LL Coaches in my area are stupid, for the most part. I had a coach argue with my ruling last night that a batted ball that passes through the legs of a fielder and hits his runner does not cause him to be out, since it had passed a fielder. I called no out, since it passed a fielder. He argued with me, even though the call was FOR his team. This is also the coach who told me that his player should get home for interfering with the fielder in the baseline (I mistakenly called obstruction, but no penalty since runners all reached one base past where they were).

Where do they find these people? This coach has been coaching town and traveling league for close to 20 years, and he doesn't know the rules?!? What the heck is that? Are these people mentally retarded or what?

Just needed to vent a little after a rough night last night. Do you guys have the same problems in your area?

Edited to clear up confusion on my call.

[Edited by wobster on Jun 18th, 2004 at 08:20 AM]

<i>"I had a coach argue with me last night that a batted ball that passes through the legs of a fielder and hits his runner does not cause him to be out, since it had passed a fielder."</i>

I have news for you - The coach is right.


<i>"This is also the coach who told me that his player should get home for interfering with the fielder in the baseline (I mistakenly called obstruction, but no penalty since runners all reached one base past where they were)."</i>

This makes no sense - what are you trying to say?

First one, the runner is not out, unless another infielder has a play on the ball.

I am confused on the second part. So R2 interferes with F5 or F6, but you by mistake call obstruction. So why did you not correct yourself and call the interference?

After reading your post (and some of your others), I have reached the following conclusion:

1. Get a rule book - read it - read it again - read it one more time.
2. Learn the meaning of the word humility.
3. Stop throwing insults around unless you are sure of yourself.

Until you learn the above, don't work anything above LL!

Just a little advise.

Speak about that which you are certain about.
Ask questions and study, about that which you are not.
LISTEN to the rest.

Well, I admitted I was wrong on the second. I wasn't sure how far the fielder was protected. He turned around and ran into the runner while reaching for the ball that was still under his legs. I was wrong on that. He was wrong for delaying the game and trying to tell me that the kid got home....we split on that one. There was an earlier thread where I asked for advise on that.

The other one, unless I am seriously mistaken, I am right. The runner takes a step behind the fielder who is in the act of recieving the ball, and it goes between his legs. It then touches runner. Unless I am SERIOUSLY mistaken, I believe the rule book states the runner is out if it touches him before passing a fielder other than the pitcher, otherwise, no out. I don't have a book with me for rule reference. I called no out, OFFENSIVE coach says he should be out because ball hit him. I edited my above post to show that I called no out, and he argued that his own player should be out.

We have had 4 different umpires work for this coach and they have all told me he doesn't know the rules, as did one of his assistant coaches.

I am humble, I have never said that I am better than anyone else, or their skill is not equal to mine. I was simply stating that LL coaches in my area do not know the rules.

[Edited by wobster on Jun 18th, 2004 at 08:23 AM]

7.08 Any runner is out when_(f) He is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has touched or passed an infielder.

Looks like the right call to me...

which call looks like the right call? there are two in question, only one call is correct.

Only one fielder is protected by this rule. If it goes through one runner's legs then any other fielder is not relevant.

Yes I know only one of them is protected. In the original post it did not say which one was interfered with, so I said either F5 or F6.

Doesn't matter, because neither was interfered with. If the ball goes between one fielder's legs, there is no interference if it then hits a runner. The part I was commenting on was "unless another infielder has a play on the ball".

Not true. If another fielder has a play (that is, can get someone out -- not just "chasing after a loose ball), then the runner can interfere even if the ball went through the legs of a fielder right in front of the runner.

I don't get your drift. If the 3B and SS are in a line on a ground ball between 3rd and short, and the ball goes between the 3B legs and contacts the runner from 2B directly in front of the SS, there is no interference, unless the contact was intentional. If not intentional, then no interference. Only one player is protected, in this case 3B man. He made the error by not fielding cleanly. We are not going to penalize the offense.

It seems to me that if the ball goes through a fielder's legs and hits a runner, the runner has not interfered as defined in 7.08(f).

He is touched by a fair ball in fair territory before the ball has touched or passed an infielder. (emphasis added).

So a ball hitting a player immediately behind a fielder has already passed the fielder.

I was talking about the other part of the original post. The part where R2 interfered, but he messed up and called obstruction.