contact and interference

[DG]

Originally posted by Rbn3
I was there and I can't honestly say whether the kid "caught his spikes" and hit the catcher hard with his shoulder/body accidently or whether he could see that he was going to be out and did a "stand up" slide to pull a Pete Rose.

But I think there should have been some penalty imposed for the contact, since contact is supposed to be avoided. Interfernce does not require intent, I think we all agree on thatpoint. It would seem to be that the instant the runner is tagged out, any action that he takes, intentional or unintentional is interference. Was the catcher in the act of throwing to second? No. Would he have been able to throw out the runner at second if he had been not bowled over? Maybe.

But the OBR would seem to demand that the runner going to second be called out because of the interference of his team mate. This would have resulted in a double play as the runner was tagged out at home.

First of all, Pete Rose into Ray Fosse is textbook example of malicious contact at all levels below professional. There was nothing "stand up" about that "slide". Second, I see no reason to call out the BR going to 2B. He just needs to go back to 1B.