Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul L
PONY pony game. PONY is a youth league that uses OBR with few additions, not including a FPSR or other sliding contact provisions. Its pony division is 13-14yo's.
R1, one out. Batter grounds to F6, who fires to F4 crossing second for the force. As F4 pivots behind second to throw to first, R1 slides feet-first hard into him. The slide took R1 within reach of the base, but his legs were well past the base. His right leg in the air but not above the fielder's knee, and his left leg got some air as the slide got into F4's legs. F4 began to fall forward towards first as he began his throw. R1 then jerks his legs sideways toward third, taking F4's legs with him and causing F4 to fall sideways to his left. F4 interrupts his throw to break his fall. R1 ends up with second base in his right armpit and F4 at his feet.
Under Fed, BR is out two or three different ways. But what result under OBR? I was okay until the runner slashed the fielder's legs out from under him, then called interference, BR out. OC thought it was just robust baseball.
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Good question. One option is malicious contact, since you have a player basically kicking and tripping another player. I'd have to see the play to know whether we'd have an EJ here.
Another option is to do what you did: rule interference. I'd lean this way as well: you had not one act by the runner, but two. First, he slid within a reach of the base and contacted the fielder (legal). Second, he intentionally kicked the fielder's legs out (interference). I think that's how I'd explain it to the coach.
The general problem here is that without the FPSR, you have to determine what counts as interference on a slide play. In pro ball, this runner would probably not be called out for interference, but he'd get drilled the next time he came up to bat. So the pros have a remedy for this behavior that you would not want to allow on an amateur field.
And that's the sticky spot for interpreting interference on slide plays: the OC wants you to use a pro interp in a context where the remedy is not available to the defense. That's an argument for having a somewhat more restrictive approach to interference on slides.
As much as people bash FED for their approach to safety, it's worth recognizing that some 80% of baseball injuries happen during slide plays. Baseball is a contact sport, but I think that at least some of these injuries are preventable with a proper application of the rules.