It is my understanding that Ri is not in jeadopardy until he makes an attempt to elude the tag. If the ball is thrown home, R1 needs to take a direct line to 2nd. Is this right.

Here is the thread from last year http://www.officialforum.com/printth...?threadid=7694

If the ball is thrown home, R1 can run around in circles. Until somebody is playing on him, the base path rules are irrelevant.

Play
 

However, if a play is made on him, then he has to take a direct line toward either base?

Re: Play
 

If a fielder is attempting to tag him, he must run w/in 3 feet of a direct line to the base he is attempting to reach.

Re: Re: Play
 

Monday I had the classic example of the runner setting his own baseline.

B1 strikes out swinging with the ball in the dirt. B1 starts walking to the dugout and F2 contemplates throwing the ball to F3 then decides not to.

I watched B1 walk to the dugout and when he stepped in my partner and I gave each other a slight little pump of the fist acknowledging that was FINALLY had an out.

B1 could head to first up until he steps in the dugout. If the dugout is on the third base side, he could run directly over the mound and be legal.

And,
 

On Monday I also had the exact same play with one addition:

F2 kept asking me for a new ball!

Tee: "Err, just a second, I don't think I have one . . . which pocket are they in . . ."

Looking over the catcher's head into the infield I see my partner laughing like heck . . .

Finally as the guys steps into the dugout I give the little "out" sign by my thigh.

My partner, who trains first year umpires, used the play that night at our association meeting.

BTW Rich, an assocition meeting is when umpires get together to talk about rules and mechanics -- not at all like what you go through in your area. ;-}

Tee

How is runner interference called in this situation. If the runner affects the throw from a fielder in attempt to put him out as he runs across the infield, is this interference since he is outside of the 3' running lane?

No.

Last year, I had a heavy, slow runner try to stretch a single into a double (he thought the ball had gotten away from F8). He had taken a large turn around 1B, and when F6 caught the throw at the bag, the runner was barreling hard 3 fifths of the way to 2B and probably 18 feet toward RF from the line. He was dead meat and wasn't about to try to get into a rundown, so he tried to get around F6 to the <i>inside</i> of the base. To do so, he ran directly to a point on the baseline about 8 feet before 2B and then tried to dive around the fielder to the inside. So he actually did leave his base path, but no tag was imminent, although a tag was certainly anticipated.

He was out, of course, and everyone had a big laugh, but the play made me wonder just when "attempt to tag" goes into force. Was it when F6 got the ball and began to wait for the runner? Or does the runner have to be somewhere approximating tagging distance?

To take the example of the "skunk in the outfield" play, if the runner is standing out near F9 and an infielder 100 feet away starts to run out to play on (tag) him, is the runner at that moment confined to the base paths, or is it only when the fielder gets closer to him?

Without knowing for sure, I think I'd rule than once a fielder started in the runner's direction, he was being played on.