Quote:
Originally posted by scyguy
Had a play last year in quarters of district HS tourn. I am the BU, R3 comes down line toward home, catcher zips ball to 3B and gets runner in rundown. I communicate with PU that I have 3B side, he stays with home side. R3 is advancing toward home, 3B tosses ball toward catcher. R3 dives head first toward the infield side to try and get around catcher. Contact occurs about the time the ball gets to the catcher. Right shoulder of R3 hits catcher with enough force to put catcher on his tail. Ball comes loose. Catcher hits his head on field and is down. Blood is visible on back of head.
Now, PU kills it and calls the runner out and ejects him for malicious contact. From where I was standing, I felt that the runner was trying to avoid contact and get around the catcher. He made his call, maybe he saw something that I did not see. Whatever the case, my immediate focus was keeping the 3B coach from my partner.
Now, according to what I am reading on this thread, this is a no call situation. Contact by runner was not intentional. Correct?
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*IF* it was malicious (as judged by your partner) it was, by inference, intentional. Your partner, based on his judgment, made the correct call.
*IF* it wasn't intentional (as judged by you), then your partner made the wrong call -- a "no call" would have been appropriate here.
Let me give an example from a few years ago:
Linebacker-type R2 rounds third heading for home. F2 receives the ball while R2 is about 20 feet away. R2 gets that look in his eye that he's going to take out F2, and crosses his arms and lowers his shoulder. At this point I'm thinking, "Here comes malicious contact."
About 2 steps before R2 reaches F2, the eyes soften, the arms come down, R2 straightens up. He still runs into F2 and because of the momentum and size difference, F2 goes flying backwards and drops the ball.
My call -- out for failing to make an attempt to avoid, but NOT malicious contact. R2's changed actions changed the (anticipated) call.