Interference?

[argodad]

Originally Posted by neonsdf

You are correct it was a mad house. ... snip ... I don't make a call because I've been trying to stop play. Because of all the screaming and action no one notices one umpire with his hands up trying to stop the play. ...snip...

I had a very similar play last summer. This is when it pays to be a tall guy with a big voice. (My Dead Ball! call has been known to stop play on adjacent fields. ) So when I killed it, play stopped. It still took a minute to get the Offensive coach to understand, but at least he didn't have runners all over the base paths. If you don't have a big voice, make your signals "big and exaggerated."

[IamMatt]

If the BR had changed her path to veer around F3 would that have been OBS?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by IamMatt

If the BR had changed her path to veer around F3 would that have been OBS?

Not if the fielder was playing a batted ball and was, in the umpire's judgment, the defender most likely to field the ball.

[IamMatt]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Not if the fielder was playing a batted ball and was, in the umpire's judgment, the defender most likely to field the ball.

Thank you, Mike. Is "[standing] in foul ground waiting to pick it up" considered "in the act of fielding a batted ball?" IOW, it does not matter if she is "actively" fielding or just standing there waiting to see whether it rolls foul, it is definitionally "in the act of fielding a batted ball" and therefore affords her the protection of the exception to the OBS definition?

In the OP it sounds as if the BR could have avoided contact easily since F3 was in foul territory; would the ruling be the same if the F3 were standing across most or all of the running lane (and just looking at the ball to see whether it was going to roll foul or not)? I am guessing if the answer to my question above is yes, then it would not matter where the defender is standing, she is still protected/exempted from committing OBS by definition? And in this case, the BR would be able to run more than 3' from the base path to avoid contact with F3 because it would not be done to avoid a tag?

If I am lucky, I will just begin to master all the rules by the time my DD stops playing, but I appreciate all the knowledge I get here.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by IamMatt

...Is "[standing] in foul ground waiting to pick it up" considered "in the act of fielding a batted ball?"

Yes.

Originally Posted by IamMatt

...would the ruling be the same if the F3 were standing across most or all of the running lane (and just looking at the ball to see whether it was going to roll foul or not)?

Yes.

Originally Posted by IamMatt

...I am guessing if the answer to my question above is yes, then it would not matter where the defender is standing, she is still protected/exempted from committing OBS by definition?

Not by definition, but by being in the act of fielding the batted ball and being judged by the umpire to be the fielder most likely to make the play on the batted ball.

Originally Posted by IamMatt

...And in this case, the BR would be able to run more than 3' from the base path to avoid contact with F3 because it would not be done to avoid a tag?

That is correct. She is also allowed to run outside the running lane to avoid a fielder fielding a batted ball.

It is normal fielding for the fielder to wait on a slow roller near the foul line to see if it will go foul.

[celebur]

Originally Posted by Dakota

It is normal fielding for the fielder to wait on a slow roller near the foul line to see if it will go foul.

It's only normal in certain situations--such as when you don't have a play. But in the OP, I'd be picking up that ball ASAP for the easy tag on BR. Assuming that there was only the one runner as mentioned, I'd happily give up 2B for a sure out.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by celebur

It's only normal in certain situations...

I didn't mean to imply it was good play or good coaching, only that it is "normal" as in "frequently seen". If the defense is waiting to allow the ball to roll foul, I consider that making a play on the batted ball. Running them over is interference.