Quote:
Originally posted by Little Jimmy
I was reading another board that some of you frequent and read something that confused me. I got the idea that some of you would not call obstruction in the following play. Runner coming home. Catcher drops to block homeplate(without ball). Runner DOESN'T alter path. She simply slides into catcher who stops her progress to the plate. JUST BEFORE CONTACT, catcher gets possession of ball, then contact occurs, then tag is put down.
So catcher is in the path of the runner. I'm not sure if runner has slowed down a little or not. All I know is as runner goes into her slide and catcher is blocking her way I'm thinking I've got obstruction, giving any benefit of the doubt to the runner. The fact that the catcher catches the ball a fraction of a second before contact seems to go against the recent emphasis.
Given the circumstances first stated, would you call obstruction?
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Here's the crux, Jimmy. Blocking the base without the ball is not obstruction. Impeding the progress of the runner without the ball is obstruction. If the runner was not impeded UNTIL the fielder had possession of the ball, there was no obstruction.