Quote:
Originally posted by soonerfan
I agree with Tee's view a la Jim Evans. There does not have to be any contact by the offensive player for there to be interference called, merely the ACTION of interference by the player. A friend of mine had a game where there was a 2 out pop-up hit between home and the mound, pitcher and catcher converge, a runner coming home calls "BALL,BALL,BALL." Both players back off thinking it was the other, ball falls to the ground. The runner did not get between the two, did not touch either one...so how would it not be interference? I realize that players in the other dugout yell "I got it..." all the time. It is easier, however to determine where it is coming from if it's in the dugout or right next to you. So, I would not need a throw from a catcher...as long as there is dicernable attempt on his part to intend to throw. Oh, and isn't obstruction a defensive penalty on a runner and interference an offensive penalty on a defensive player? I am pretty sure there is a difference, maybe some of you rule book gurus help. JT [/B]
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It is a ongoing debate whether to call verbal interference in OBR games. In FED, it is explicit in the rules book that verbal interference is NOT allowed and should be called (FED 2-21-1).
Also, in FED, "Obstruction" is when the defensive team illegally hinders the offense; "Interference" is when the offensive team illegally hinders the defense. In OBR, the term "obstruction" refers only to a fielder illegally hindering the runner; everything else is "interference", whether offensive, defensive, spectator, or umpire interference.
P-Sz