Train wrecks happen in baseball...Get over it !

[johnnyg08]

these are all great points...I think I've changed some of my thoughts on this play after reading some of the posts...this could very possibly be interference...would love to see a clip...

[SAump]

OBR: Safe after a hard collision and referrring to MLB video of an F4 {Mr. Vina} being trampled for stepping in front of a large man who didn't stop running along his established basepath.
NCAA: I don't know.
NFHS: Although I would likely want to rule safe, after reading anything written by Mr Jenkins, I must reconsider my position.

[SanDiegoSteve]

IIRC, Vina stepped into the basepath to attempt a tag on (I'm thinking Ortiz but could be wrong). He had already fielded the ball and was attempting a play. In our original situation, the pitcher had not yet lost his "fielding a batted ball" protection, whereas Vina had.

Plus, we are not talking pro baseball here. As you know, they play by an entirely different set of contact rules than the amateurs do.

[Kaliix]

Nick,
In the situation you describe, I much prefer the MLB rule where if the fielder has possession of the ball and is attempting to make a tag, if he gets directly in the path of a runner, he rightly should be run over.

Considering FED though, your words were the runner "plows into the pitcher, who is attempting to tag him." How the pitcher got to the point where he was attempting to tag the runner is irrelevant, the runner must avoid contact. While you state that you didn't think the runner could avoid the contact, his actions say the exact opposite. If the runner puts his arms up to brace for contact it can only be because he knows the contact is coming. One cannot brace for an impact that one does not see. The runner, thus knowing contact is imminent, must attempt to avoid the contact. In the time it took for the BR to bring up his arms and cross them, he could have just as easily made any movement to one side to avoid contact.

I have been in a very similar circumstance myself where a fielder, with ball in hand, was standing in my basepath. My instinct is not to avoid contact so I brought my arms up and tried to run the fielder over. I was rightly called out and ejected. Whatever the runners instinct may be, in FED, he has to avoid contact. Since he choose not to, I agree with the others who say the call should have been, TIME, That's Interference, he's out!

If the runner in your circumstance had tried to avoid the collision by turning or moving to one side in an attempt to get by the pitcher and there still was contact and F1 ends up on his butt, then I got nothing.

Just for the record, while Albert Belle was generally a putz, what isn't generally know about that play with Vina is that in that very same game, in an earlier inning, the exact same play happened to Belle. Belle was running from first and Vina fielded the ball, tagged Belle, who just gave himself up on the play, and Vina threw to first for a double play. When Belle got back to the bench, he got an earful from his manager (Hargrove I believe) for not trying to break up the play. When the same thing happened again later that game and Vina stood in Belle's way attempting to tag him, Belle rightfully ran him over. It was only because of Belle's much deserved reputation that he was later suspended for the play.