Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED
The way it was described to me at a clinic some years ago is the coach has to do something to assist the runner, merely having contact is not assisting the runner.
|
That's what I was getting at when I said the coach needs to purposely change the runner's momentum, alter her path or affect her decision to either advance or retreat.
Side note...I think that I've called this maybe two times in ten years. But last year I had the chance to make a game-ending coach assisting the runner call in a tournament semi-final game!
Home team batting in the final inning, down by one with two outs, runner on first. The batter had a base hit to the outfield and the runner went from first to third. The only problem was that she remained on her feet at third and her momentum carried her across the bag, where she crashed into the third base coach.
The coach tried to get out of her way and up to that point I had "nothing". But then, as they got untangled, he grabbed the runner around the shoulders, spun her around and pushed her back toward the base.
Now I have assisting the runner!
Lots of grumbles from the fans on that one. The third base coach bumped into me in the parking lot after the game and said, "I hate to say it, but you made the right call".