[umpjim]

Originally Posted by Manny A

As a veteran clinician once told me when I first started umpiring, "That's not umpire interfernce, it's umpire incompetence."

Unfortunately, there is no call to be made because there is no rule on it. Umpires become part of the field in every instance except when they violate the umpire interference definition as mentioned above (in OBR, it's under rules 2.00 INTERFERENCE, 5.09(b), 5.09(f) and 6.08(d)), they pick up a live ball (no specific rule, but I believe there's an authoritative interpretation out there somewhere), or a pitched or thrown ball gets lodged in an umpire's uniform (5.09(g)).

When an umpire hinders a runner, there is no recourse. The umpire cannot decide to keep a runner on base or advance him further because he got in the runner's way. It's just one of those things that an umpire should try his best not to do.

I has , however, been called in an NCAA game and been sold.