There are 2 issues being discussed here.
Illegal slides and interference by batter-runner.
LMan quotes the rule about a legal slide.
Quote:
Originally posted by LMan
Runners are NEVER required to slide, but if a runner ELECTS to slide, the slide must be legal (FED 8-4-2b)
A runner is out if he causes illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play, or on a force play, does not slide in a direct line between the bases (same cite).
Penalty: Runner is out, ball dead immediately, interference is called. Other runners return to TOP base.
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Not all illegal slides are penalized. Only those which are near enough to potentially harm the fielder or those which actually cause interference. Rule 2-32-1,2. If a runner does a pop-up slide into a base with no fielder anywhere near the base there is no penalty. (I as an umpire would use preventative measures to encourage the player to use legal sliding techniques every time).
The illegal slide by the batter-runner in NF rules creates quite a dilemma on decision to declare batter-runner AND another runner out. Which rule do we apply?
Rule 8-4-1? NO. This rule addresses when the batter-runner is out. Interference by the batter-baserunner caused by illegal slide is not addressed. 8-4-1h only applies if interference was by another runner, not BR.
8-4-2b? NO. The rule seems to apply at first because the heading includes any runner. However, use of this rule restricts us to declare ONLY the batter-runner out.
What about 8-4-2b PENALTY? This does not apply. Why? Because none of the penalties given address the issue that it was the batter-runner who was guilty of the FPSL interference. It assumes the runner on base was the one guilty. Because of the restrictions/ommissions in PENALTY I would reject the use of this rule.
My answer to post:
8-4-2f: Use this rule to declare the batter-runner out for executing illegal slide. (Of course we could also just apply 2-24 and call batter-runner out on either force or tag).
In either case to penalize the subsequent interference apply:
8-4-2g: Use this rule to declare the runner originally on second out. In the middle of the paragraph it states: "If, in the judgement of the umpire, a runner INCLUDING the batter-runner interferes in any way and prevents a double play anywhere, two SHALL be declared out. The runner at 2nd in the post was the only runner that could have been played on.
Comment: application of 8-4-2g gets even more dicey is to start the play bases were loaded and one or more outs. A timing play results and runs may or may not score depending on whether the umpire has knowledge (or not) of which runner was played on.
[Edited by Daryl H. Long on Apr 22nd, 2005 at 11:44 PM]