What's the point?

[PilotMan]

The back line of the batter's box. Gone after three batters, why even bother with it?

[DaddyTorgo]

i've always wondered that

[Lathum]

duh

it's tradition and you can't mess with the integrity of baseball.

[PilotMan]

Do you think that the third batter tells the number two guy, "hey, leave some for me out there?"

[spleen1015]

They didn't for softball when I was in the AF.

[MrDNA]

Otherwise it's not even a box IN PRINCIPLE.

Duh.

[Dutch]

They didn't for softball when I was in the AF.

You almost make it sound like softball is the AF's national pastime.

[DanGarion]

You almost make it sound like softball is the AF's national pastime.

And here I thought it was sitting in chairs...

[Cringer]

Otherwise it's not even a box IN PRINCIPLE.

Duh.
Word to yo mutha.

[Dutch]

And here I thought it was sitting in chairs...

Yeah, but we don't do that for fun. That's WORK!!!

[RainMaker]

Same can go for the base coach boxes that none of the coaches obey.

[SackAttack]

The back line of the batter's box. Gone after three batters, why even bother with it?

As an umpire, you can still tell where it was because of the scuffs, even once the line itself is gone.

It's mostly unimportant, true, but every once in a while the question comes up of whether there was catcher interference or not. You'd like for it to be clear-cut every time, but you'll have your borderline cases where knowing where the box is supposed to be is useful.

And, yes, the catcher's box typically goes to hell (if it was even drawn) in fairly short order, as well. Which is why it's really nice to have some idea of where the demarcation between the two was.

[OldGiants]

I've seen catchers complain about a batter standing too deep. Around 1991 I saw the ump take Moe Vaughn's bat (he was at Pawtucket playing in Richmond) and redraw the line for him.