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Originally Posted by LDUB
If the runner chooses not to slide then he must attempt to avoid the play. Running in a direct line between the bases is not avoiding the play.
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The play already happened. The throw to first is not the play being referred to.
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So by your logic if F6 steps to the side of second base and is taken out by R1's slide it is not interference. R1 was retired on the force play, it was already sucessful therefore R1 cannot interfere with the play.
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No, that would be interference, because F6 still has the ball, and the runner did not legally slide directly into the base. You are comparing apples to pommegranites here.
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8-4-2F is the force play slide rule. The FPSR is all about the throw to first base on the double play.
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No, the FPSR is all about not crashing the pivot man on a double play. It has nothing to do with once the ball is thrown. If the runner comes in standing up and forces the pivot man to make an errant throw, then he has violated the FPSR.
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So if the runner is standing directly between the fielder and first base, where do you expect the fielder to throw the ball? R1 should have been either on the ground (sliding) so the fielder can throw over him or veering off to the side (getting out of the way) so the fielder has clear lane to throw the ball.
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How do you expect a runner who is trying to reach the base safely, and is within 6 to 10 feet from the base to "veer off" or slide? If he slides, he comes up short. What if the pivot man drops the ball, and the runner slid in anticipation of the throw and ends up 3 feet short of the base?
Like I said before, the fielders turning the DP are trained to either come across the base to make their throws, or to touch the base and do a push-off step backward (2nd baseman only) to throw. It only takes a slight adjustment to avoid throwing the ball into the baserunner, and it is the fielders job to do this, not the runners.