After my youngest daughters game tonight I was approached by a board member of one of the Cities that we call and asked for my opinion on a play that their BOD was having to consider for protest.....they have to rule by tommorow night.
This is the play (third hand)........
Runner on 2nd (R1) and ball hit to F4 (hit and run on).......F4 throws to F5 and the ball deflects off of F5's glove to the fence........
F5 turns to chase ball (15-20 feet away) and runs into R1 who is attempting to go home......
F7 is backing up the play and throws out R1 by 2 steps at the plate.
BU calls obstruction on F5 and awards R1 home.
Defensive coach goes nuts........saying that R1 interfered with F5's attempt to get to the ball........and lodges a protest.........
My Answer to board member........
The BU got the call 100% correct........
Unless the ball was in close proximity to F5 (step and a reach).......you have got obstruction on this play......
This board member was leaning towards calling this incedental contact and awarding the out.
I told him that the only way it would be incedental was if the throw pulled the fielder into the path of the runner.......
I said that in this case.......the fielder already had an attempt at the catch and blew it.......if the ball was further than a "step and a reach" beyond the fielder........she obstructed the runner.
Hope the BOD gets this one right.......(if it happened the way it was explained to me).
BTW........only 2 of the 6 Associations we call for have umpires on their boards.......and none of the association's by-laws call for our UIC to sit in on protests........I find that strange that the BOD be the final say-so on rules questions....
Also.......do y'all believe this was protestable........or strictly judgement?
As I stated........I got this third hand.......so the protest may have been stated differently.
Joel
BTW........9yo went 3 for 3 with a single/double/home run (okay....a double with a couple of errors)....(grin)
[Edited by Gulf Coast Blue on Apr 11th, 2001 at 09:31 PM]
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