Quote:
Originally posted by teacherspit
I can not understand why ASA or FED or what ever organization can not just kill the play when an obstructed runner is getting ready to have a play made upon them. If the ball is still alive then there is another possibility for a new obstruction on the same runner, which would lead to more anguish for the umps. Where does the runner end up? one base or two?
I say kill it, kill it as soon as a play is being made on the obstructive runner and award bases to other runners no matter where they are.
I guarantee you that obstruction would be called a lot less. Or for the most part it would be a lot easier to call and award for an ump.
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Speaking ASA
The idea is to get obstruction called a lot
MORE and I disagree it would be easier to award bases.
Just how many eyes do you have? There are umpires that can barely handle one runner and now you want to make them responsible for placing four?
Obstruction is a rule which brings the field back to a level situation when the defense is where they are not supposed to be. The biggest debate about obstruction is the judgment, so why add more to the fray? There needs to be a specific point in time to kill the play.
There are umpires who want to call obstruction with a runner nearly 60' from the alleged obstruction. The BR may not even be to 1B yet, but you are going to want to award him bases?
If you start killing plays on a whim, and yes some obstruction calls are just that, than you will end up with nothing, but chaos. If you kill a play, you are depriving the offense (the offended team) the possibility of advancing farther than they would have with or without the obstruction, and denying the defense the ability to put out an active runner which was not affected by a possible obstruction.
ASA spent years paring down and generalizing many rules to make them simpler, and it wasn't for the player's benefit, but the umpires. Meanwhile, we still have umpires with 20 years experience who still cannot get the rules straight. And now, you believe they should become more complicated just to make it easier on the umpire (which, IMO, it wouldn't).
Obstruction and Interference are rules in place meant to reverse a wrong and give the offended team what they would likely have had if the infraction did not occur. Many, if not most, OBS & INT calls are the result of an unintentional act, so why do we want to take this sport and turn the rules into a matter of vengence when not necessary?
IMO, the rule is just peachy they way it is and needs no adjustment.