[IndianaUmpRef]

Good discussion here, and thank you. Nothing wrong with playing devil's advocate... that's why we're here.

My only beef (again, playing devil's advocate), if a base becomes dislodged, using the rules indicated by previous posters here, you are telling me that because an offensive player dislodged a base that for the remainder of the play, the defense must defend that base at two different spots?

To clarify, R1 slides into 3rd, bag breaks away 3 feet into foul territory, we'll say in the coach's box. Throw from F2 is muffed by F5. Ball trickles away. R1 gets up and runs home. F5 retrieves ball and throws home. R2 stops and is in a pickle. SO NOW R1 has a CHOICE as to where to run back to... where the dislodged base NOW SITS OR where the dislodged base SHOULD SIT. Am I correct on that?

If that's right, sounds like a crappy situation for the defensive team, who now would have to defend two different "safe spots" from the runner.