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Originally posted by devilsadvocate
Quote:
Originally posted by Jim Porter
Remember, we're talking about Pro rules, here. The kind of gross overthrow you are talking about during a rundown would be rarer than Count Dracula's sirloin steak in the bigs. These rules were not designed for Little, or even Interscholastic League Baseball.
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They may not be designed for Little League, but these are the rules we use. Now, in LL, the gross overthrow is more likely to occur (kids, pumped up on sugar and excitement, tend to get wild with their throws sometimes). However, and let me know if you agree, the smart thing to do is kill the play when the protected runner gets caught in a rundown.
Now, technically speaking, is killing the play on a runner in a rundown that is protected under Type B obstruction the smart umpire thing to do, or is it the letter of the law? I mean, we could allow the play to continue, then award the runner his protected base, even if he was tagged out in the rundown, couldn't we? This is why I'm asking about this ruling, does it fall under "the letter of the law", or does it fall under "preventing a sh**house from occuring"?
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The letter of this law is not available to the general public except that it can be found in J/R. The OBR is insufficient to rule on this play. The PBUC Manual doesn't address it either. Only J/R gives us insight into what the Pros do in this situation. J/R says to kill play once the rundown begins. That, as far as I'm concerned, is the letter of the law.
Little League Baseball uses the Official Baseball Rules as a basis for their own rules. No contrary information from the J/R ruling has been presented for Little League. It's not in the Right Call, and it has not been discussed at any clinic of which I am aware. There is a ruling in The Right Call that hints at the correctness of the J/R ruling:
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Play 7-5: Runner on first takes off with the crack of the bat. Seeing no trouble making third, he rounds second when he collides with the shortstop who is wandering around aimlessly. Runner continues to third and the ball beats him there.
Ruling: When the runner runs into the wandering shortstop, yell "obstruction," but allow the play to continue. On the play at third, raise both hands above your head and call "time." Explain obstruction on the shortstop. Runner is awarded third base.
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Note that it does not instruct the umpire to wait until a tag is applied, as many believe the PBUC Manual indicates. Note also that there is indeed the potential for your rundown play. The ball simply beat the runner to third. The runner could have retreated causing a rundown. But the instruction tells us to call time once the ball has beaten the obstructed and protected runner to third. Sounds like the J/R ruling to me.
[Edited by Jim Porter on Dec 2nd, 2001 at 01:56 PM]