[UmpireErnie]

Def coach should have protested umpires decision as a misaplication of the interference rule. As Mike pointed out under ASA code interference by a fan can only be by fan reaching into or entering the feild of play/live ball area.

Had a "simmilar but different" fan involvement incident in a High School game under NFHS rules this past Friday night.

Home coach comes to me and complain that a fan standing behind the screen behind home plate is the visiting team's F1's dad and he was a coach and he was giving signs to his DD. Under FED rules coaches and team members must be on the bench when not on the feild, batting, on-deck, etc.

I have never seen "Dad" on the bench as a member of the visiting teams coaching staff all season, so as far as I know he is just a "fan" and he can give all the signals he wants. I went the the visiting team's head coach and asked him point blank if F1's dad was a member of his teams' coaching staff and he denied it. I told Home coach I had no reason to consider him ("Dad") as anything but a fan and free to do as he pleases. I told my partner about it between innings and we watched to see if there was any contact between the visiting team coaching staff and "Dad" but there was not.