[whiskers_ump]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by rafking
Can someone provide more context on this rule?
Fed. 8-6-14 page 67
"A runner is out when a defensive player has the ball, or is about to catch a thrown ball, and the runner remains on her feet and crashes into the defensive player. If the contact is determined to be malicious, the offender shall be ejected. An errant throw drawing the defense into the path of the runner is not interference. Penalty - The ball is dead and the runner is out. Each other runner must return to the last base legally touched at the time of the interference.
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I think you are hung on the word malicious. The contact does
not have to be malicious, but if judged to be by the umpire, not only is the player out, but ejected.

Let's say the runner is not malicious at all, just forgot to slide. Crash happens. Again, not malicious at all.
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No, but inteference.

A. Ball arrived before runner. No slide. Crash dislodges ball. I want the play to continue with a no call.
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DDB, interference.

B. Ball did not make it before crash. I could see obstruction.
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Could well be. Remember in NFHS the phrase "about to receive"
still exist.

In reading and re-reading this, I think the key sentence is "errant throw...". Basically the fielder should not be in the way of the runner without the ball. If so, then easy obstruction call. I guess I am having a problem with a non-malicious crash with a called out.
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Non-Malicious crash, you still have the out if interference
is umpires ruling, just not the ejection.

Hope I got all this together. We are in the middle of a storm and
kept getting banged around.