USC [don't mean the school]

[whiskers_ump]

Friday night in NFHS contest - good game close game. Have R1 on 2B, 1 out B3
batting. R1 breaks on the release, B3 swings and her momentum carries
her towards 3rd base. F2 seeing R1 attempting to advance pushes B3 in the
back so hard, she falls to the ground. F2's throw is wild and R1 scores.
After the play I ask defensive coach for a new catcher because I am
ejecting F1 for malicious [behavior] contact. Defensive coach says dead
ball should have been called because of the interference and the
runner sent back to 3B. Explained to her there was not interference by B3, so
let play continue. She told me the old "That's the worse call I have ever seen
since I have been coaching."

What do you think. I know it is sorta, kinda, a HTBT play,
however, have s'plained it as it happened.

glen

[Dakota]

Was B3 out of the batter's box?

If no, then there is no interference (assuming B3 did nothing except make a bad swing).

If yes, the coach has a point, but the runner would have been sent back to 2B, wouldn't she?

However, F2 is still gone. Just because the batter is intefering doesn't give the catcher the right to push her down.

[greymule]

I had a pushing play a while back. R2 was on 2B and running on the pitch, with the defense expecting a bunt. F5 was charging and F6 was running to cover 3B. BR attempted to bunt but missed the pitch. R2, running toward 3B just behind F6, pushed F6 forward (but not really maliciously), and F6 fell down.

R2 made it to 3B before I reacted to call obstruction, and since the push was not hostile, I let it go. Of course, the defense questioned the push, but to me it was a no call.

I'm glad that F2 didn't throw the ball into left field to let R2 score. With a no call, I'd have had to let that go, too.

Under ASA's new ruling (that's not in the rule book), a push that the umpire considered USC would result in an out and and an ejection.

The play that started the thread is a tough one. Forceful push and unsportsmanlike push are different, so YHTBT.

[whiskers_ump]

Originally posted by Dakota
Was B3 out of the batter's box?

Tom,
No, she remained in the BB. She had set up as far back as rules would
allow, I am sure to hinder the catcher, but in no way did she interfer.
I am sure she was not trying to hit the pitch just create a diversion in
assisting the runner as much as possible.

glen

[WestMichiganBlue]

...her momentum carries her towards 3rd base. F2 .....pushes B3 in the back so hard, she falls to the ground...

So the batter is off balance and gets pushed and falls to the ground. It is obviously a deliberate act by F2 which she is not allowed to do. It looks like a "get outta my way, I'm trying to throw down here." But did she really nail that batter? Or did an off balance batter falling make it (the push) look worse than it was?

From here I can not disagree with the ejection. However, under FED you do have the option - if you "judge the offense to be of a minor nature" - to warn the player and eject her if she repeats the offense.

You didn't say what level. I hope this isn't happening at varsity level. At the sub-varsity level I consider myself to be part of the teaching process and I am inclined to give warnings for a lot of different violations. That helps the girl learn, and keeps her in the game. (If she does it again, then obviously she didn't learn and ejection then is also part of the learning process.

WMB

[whiskers_ump]

WMB,

4A Varsity schools both in the hunt for District championship.
I agree, JV and she gets warning and keeps playing. It did appear
to be more of the "get outta my way" shove and yes it was a very pronounced
shove. These two schools don't have much love for each other. Stems way
back when they had a big brawl in a football contest. After the game,
the game administrator told me it was the correct thing to do and it was
from his school.

glen

[oatmealqueen]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
WMB,

4A Varsity schools both in the hunt for District championship.
I agree, JV and she gets warning and keeps playing. It did appear
to be more of the "get outta my way" shove and yes it was a very pronounced
shove. These two schools don't have much love for each other. Stems way
back when they had a big brawl in a football contest. After the game,
the game administrator told me it was the correct thing to do and it was
from his school.

glen

I agree with the ejection. Shoving a player to the ground is never an option, no matter what happened before the shove.

[WestMichiganBlue]

....and yes it was a very pronounced shove. These two schools don't have much love for each other. Stems way back when they had a big brawl in a football contest....

Ahhh - when you fill in the background it becomes very clear - ya dun the rite thing! In a game like that I would send a message as soon as possible that you are not going to put up with any crap.

Reminds me of a summer baseball game a few years ago when two H.S. football teammates were on opposite BB teams and were just itching to smack each other around. Finally happened when one was coming home from 3B and the other was the catcher. F2 had no intention of catching the ball, and runner had no intention of sliding. We had a 400+ lb collision that was heard a couple diamonds away - and I immediately ejected them both. Last I saw they were heading for the parking lot, arm in arm, still laughing about it.

WMB