Running lane vs base path

[EsqUmp]

The only difference that results from what the player did was he/she got drilled in the hand and not the head. No harm / no foul.

Even if the runner slid back into the base and had his/her arms were up (as some do), there wouldn't be interference unless there was some deliberate act of interference. I would find that hard to believe since the runner can't really see a ball from behind his head.

As a general comment, I think that too many umpires go onto the field to prove all the rules that they know. They forget to recognize that sometimes things just happen and that's part of the game. The rule book has to be a part of the game without taking the game out of the game.