My First FPSR

[grayhawk]

I had my first FPSR call yesterday. R1. B1 chops one back to F1 who wheels and throws to F6 for the out. R1 then slides through the bag, F6 (who is on the bag) has to jump to avoid him and doesn't make the throw. R1's feet end up about 18 inches past the back edge of 2B. "Time, that's interference. He's out (looking at R1). He's out (looking at BR)." OM walks down from the third base coach's box and asks why I made that call. My explanation, "Coach, the runner slid through the bag and altered the play. That's clearly an illegal slide." He says he didn't think the slide made a difference. I say, "It did in my judgement." He gets back to the coaches box and yells to his player, "That was a great slide, Joe!" I am thinking to myself, "Yup, that was a great illegal slide."

Of course, this manager didn't know:

1. That courtesy runners were allowed.

2. That the same runner couldn't run for the pitcher and catcher.

3. That there are weekly pitching limitations.

4. That subbing for the DH (by an eligible substitute) doesn't cancel the DH.

Seriously, if you are a manager in high school, how is it POSSIBLE that you don't know the substitution rules?

[UmpJM]

grayhawk,

From your description, I fear you may have incorrectly called an FPSR violation.

As long as the slides slides directly "to" the bag (as opposed to either "side of the bag"), he is only guilty of an FPSR violation if he "slides through" the bag and then contacts the fielder "beyond the bag". (2-32-2 ( c ) )

If the fielder is on top of the bag and the runner makes an "on the ground slide" and ends up sliding beyond the bag, that is, as his coach suggested, a "great slide" and perfectly legal, even under FED rules.

If I'm misinterpreting what happened, then never mind.

JM

[grayhawk]

grayhawk,

From your description, I fear you may have incorrectly called an FPSR violation.

As long as the slides slides directly "to" the bag (as opposed to either "side of the bag"), he is only guilty of an FPSR violation if he "slides through" the bag and then contacts the fielder "beyond the bag". (2-32-2 ( c ) )

If the fielder is on top of the bag and the runner makes an "on the ground slide" and ends up sliding beyond the bag, that is, as his coach suggested, a "great slide" and perfectly legal, even under FED rules.

If I'm misinterpreting what happened, then never mind.

JM

Crap, you are right! The key words being "and then" contacts the fielder or alters the play. Oh well, sometimes you have to experience it to really KNOW it. Thanks.