RLI...................... again

[Guest R. Duke]

I know this has been discussed many times before and is somewhat HTBT but here goes.  Fed:  swinging bunt down 1st base line, BR starts to the left of

the foul line and comes back near to the runners lane.  Good throw by F2 hits runner in the back as he is at  the cutout, BR left foot is clearly in fair territory

and right foot is on or near the foul line.  How much if any leeway is given to BR as he nears the bag which of course is in fair territory.  I let it go but deep down feel

it was probably RLI, of course the no call is usually more readily accepted in this situation and there wasn't much complaining.  I have made this call many times in the

past and it ALWAYS leads a huge outcry, hope this wasn't in the back of my mind

[pnewton]

Batter-runner gets some leeway if he has been in the lane the whole way and come out of it at the very end, no leeway if he wasn't in the lane until he absolutely needed to leave it to reach the base. 

The way I read "to the left" and then "back near...the runners lane" I have this as interference.

[noumpere]

I don't think FED "publishes" thae concept that pnewton describes above, but it's a good one to follow.

And, since the OP needed to ask -- s/he already knows that s/he should have called it -- even if it would lead to more flack.

[BCBrad]

I think, as umpires, that we should make the right call, not the easy call. Granted, we have to take the level and situation into consideration, but the calls that are the skeletons in our umpire closet, are the one's we knew we should have called. 

Last year, I had a couple of CI's that at the moment, I was not sure there was a touch. Only afterwards, did I kick myself for being passive. One of these, the catcher afterwards asked quietly if there was a penalty for hitting his glove. If I could, I would have smacked myself in the back of the head. I let my second-guessing miss the call. Nobody knew; nobody complained, but it still lingers with me. This lingering of missed calls drives me to learn from it and to be more active in what I see.

I think if you see it, call it. Ultimately, I can go home enjoying my game if I called what I saw and did my best. Learning along the way to always elevate that best. 

Outside the lane. RLI. 

[LMSANS]

8 hours ago, Guest R. Duke said:

I know this has been discussed many times before and is somewhat HTBT but here goes.  Fed:  swinging bunt down 1st base line, BR starts to the left of

the foul line and comes back near to the runners lane.  Good throw by F2 hits runner in the back as he is at  the cutout, BR left foot is clearly in fair territory

and right foot is on or near the foul line.  How much if any leeway is given to BR as he nears the bag which of course is in fair territory.  I let it go but deep down feel

it was probably RLI, of course the no call is usually more readily accepted in this situation and there wasn't much complaining.  I have made this call many times in the

past and it ALWAYS leads a huge outcry, hope this wasn't in the back of my mind

If taken literally, BR is standing still.. At the cutout, he is still 2 steps away and should be in lane.  Interference.