Big turn off first into outfield grass

yes, it is legal.......and yes, he must either advance or return legally if played upon...

Of course it is legal for a runner to not be touching a base.

He has to stay within 3 feet of his baseline. However, the baseline is not established when the defense plays on him (which could be a throw to a nearby fielder) but instead is established when the defense attempts a tag. That baseline is not permanent; if the tag attempt misses and the defense is unable to continuously attempt to tag the runner, a new baseline will be established when the next tag attempt is made.
7.08 Any runner is out when—
(a)(1) He runs more than three feet away from his baseline to avoid being tagged unless his action is to avoid interference with a fielder fielding a batted ball. A runner’s baseline is established when the tag attempt occurs and is a straight
line from the runner to the base he is attempting to reach safely; or....

Here is the relevant Fed rule:.

8-4-2

Any runner is out when he:

a. runs more than three feet away from a direct line between bases to avoid being tagged or to hinder a fielder while the runner is advancing or ­returning to a base;

2. When a play is being made on a runner or batter-runner, he establishes his baseline as directly between his position and the base toward which he is moving.

And the NCAA rule 5a:
a. In running to any base, while trying to avoid being tagged out, the runner runs more than three feet left or right from a direct line between the base and the runner’s location at the time a play is being made;
Exception—It is not an infraction if a fielder attempting to field a batted ball is in the runner’s proper path and the runner runs behind the fielder to avoid interference.

Regarding the FED wording, (a) is close to the old wording in MLB. It is obviously wrong, and no umpire will insist that a runner be within 3 feet of the line between the bases when any tag attempt is made. (2) defines the runner's baseline, but leaves unclear how that relates to (a). As an aside, IMO, none of the baseball rule sets are well written, but FED is the worst, with seemingly little effort made to ensure that a rule change in one section is reflected throughout the rule and case book. Here's an instance where they didn't even bother to reconcile the two nearly adjacent sentences.

3finger:
It says three feet from a line from the base to the runner. That is exactly right.

Michael,
Perhaps you misread my post? I was referring to the FED rule which says:

quote:

runs more than three feet away from a direct line between bases

It is wrong.

I was reading the NCAA quote you had in your post. However you were referencing the NFHS quote in Welke's post. I'm with you now.