The death of the neighborhood play...

[Rich]

Originally Posted by mbyron

The problem is that the neighborhood play is not dead. Some umpires still give it, some don't. The problem is that we're in transition, which means that players don't know how it will be called. Ignorance is stressful.

In a HS game, I do not call the neighborhood play: the sliding rules protect the fielder. No reason for the neighborhood play.

In MLB, I think that the current lack of a settled ruling on this play is unsustainable. Coaches and players will be rightly concerned about fielder safety if the decision is not to allow the neighborhood play any longer. Umpires are rightly concerned that the neighborhood play is a rules violation and looks like a bad call on super-slo-mo replay.

Something will have to be changed, and preferably changed publicly.

The problem in this play wasn't Aybar not touching the base -- the problem was he never got closer than 6 inches to the base and didn't move his feet. Had he swiped and pivoted and not stood still, I think Layne would've given the out.

Stand there in the middle and you're going to get drilled and why should we give you the call? He's not protecting himself if he stays right in there, is he?