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NFHS 2002/2003 Umpires Manual, page 47.
"Obstruction is the act of a fielder who is in the base path without the ball, and is not attempting to field a batted ball or about to receive a thrown ball, and who impedes the progress of a runner. A general rule of thumb, on "about to receive a thrown ball philosophies," is that when the ball is beween the runner and the fielder catching it, the fielder is "about to receive it."
So - an NHFS umpire can use his own judgement of about to receive, or he can use the offered "rule of thumb" interpretation.
If he uses the "rule of thumb" then 99.99999% of the time he negates "about to receive." Thus obstruction becomes "the act of a fielder who is in the base path without the ball."
IMO (as you well know, Dakota!) there never has been "about to receive" as long as that "closer to fielder" interpretation has been around. All ASA did was clean up the language and officially get rid of "about to receive" in 2004. I assume that NFHS and others will follow in 2005.
WMB
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