Rules Question
 

Thanks in advance for the help on this.

Brief background.
I am a 1st yr ast. coach of an 8-10 yr old Little League team. I played baseball, but it has been nearly 25 years since I played, and I don't really follow the game that much outside the MLB playoffs.

Anyway, our coach and a players father seem to think that the rules allow players to slap at the glove(s) of position players in order to avoid being tagged or forced out, I told them that this is not allowed (I referred to the A-Rod play a few years ago) and was told the LLR are different.

Can someone please confirm this for me or set me straight if I am wrong?

Thanks again

You are correct.

In general, anything done intentionally, such as slapping at a glove in attempt to knock the ball loose, will be penalized. I don't have a rule book on me, but I'm sure someone else on this board will back me up.

You are correct.

posts up to this point are correct...i don't have a book with me right now...

[QUOTE]In the future for LL type rule / regulation questions your best bet is to go to the attched link

http://eteamz.active.com/baseball/boards/

Even though the Message Board says official bseball rules, that Forum is almost exclusively devoted to LL.

Pete Booth

2007 LL Rules

7.08(b) [Any runner is out when he] intentionally interferes with a thrown ball or hinders a fielder attempting to make a play on a batted ball.

7.09(l) [It is interference by a runner or a batter-runner when] the runner fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball.

J/R lists slapping a fielder's mitt to dislodge a gloved throw as being interference under both.

Remember your audience
 

And J/R refers to?
The Rules of Professional Baseball, by Chris Jaksa and Rick Roder. (aka J/R)

And it would help if everyone knew that the LL rules were almost written verbatim from OBR.
The A-Rod example is classic and if anyone doesn't believe after seeing it with their own eyes, then you really can't explain it to them any further. Penalty: Out, other runners return to base last occupied at TOI. A-Rod and Jeter both know the rule now.

Thanks, SAump - that wasn't too smart of me to abbreviate Jaksa/Roder with no explanation.

Bob James

From OBR or LL rulebook?
 

Coach, you already had the right answer.

INTERFERENCE
(a) Offensive interference is an act by the team at bat which interferes with, obstructs, impedes, hinders or confuses any fielder attempting to make a play. If the umpire declares the batter, batter- runner, or a runner out for interference, all other runners shall return to the last base that was in the judgment of the umpire, legally touched at the time of the interference, unless otherwise provided by these rules.

Also see BRD 278, and apply FED Rule 8-4-2r.
OBR Case Play: See A-Rod/Jeter, ALCS, Oct. 19, 2004.

Baseball Rule Differences, by Carl Childress. (aka BRD)
http://shop.officiating.com/x/product/brd2006

The OP contained the following statement.
was told the LLR are different.
My post was made to contradict that statement.