Vacate any space - can't disappear

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by Dave Reed

According to J/R, the coach has to "blatantly and avoidably" hinder the fielder in order to be called for interference. " If he tries to avoid, but contacts a fielder, it is not interference." Sounds like lots of wiggle room to me!

Is that for a batted ball or for a thrown ball?

For a batted ball, I'd give no quarter -- the coach must avoid.

For a thrown ball, I'd agree that there's some leeway.

[UMP25]

Originally Posted by bob jenkins

Is that for a batted ball or for a thrown ball?

For a batted ball, I'd give no quarter -- the coach must avoid.

For a thrown ball, I'd agree that there's some leeway.

Bob,

J/R doesn't differentiate between the two, but at school Mssrs. Jaksa and Roder both focused more on the batted ball, explaining that interference shouldn't be called unless contact was blatant and avoidable. This is something with which I agree.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Bob,

J/R doesn't differentiate between the two, but at school Mssrs. Jaksa and Roder both focused more on the batted ball, explaining that interference shouldn't be called unless contact was blatant and avoidable. This is something with which I agree.

I think that what you've said is consistent with what Bob said: he simply emphasized that the burden is definitely on the coach to get out of the way of a batted ball.

For example, I can imagine a base coach not watching the ball, covering his head with his hands, and backing up directly into the space where F3 needs to be to catch a pop foul.

In this case, I'm calling interference because, although the coach was trying to avoid, he failed, and the ball was catchable. IOW, the contact was avoidable, even though the coach didn't avoid it.

Do you disagree?

[UMP25]

Actually, I disagree with your logic, but I understand what you're attempting to say. Either a coach tries to avoid such a ball or he doesn't. IMHO, simply covering one's head isn't avoiding.

[Steven Tyler]

Originally Posted by UMP25

Actually, I disagree with your logic, but I understand what you're attempting to say. Either a coach tries to avoid such a ball or he doesn't. IMHO, simply covering one's head isn't avoiding.

Had the wind blowing so hard the other day I was trying not to interfere with a fly ball to right field that blew foul the first baseman was trying to catch unsuccessfully while in the "A" position..........

I almost never got out of the way.

[fitump56]

Agreed.