Quote:
Originally posted by dtwsd
The runner however did not slide and made no attempt at all to avoid contact in order to touch the plate. She put her arms up to her chest so as to protect herself and she ran square into the catcher, knocking her down on her backside. I call DB and rule the runner out for crash interference. I did not eject her from the game because she did not push the catcher down and at that age she probably didn't know any better. If she would have made any attempt at all to avoid, I would have allowed the run and talked to the defensive coach about where to position his catcher. My UIC and the TD both agreed with my ruling.
There has to be a consequence for crashing into players who do not have the ball. If there wasn't, it would happen all the time. Sometimes by our rulings we as umpires teach the young ones more about the game than some coaches. One thing is for sure. I'll bet from now on that catcher won't stand on top of the plate with out the ball and that runner won't knock a player over any more. (maybe)
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ASA gives you more citations and references backing up the ejection than they do ruling the runner out in this case. BTW, how can the catcher get knocked down on her backside, but not be pushed down by the runner. What would you do if the catcher saw the runner coming and braced herself for the collision by turning a shoulder into her? You would probably call obstruction and dump the catcher, I know I would and have. So, what's the difference between the runner hitting the catcher and the catcher hitting the runner? My response would be none since it is quite obvious the "crash" was intentional.
Once again, the ejection is nothing more than sitting the remainder of that game. If the girl had time to cross her arms and brace herself, there is no doubt that this was not only a deliberate act, but probably COACHED. Sorry, I disagree with all you bleeding hearts
If there is an intentional crash, the player should be ejected. And before everyone comes up with the "but what if they just bump them" or some other weak-sister comparisons, I mean crash, run into, knock down.
Whether you think the result isn't worth an ejection or not, remember it only takes one ill-conceived turn, one inaccurate physical reaction, one bad fall, etc. to ruin a young girls life. There is a reason for the rule and it has nothing to do with feeling good about oneself. They are meant to be a deterent to dangerous play and are useless if the umpires will not enforce them.