Is he safe or out??

the runner is safe---what is the transfer for ?---you only transfer when attempting to make throw

there was no transfer, it was a tag. but in my mind, it was the same principle, ball caught, then lost AFTER the fact ex. dp ball, say 4-6-3, SS drops ball on transfer, runner is out. kid was tagged at home, ball comes out of glove trying to show umpire (remember for the ball to come out it must have been in there at the time of the tag!) same idea jmho

This is a tough judgment for the umpire to make. But NFHS 8-4-2f note says "The ball is not securely held if it is dropped or juggled after the runner is touched."

so here whether the catcher had regained control after the juggle is irrelevant.

Now, the rules don't say exactly how long the fielder must maintain control of the ball after the tag, but here's where the definition/caseplay of 'catch' comes in (in my mind): NFHS 2.9.1 Sit A: "....if the ball is clearly in the fielder's possession and if some other new movement not related to the catch (nee tag) is made, and if the ball is fumbled during such new movement, the umpire will declare it a catch..."

And the definition of 'catch' clearly says the 'initial action must be completed' so there must be a definable boundary between the act of catching and subsequent moves by the fielder.


So, I could be wrong, but what I see is:

a. A ball dropped/lost as a result of the runner's action (contact) is not a valid tag.

b. A ball dropped after a tag MAY be a tag if it is a separate event from the tag (transfer, etc) entirely...for example, the catcher gets up, takes a few steps around in relaxed action, and then drops the ball. Common sense tells you this is a completed tag. But its umpire judgement.

In your case, without seeing it myself, I'd probably have no tag. The act of showing the ball is not sufficiently removed from the tagging action to call it a separate action.

But another umpire could see a definite boundary between the two....you just HTBT.

It's a HTBT for sure but it's probably a correct call poorly explained. If the showing the ball is part of the sweep then it's definitely no tag. If when he showed the ball, juggled it and then caught you have no tag. I know this isn't the answer you wanted but sometimes that's baseball.