Interference or Not???
 

I'm working the plate... Man on 1st and 2nd, with two out. My partner is in the C position. Ground ball to the right of shortstop. Runner from second trys to avoid the fielder. As soon as the runner passes him, the shortstop runs into the back of the runner as he's charging the ball. Both, partner and myself have no call. Defensive coach goes crazy and whips out the rule book.

Question 1: Do you have interference on the runner and call the batter out?

Question 2: Some umps don't ever want coach to bring rule book on the field. Do you toss him or let him read what the book says.

As a side note, defensive team was losing 13-1 in the bottom of the 4th. Game was called after 5 and a half.

DAC

If fielder was legitimately trying to field the ball, and not just running into the runner to try to draw a call, this is interference. The rules say the runner must avoid ... not attempt to avoid. The only way the play you describe is not interference is on the off chance that it was obvious the fielder was no longer playing the ball, and initiated contact intentionally.

On number two, it's hard to toss a coach for bringing out a rulebook when you actually did botch a call... but yeah - if this guy comes out of the dugout pointing at a rulebook, he's gone.

Thanks a lot!

mcrowder, you've helped to clear my confused brain... My partner and I botched that one. I ump in NJ and PA. In NJ, it's an unwritten rule that you toss the coach when he brings a rule book out. In PA though, I've spoken to many and they accept this.


Thanks...

I think that's an unwritten rule all over. :)

"an unwritten rule that you toss the coach when he brings a rule book out"

This is crazy. While the umpire may feel that his feelings are being hurt what the heck is wrong with trying to get a rule correct? If the coach and the ump check the rule out someone will probably, gulp, learn something!

My kids play Hot Stove Baseball in Ohio and we routinely have umpires that are 15 & 16 years old. Very often they don't know the rules and bringing out a rulebook makes sense to me when I know right where the rule is and can help.

Maybe you can get away with that when you have youngsters calling your games. Try it with an experienced umpire and if he has a clue about proper decorum, he's going to run you. We don't want or need a rat coming out waving a rule book in our face to show us up.


Tim.

Tim
I'm not talking about waving a rule book and shouting insults at you. That's obviously too much and I would expect to get run out of the park by a seasoned umpire.

But help me out. As a coach I see some rulings that either don't seem right to me or sometimes I outright know are wrong.

What is the best way to get you to explain to me your ruling without pissing you off during a game? Can I approach you at all? Suppose you just told me that the dropped third strike rule is not in effect in a two out bases loaded situation. Can I pull the rulebook out of my back pocket and show you?

Your best recourse as a coach if you feel a rule is being missapplied is to calmly discuss it with the umpire. If, after the discussion, you still feel strongly that you received an incorrect ruling you can ask if the two of you can look it up together. That might get you some rythem from a veteran umpire. I can tell you from my perspective that I will not stop a game to look up a rule unless I'm really unsure. Even then I'll only do it to avoid a potential protest. As umpires we're taught to keep a rule book nearby. Most guys will have one in their gear bag or car just in case they need to consult it. It's been a long standing and accepted practice that coaches don't bring rule books onto the field. I'm hoping John or Rich will attest to this for you.



Tim.

Follow Tim's advice and calmly talk to the umpire about the possible rule infraction. If that doesn't work, ask the umpire to get a second opinion from his partner. If he refuses and your absolutely sure he made a rules mistake, then tell him you want to protest the game. That should trigger that umpire to talk to his partner before he accepts your protest. If the umpires get together and still don't change their minds, then they will accpet your protest and the league will decide the outcome after the game is completed. As Tim said, rulebooks have to business being on a field unless the umpires, not the coach, see a need for it.

Another thing to consider is whether or not it is a correctable error.
Once the ump calls the batter out he's out, there's no do overs even if you were allowed to pull the book out.
So if it is correctable follow Tim's advice, if is not correctable and it is a rules application issue, you might be better off just indicating your desire to protest.

Showing me up
 

X:

On another thread recently, we talked about ejections and what certain umpires will put up with.

There are lines with every umpire, and some vary, but all well-trained, experienced umpires will give you the heave-ho for certain magic words or acts. According to my training, these acts are certain to get a coach/player dumped:

1. "You suck/are terrible" and variations upon that theme- the idea is that it is a personal insult- notice that I didn't say "You got that call wrong" will get you dumped. It's an important distinction.

2. Artwork in the dirt after a called strike.

3. Cursing me/at me.

4. Any physical contact, direct (bumping) or indirect (spitting, kicking dirt on) with me. Also, charging from the dugout/coach's box aggressively.

5. Audibly cursing at all. By "audibly cursing" I mean where anybody but me can hear. I work, primarily, high school and youth ball.

6. Questioning my integrity- e.g., "it's hard to win against 11," meaning my partner and I have taken the other team's side.

7. Continuing an argument after a warning to stop.

8. Throwing at a batter after being warned, or if, in my judgment, the pitcher went head hunting at all.

9. Malicious contact.

10. Fighting/leaving dugout/position to fight.

This is not an exhaustive list. However, bringing the rulebook out and showing it to me on the field is a combination of 1 and 2 above, and will get you dumped by every umpire I work with. You are not respectfully suggesting I don't know the rule as well as I should, you are publicly displaying your superior rules knowledge to your players and fans. That's showing me up, and it will get you dismissed.

Strikes and outs!

The interference rule itself won't help you on this play. A thorough reading of the manuals with interpretations will. Jaksa/Roder and BRD come to mind. The fielder is protected during his initial attempt to field the ball. These manuals explain when the fielder loses his protection, like when he misplays the ball and attempts to field it beyond his step and reach.

Personally, after spending much time digesting these manuals several times through, I don't believe that one can umpire well without a working knowlege of the interpretations and how the accomplished umpires officiate these plays. So buy J/R and BRD, and dig in!

As for the coach, you guys blew the call. Thus, you need to give the coach more leeway before ejecting him. When a coach makes his initial move toward you on a play where there is good reason for doubt, and there was no intervening play, hold up your hand and tell him that you'll discuss your doubt with your partner. Since interference will kill the play, this was a missed call that you and your partner could have corrected. Just call the runner out and put the other runners on their time-of-pitch bases and the batter-runner on 1B. Again, good working knowlege of the rules and the interpretations will alert you when there is reason to doubt.

Xtopher_66,

Since you seem to be actually bothering to learn the rules, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. It (generally speaking) really pisses off umpires to see a coach bring a rulebook onto the field. For some reason, even though you're probably just trying to be helpful, they interpret this as if you're trying to "show them up" by calling their competence into question - in front of God and everybody. It's kind of considered "poor etiquette".

Now I always bring my rulebook to the games I coach. And it always remains in the dugout - unless the umpire grants explicit permission for its egress (which has actually happened on a few occasions).

Ultimately, it would be the most rare of occasions when a rulebook would even be useful during a game (see insatty's comments regarding interpretations manuals and such).

If you have a reasonable belief that an umpire may have misapplied a rule in making (or not making) a call during the game, in such a way that your team was materially disadvantaged, ask for time. When it is granted, calmly approach the umpire who made (or failed to make) the call. Politely ask him for a clarification. If you still feel his decision was erroneous, state your case in plain language in terms of your understanding of how the rules should have applied to the situation in question. (Remember, it really doesn't matter what you saw; the only thing relevant in this discussion is what the umpire saw. Yeah, I know it sucks, but that's just the way it is.)

If he finds you unpersuasive, inform him that you are protesting, thank him for entertaining your query, and return to your dugout.

JM

[QUOTE=dacodee]I'm working the plate... Man on 1st and 2nd, with two out. My partner is in the C position. Ground ball to the right of shortstop. Runner from second trys to avoid the fielder. As soon as the runner passes him, the shortstop runs into the back of the runner as he's charging the ball. Both, partner and myself have no call. Defensive coach goes crazy and whips out the rule book.

First and Foremost Interference is a JUDGEMENT call. Regardless of what happened if in the JUDGEMENT of the umpires there was no interference then there was no interference.

Therefore, what rule is the coach going to show you?

As the coach comes storming onto the field with the rule book it's simple:

Hey Skip on the way to the parking lot read rule 9, have a nice day.

Generally speaking when a coach comes onto the field with a rule-book, most experienced umpires will not give him "the time of day".

Pete Booth

Judging interference is a judgement call, but it is entirely possible that the umpire may say something during your 'clarification discussion' to indicate that the rule is being applied differently. "The runner has the right of way on all plays", or "The fielder has the obligation to avoid a runner, or it's obstruction" would be examples of protestable misapplication of the interference rule.