interference plus

[Guest Nick B]

LL game..bases loaded, base hit to lf, r3 scores but then interferes on the play being made on r2 at the plate? r2 was ruled out for the int by r3 but counted r3's run. correct?

 

also if as a LL commissioner if you got an email saying "the umpire was clearly biased against us as he must have had a family member or relative on the other team" would you suspend the coach who wrote it?

 

I was not the umpire but I know the umpire and I think hes the best one in our league even though hes only 17.... I received the email from an irate coach

[Replacematt]

Correct. i may suspend or admonish, depending on his history.

[MPLSMatt]

The ruling is correct.  As a commish, I don't think I'd suspend, but I'd have a stern talk with the coach about his attitude because clearly this guy is clueless. Coaches have to have the ability to voice their opinion in private correspondence to the commissioner.  

 

My opinion would change if these comments were made publicly, or if half of the league was CCed on that email.  But you can't suspend for private correspondence unless.  

[Dragon29]

Concur - as long as the communication is private, suspension seems pretty harsh to me.

 

If I was feeling particularly adventurous, I might ask the coach (again, privately) to whom the umpire was related.  If he has an actual relationship to report, you need to let him (though that doesn't automatically mean the umpire is biased; far from it!) but if he was just blowing hot air, which we all know is likely, he'll feel awfully foolish trying to answer that question.

 

Again, not sure I'd go there myself - depends on varying factors.

[maven]

The ruling is correct. This is INT by a retired/scored runner, and his run counts. If such a runner interferes and prevents the defense from making another out, the runner who was/would have been played on is out, the ball is dead, and other runners return to their bases last touched at the time of the INT. I should say that's the rule for OBR, on which LL is based. Unless LL has modified that provision, it would be the same for LL.

[HokieUmp]

The ruling was correct, as we've established.

 

The proper response to the coach's email is to schedule that same umpire to every game left on that team's schedule for the rest of the season.  I'll leave it to you to decide to do it for 2014 and beyond.