Let's ask the player

[SC Ump]

Before I started umpiring, I was catcher on a men's slow pitch league that had 1-umpire games. An off-line throw came into the plate as a runner was scoring. I went to the fence to retrieve the ball and the runner that just scored interfered with me, unintentionally, but still interfered.

The umpire wasn't watching. He was inside the diamond, with his back to us, watching a runner go from second to third. After eventually getting the ball, the runner at third beat my throw by a step.

I complained, "He interfered with me!"

The umpire turned to the guy that just scored and said, "Did you interfere with him?"

The guy hung his head and said, "Yeah."

Because of this one event, I remember it like it was yesterday. August of 1978: the last time I actually heard a ball player tell the truth.