Verbal Interference 2

[greymule]

I suspect that professional ballplayers consider such yelling from the dugout "bush" and refrain from it for that reason. They probably figure it's useless anyway. When I played youth ball (1960s), those antics were not illegal, and players engaged in it often. As I moved up in levels, it diminished, with little in college and even less in semipro (though there was still a lot of "razzing").

I can find no case of "verbal" interference in the PBUC or J/R. However, J/R does give an example in which interference is called on a runner who waves his arms to distract F4 or runs directly at F4, averting contact by inches. But J/R goes on to say, "However, it is not interference if the intent to interfere is solely verbal."

In similar vein, note another OBR rule contrary to youth ball: "It is not obstruction if a fielder intentionally misleads or decoys a runner."

As we can all see, softball and youth baseball are very different.