Quote:
Originally posted by Dakota
Quote:
Originally posted by greymule
"About to receive" meant "ball is between fielder and runner." With the rule change, if a runner crashes a catcher who is juggling the ball or picking up the ball (ball between fielder and runner), is that no longer a violation? (Let's acknowledge that a deliberate, dirty play falls into its own category.)
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I would hope ASA would add a case play or two and explain their interp in the POEs. The one (and only, IMO) good thing about the ASA "about to receive" rule is that it applied to more than just a straightforward throw and catch timing vs the approaching runner. It dealt with bobbled balls, etc., since the ball was clearly closer to the fielder than the runner if the fielder was trying to maintain control.
If we follow the strict (assumed) letter of the new rule, if the fielder does not have possession, then the fielder would be guilty of obstruction. If that's the way ASA wants it called, fine, but it will definitely require some adjustments by the defense.
International rules will provide an established base of interps, but most ASA umpires do not call (or know) the international rules and applications of the rules.
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I think y'all are making this more difficult than necessary.
All the change did was protect the runner when there was no valid play to be made by the defense. I don't think the umpire needs to establish possession before making a call, you'll know it when you see it. If the ball gets inside the glove and then comes out when an attempt is made to tag the runner, that's probably a dropped ball, not obstruction.
If the defender doesn't have a play, they shouldn't be in the basepath to start.