball pretty much down…
A ball bounces in fair territory, beyond third base. The ball bounces up and backwards (crazy bottom-spin), and leaves the field of play behind third base would be considered foul? I though a ball, once it’s landed fairly beyond first or thid was in play.
Neither. Umpires are covered in the rules. An umpire struck by the ball when he is positioned inside the infielders creates a dead ball, a hit for the batter, and an advanced base for forced runners. (Runners on first and third - the runner is forced to advance to second, the runner on third is not forced, and remains there.) An umpire elsewhere is a live ball, and whatever happens, happens.
I think.
Once it’s hit fair territory beyond first or third, it is a fair ball.
Something similar happened in game six of the 2004 ALCS. Mark Bellhorn hit a ball into the left field stands, which struck a fan in the first row and fell back into the field. It was initially ruled a double (the ump thought that it hit the wall), but was eventually called correctly.
I believe, however, that if a fielder carries the ball out of play, that is treated the same as throwing the ball out of play, with the same penalty, i.e. all runners advance two bases (assuming that there are fewer than three outs and runners on base).
That’s what I’ve always assumed. So in Great Dave’s scenario, where the ball bounces fair and then into the stands backwards, it’s still a ground rule double, right?
I don’t think so. If a ball landed in fair territory beyond first or third base, then by a crazy spin or by hitting a pebble or something went back and went foul between home plate and first or third base, it would be a foul ball. MLB Rule 2.00 (definition of terms) states that “A foul ball is a batted ball that settles on foul territory between home and first base, or between home and third base”, with no mention of where it landed first.
Of course, per laws of physics, this has probably never happened in a real game.
John Miller is often precise in his broadcasts about the difference between “ground rule” doubles and “automatic” doubles. Of course, if you watch his games on ESPN, your ears may be dulled by the frequent inanity of Joe Morgan’s commentary so you might miss these subtleties. 
I think I’ve heard Joe Buck be precise about this too, but there again, there is the trouble of Tim McCarver drowning him out with stupidity.
If a fielder catches the ball and falls out of play, all baserunners get ONE base.
Then why do I see fielders diving into the stands trying to catch a foul ball?
Just guessing, but that might be for fair balls (that would otherwise be a home run).
If there’s no one on base, or it would be the 3rd out, there’s no downside.