Bad coach, good coach

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by BuggBob

Same game bases loaded one out. Team B at bat. Battery hits a ball right back to the pitch (the bat broke clean in two -- had no bearing on the play but was kind of cool). Quick throw to the plate for an out, catcher takes two steps to throw the ball to first, retired runner slides into catcher feet, throw goes askew. I rule Dead ball interference by a retired runner, runner closest to home is out. End of the inning. Team B coach asks me was the slide legal, I told him it was because if it was not his player would have been ejected. He understands and HE tells his players that was a good call, lets play.

I don't understand how a legal slide can ever be interference. You didn't say whose rules you were playing under, but even if it was one of those organizations that DOES define legal and illegal slide (ASA does not), a legal slide is always legal contact. A "take-out" slide is not illegal merely because it was a take-out slide. It has to violate the premise of a legal slide. You may not have considered the slide egreggious enough for the player to be ejected, but it seems to me you did have to consider it illegal to call interference. What was the basis of your interference call?