I believe it, but...Coaches - learn something here (Interference/Obstruction/Umpire in Chief responsibilities)

1. The base umpire was wrong, this was not obstruction against the defense. (You keep calling obstruction, "interference." That's a dangerous mistake. Use the proper terminology with umpires so they take your arguments seriously.)

2. The plate umpire was wrong, not only for overruling another umpire, but for calling this interference on the offense.

3. The plate umpire cannot eject another umpire.

As you have been told by a few people on this board, your situation was nothing. It was a train wreck, legal collision, accidental crash, incidental contact. The runner did not intentionally interfere, which is the requirement with a thrown ball. And the fielder did not obstruct, because the ball was in flight and near enough to him for him to be judged in the act of fielding it.

Let me kill a myth.

Myth # 1
The plate umpire is in charge of all the umpires.

This is totally untrue. The rulebook clearly gives equal power to all umpires involved in a game. The difference is in responsibilities. The base umpire has his, and the plate umpire has his. The plate umpire cannot legally eject another umpire.

As far as overruling is concerned, the only time one umpire should ever overrule another umpire is if one is a rookie or novice and makes a BIG mistake. Otherwise, overruling is illegal.

Where does this myth come from? Two places.

First, the rulebook designates the plate umpire as Umpire-in-Chief. All this title means is that it is his duty to -

1. Take full charge of, and be responsible for, the proper conduct of the game;
2. Call and count balls and strikes;
3. Call and declare fair balls and fouls except those commonly called by field umpires;
4. Make all decisions on the batter;
5. Make all decisions except those commonly reserved for the field umpires;
6. Decide when a game shall be forfeited;
7. If a time limit has been set, announce the fact and the time set before the game starts;
8. Inform the official scorer of the official batting order, and any changes in the lineups and batting order, on request;
9. Announce any special ground rules.
10. Be the sole judge as to the fitness of the playing field (Pro ball).
11. Take charge between games of a doubelheader to assure the fitness of the playing field for the second game (Pro ball).

The name, "Umpire-in-Chief," does not imply dominance over other umpires.

Next, in Pro ball, each umpiring crew has a Crew Chief. This is rare in amateur ball. Very seldom is there a Crew Chief on the field in a youth game. The most common pseudo-Crew Chief you will likely see in amateur ball occurs when one umpire is a trainee, rookie, or novice, and the other umpire is a veteran.

In pro ball, it is the Crew Chief's duty to -
1. Intervene and assist in the resolution of any problem;
2. Generally supervise the work of umpires in his team;
3. Work as a liaison to the League office regarding the umpires in his team;
4. Make a final decision in case there are conlficting calls on a play;
5. Rotate umpires prior to a game so that one is always near the playing field an hour and a half before game time to ensure that fraternization rules are not violated by any players (this is no longer done as it once was);
6. Be sure the proper number of balls are rubbed prior to a game (umpires in The Show no longer rub the balls, but AAA and below they still do);
7. Meet with the groundskeeper to create a plan to cover the field in case of inclement weather;
8. Meet with the press following the game to answer questions regarding controversial calls (nowadays, the umpire who made the call will do this);
9. Approve a game being called or forfeited;
10. Encourage and require a review before and after each game.
11. Enforce the rule banning visitors from the umpires' dressing room.

I hope this has been informative.

Sincerely,
Jim Porter
Youth League Correspondent
eUmpire.com
JimPorter@RightSports.com