I don't understand what the problem is here. As Bob Jenkins posted
Quote:
|
Hurdling is covered under 8-4-2b.2 "Jumping, hurdling, and leaping are all legal attempts to avoid a fielder as long as the fielder is lying on the ground. (emphasis added) Diving over a fielder is illegal."
|
The whole thing is being blown out of proportion and is very simple. The interpretation has been the same for years - if the fielder is
lying on the ground, the runner
may jump, hurdle or leap over the fielder. It doesn't matter if the fielder is on his back or on his stomach, as long as he is
on the ground!
If the fielder is kneeling, bending, standing upright, dancing the jig, or otherwise
not lying on the ground, the runner must not attempt to make himself higher than the fielder he is trying to avoid! So, if the fielder is kneeling and stretches out his glove (with the ball) and the runner bounds over the glove, the runner is alright as long as he doesn't make himself higher than the fielder that is kneeling. I realize that is hard for non-FED people to conceive but that is how it is handles. In 35 years of FED, I have never applied this or seen it happen!
The rule was put in place to prevent runners from diving over catchers on their knees trying to make the tag on the 3rd base line (like you see in the movies). The FED chose not to limit it to just diving over the catcher. Again, the players are not drawing a salary, they are amateurs so safety is the first order of business.