Few questions about baseball rules...

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by UAME

At lower levels of amateur baseball, you will see discussions about "slide rules." These rules are intended to prevent injury, and they basically take away option 2 from the runner - if a slide rule is in effect, his only choice is to slide and try to avoid being tagged.

Not correct. There is no "must slide rule." The runner must either slide, or avoid contact with the fielder. He may slide, give himself up, go around or otherwise try to touch the base without contacting the fielder if the fielder has the ball and waiting to tag the runner. A runner never has to slide as his only option.

Also, it's not that he has to "try" to avoid contact, he "must" avoid contact when these rules are in force. Trying is not good enough.

[BigUmp56]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Also, it's not that he has to "try" to avoid contact, he "must" avoid contact when these rules are in force. Trying is not good enough.

Steve,

The LL rule is "attempt to avoid."


Tim.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by BigUmp56

Steve,

The LL rule is "attempt to avoid."


Tim.

Can someone cite this rule in the LL Book? I have looked and I cannot find it anywhere.

[umpjim]

7.08(a)(3) on page 73 of the LGB. "the runner does not slide or attempt to get around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag."

Looking almost never works for me. I have resorted to using the find function with most documents now available digitally. And now I see I've been thinking "avoid" when it says "get around".

.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by umpjim

7.08(a)(3) on page 73 of the LGB. "the runner does not slide or attempt to get around a fielder who has the ball and is waiting to make the tag."

Looking almost never works for me. I have resorted to using the find function with most documents now available digitally. And now I see I've been thinking "avoid" when it says "get around".

.

Thank you!

[UAME]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

Not correct. There is no "must slide rule." The runner must either slide, or avoid contact with the fielder. He may slide, give himself up, go around or otherwise try to touch the base without contacting the fielder if the fielder has the ball and waiting to tag the runner. A runner never has to slide as his only option.

Also, it's not that he has to "try" to avoid contact, he "must" avoid contact when these rules are in force. Trying is not good enough.

I didn't mean to say anything misleading. The OP is obviously a baseball novice, and I was trying to frame my comments within the context of my earlier situation (where I limited the runner's options to the most popular in the MLB - slide or collide.) Most of us here realize that the runner actually has several other alternatives, but those are probably secondary for anyone who refers to a collision between a base runner and a fielder as "bodychecking."