Baiting runner interference

[DownTownTonyBrown]

I'm thinking that perhaps the true intent of your post is to bait Jim.

In your shoes, I would likely have overruled my partner. I would really have had to see the collision. I find it surprising the your partner would not have seen that the ball and the fielder were not at the same location... especially with this tall grass/slow progress situation.

If I felt the fielder altered his path with intention to collide (and if I saw the runner try to avoid this collision created by F6) I would have likely ruled dead ball, obstruction, awarded 3rd base, AND EJECTED F6.

Intentional collisions, and obstruction may be alright for players that get paid hundreds of thousands, or millions of dollars, but intentional collisions are never acceptable in a recreational or school sponsored game. These people are not compensated to exchange their health and physical well being for dollars. Intentional contact will never be tolerated in one of my games.

If the runner was knocked down in this play, I likely would have had F6 ejected before the runner could get up. And if the coach would have tried very emphatically to defend F6's actions, I probably would eject him also.