Quote:
Originally posted by greymule
The implication is that he should be called out if he actually is assisted.
Frankly, I can't imagine making that call. The intent of the rule was to
prevent coaches from gaining an unfair advantage by shoving runners toward a
base or picking them up when they fell. Imagine that a guy hits a ball over
the fence and then trips over third. The coach catches him in his fall, so
the ump calls him out. What advantage did the assist provide? He was going
to score anyway, even if he had to crawl home. This falls under the category
of rules I'll never enforce.
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Actually, it isn't catching the runner that is in violation of the rule. It is physically providing the runner with direction that qualifies as the "assist". It is not unheard of for a runner to catch his high-fives and
walk directly to the dugout without touching the plate. I've seen it quite a few times. I've also seen runners go wide and crush their coach. Despite the screaming from the opponent, that is not assisting the runner unless the
coach physically pushes the runner toward a base to avoid being put out.
Yes, I know that is not the same as a dead ball scenario, but you got to remember that Moose probably just hit his first homer in, oh, let's say 5 at bats, and he is in total awe of himself as he expects everyone else to be.
His priority is to be the subject of everyone's admiration, not touch the plate. I'm not going to rule a player out for high-fives, low fives, forarm
crunches or slam dancing on his way to the plate. However, if he begins to stray from the proper direction and a teammate grabs him and pushes him toward the plate, Moose is going to have to give back all those high-fives
because I am calling him out.
The first reason is because it is the rule and that's what the money is for. Second, though someone may think it is ridiculous, I doubt the opposition would appreciate that I have preempted their right to appeal had Moose not
received help. For those of you who do not work SP, some catchers are quite good at conning a runner into missing home plate. Finally, if Moose still isn't smart enough to figure out 1, 2, 3 and than touch the plate, does he really deserve the home run and the accompanying adoration?