ASA Question on "Crashing"

[GroveDiesel]

Not sure if it's changed at all, but the Supplement to the Rules in the 2008 Rulebook say:

"13. CRASHING INTO A FIELDER WITH THE BALL. (INTERFERENCE)
In an effort to prevent injury and protect a defensive player attempting
to make a play on a runner, a runner must be called out when they remain
on their feet and crash into a defensive player who is holding the ball and
waiting to apply a tag. To prevent the out ruling, the runner may slide, jump
over the defender holding the ball, go around the defender or return to the
previous base touched. If the act is determined to be flagrant, the offender
is ejected. A runner may slide into the fielder."

My question is, is there any point where sliding into a fielder is illegal? We've had quite a few guys executing takeout slides to break up double plays and a lot of the time guys are getting spiked in the knees or thighs or just totally blown up. Doing all of that seems like it would be against the spirit of the rule being that it's there to protect people, but I don't see anything that actually makes any of that stuff illegal.

Is there anything that could qualify any of that as illegal, or is it just up to infielders to enforce it by giving a guy like that a solid spike to the face?

 

[baldgriff]

Hard slides are GTG. I got taken out on a slide 2 weeks ago by a guy sliding through me to the bag as I was coming across. He didnt bring the leg up or anything, just a good hard slide.

That said, I have seen the interference called on guys sliding and going out of there way (in their normal slide) to try and leg whip or kick the fielder. In those instances, I can see the call being appropriate.

 

[NCASAUmp]

Unlike NFHS (high school rules), ASA does not have a definition of a "legal slide." The judgment of interference and unsportsmanlike conduct is left to the umpire.

There is no rule that says a runner can't perform a hard slide into the base. There is no rule that says a runner can't slide in a direction other than the base they're going to.

However, if a runner slides in such a manner that causes a collision and there is no reasonable explanation for doing so, they run the risk of an interference call or possibly even ejection.

For example, a runner may perform a "hook slide" whereby the runner slides alongside the base, hooking either their arm or leg towards the base. If this slide takes them into the fielder, it may still be legal.

If, on the other hand, a runner slides directly towards a base, but has one foot raised high into the air (say, high enough to catch the fielder's knee or thigh), then this is NOT a normal amateur softball slide, and they could possibly get called for interference as well as ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It's all umpire's judgment.

As an aside, the rules supplement you quoted has to do with a runner remaining on their feet and crashing, not a runner sliding into a fielder.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Unlike NFHS (high school rules), ASA does not have a definition of a "legal slide." The judgment of interference and unsportsmanlike conduct is left to the umpire.

There is no rule that says a runner can't perform a hard slide into the base. There is no rule that says a runner can't slide in a direction other than the base they're going to.

However, if a runner slides in such a manner that causes a collision and there is no reasonable explanation for doing so, they run the risk of an interference call or possibly even ejection.

For example, a runner may perform a "hook slide" whereby the runner slides alongside the base, hooking either their arm or leg towards the base. If this slide takes them into the fielder, it may still be legal.

If, on the other hand, a runner slides directly towards a base, but has one foot raised high into the air (say, high enough to catch the fielder's knee or thigh), then this is NOT a normal amateur softball slide, and they could possibly get called for interference as well as ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct.

It's all umpire's judgment.

As an aside, the rules supplement you quoted has to do with a runner remaining on their feet and crashing, not a runner sliding into a fielder.

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I only quoted that rule because there doesn't seem to be anything specifically addressing that issue other than the Crash ruling saying that a "Crash" does not occur when the runner slides.

My problem is that we've brought the issue up with our league officials and they simply say that there's no ASA rule against it so it's all perfectly legal, even if guys are purposefully taking out defensive players and/or going after knees. Seems ridiculous that in a church league we can't get the league officials to do more than "talk to other teams and discourage it."

I was hoping that there was some sort of general unsportsmanlike catch all ASA rule that it could fit under.

 

[NCASAUmp]

Thanks for the response. Yeah, I only quoted that rule because there doesn't seem to be anything specifically addressing that issue other than the Crash ruling saying that a "Crash" does not occur when the runner slides.

My problem is that we've brought the issue up with our league officials and they simply say that there's no ASA rule against it so it's all perfectly legal, even if guys are purposefully taking out defensive players and/or going after knees. Seems ridiculous that in a church league we can't get the league officials to do more than "talk to other teams and discourage it."

I was hoping that there was some sort of general unsportsmanlike catch all ASA rule that it could fit under.

Well, there's no rule prohibiting this specific behavior, just as there's no rule that says you can't drop-kick an opponent in the nards.

Doesn't mean you can do it, though.

 

[GroveDiesel]

Well, there's no rule prohibiting this specific behavior, just as there's no rule that says you can't drop-kick an opponent in the nards.

Doesn't mean you can do it, though.

Lol, I think I'm going to push my ASA player rep to plead for a rule banning nard kicking. You know, just in case. Thanks again.

 

[buckster]

If the hard slides are becoming takeout slides and players are getting injured, it sounds more like a case of the umpires working your games being afraid to make the correct call. Start ejecting players for USC when it comes to improper slides and I'll bet they come to a halt.

 

[ImminentDanger]

I have a hard time getting our umps to call the 8-7-Q Crashing Rule on guys that deliberately try to take out a player with the ball in-hand.... however, if your guys are being taken out by slides, they need to execute the 'touch-the-bag-and-step-aside' better to remove themselves from the slider...

Of course, if all else fails, there's no rule against landing a knee in the sliders chest just on 'Accident' because he took you off your feet --- not that you should try to hurt anyone....

%%%