Interference, DP situation

Originally Posted by Stat-Man

I've noticed the opposite in my softball experience.

Once in a HS varsity game, I had players in the dugout scraming "interference" when they thought a fielder impeded one of their teammates. After play was over, I turned and asked them if they know that if the umpire called intereference, our girl would be out.

The look on their faces was priceless. I then tried to teach them that the defense can be called for obstruction and offered the mnemonic of "the offense is obstructed by the defense".

Of course they probably didn't remember it 5 minutes later, but I figured I could at least try to teach them the proper terminology.

Had a very similar issue during a coed rec game. Bear in mind, Utrip kept the wording that ASA used to have in regards to the defense being in position to receive the throw and blocking the bag. Runner going into 3B slides, right into F5 who was waiting for the throw, which was on its way and the ball was almost to his glove. I had a tag-out. Next thing I know, the offensive manager was yelling "interference!" I said, "No maam, it was not obstruction." She looks at me and asked how it couldn't be interference. I said "your runner didn't commit interference, and the defense didn't commit obstruction because he was in position for the ball which was on its way." The look on the offensive players' faces were a combination of: Interesting night it was.