Posted on 06/21/2003 7:51:50 PM PDT by Ready4Freddy
Division I
2003 Division I College World Series
June 21, 2003 -- Chris Kolkhorst did just about everything for the Rice Owls in helping his team win Game 1 of the Championship series at the CWS. Rice took advantage of a Stanford error in the bottom of the 10th inning to give Rice the win, 4-3. Kolhorst scored the winning run. He also made two outstanding plays in the outfield, one of which was a potential game saving grab. Tune in to the press conference to see what the players and coaches have to say about the game and the rest of the series.
Coach Wayne Graham is also a Houston guy, coached HS there as well as at San Jacinto Junior College, where he won 5 Juco titles (coached Roger Clemens and Andy Petitte at SJJC).
Rice & Stanford have athletic grad rates of 91% & 90% respectively, btw.
Great game tonight, too bad it had to end on an error
Both Jose & Enrique played on State Championship teams at Bellaire HS in Houston (a couple of decades after moi :).
Why would the runner be "out of the runners box" when the pithcher's intent was to throw the runner out; not tag him.
In Omaha, NE, w/ no umpires from Texas. LOL
Perhaps Ken Hatfield needs to show the video of that play to the football team. That was quite a hit.
I hate collisions at 1st base, partially tore an ACL in one, playing softball w/ a buncha amateurs once.
OBR 7.09 It is interference by a batter or runner when:
(k) In running the last half of the distance from home base to first base while the ball is being fielded to first base, he runs outside (to the right of) the three foot line, or inside (to the left of) the foul line and, in the umpire's judgment, interferes with the fielder taking the throw at first base, or attempting to field a batted ball; The lines marking the three foot lane are a part of that "lane" but the interpretation to be made is that a runner is required to have both feet within the three foot "lane" or on the lines marking the "lane."
(l) He fails to avoid a fielder who is attempting to field a batted ball, or intentionally interferes with a thrown ball, provided that if two or more fielders attempt to field a batted ball, and the runner comes in contact with one or more of them, the umpire shall determine which fielder is entitled to the benefit of this rule, and shall not declare the runner out for coming in contact with a fielder other than the one the umpire determines to be entitled to field such a ball; When a catcher and batter runner going to first base have contact when the catcher is fielding the ball, there is generally no violation and nothing should be called. "Obstruction" by a fielder attempting to field a ball should be called only in very flagrant and violent cases because the rules give him the right of way, but of course such "right of way" is not a license to, for example, intentionally trip a runner even though fielding the ball. If the catcher is fielding the ball and the first baseman or pitcher obstructs a runner going to first base "obstruction" shall be called and the base runner awarded first base.
The key phrase being "in the umpire's judgment." From my perspective, the ball was already past the firstbaseman, hence the contact did not constitute interference. (I'm rooting for Stanford, by the way. Go Trees!))
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