Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Ump
I do not see anything in the rules that says the runner is out if the coach "willfully and intentionally" physically assists a runner.
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Nor would you find anything in the rules that says, "A pitcher merely touching the hands together for an instant meets the requirement for bringing the hands together for not less than one second", or, "A runner stopping between bases for 1-2 seconds meets the Look Back Rule requirement to
immediately advance or retreat".
Point being, there are plenty of rules that seem to mean one thing at face value, but are interpreted differently- either by official written interpretations or through accepted custom and practice. I would be interested to see if there are any "official" interpretations about this play, as I don't recall ever seeing any.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SC Ump
If it did, and if I was a coach, I'd be holding my stop sign up as I stood approximately 2 steps passed the bag so that the runner would have to clobber me squarely to run through my stop sign.
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I suppose that you could judge that the coach willfully positioned himself right in the runner's path for the purpose of using his body as a barricade to intentionally contact the runner if she overran the bag. That might be easier to sell if the coach set up closer to the bag than what you think he normally would, or jumped over into the runner's path at the last instant.