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Unbelievable! The text "about to receive" was removed from 8.4.3 in 2005 as part of the obstruction change. But it looks like somebody left it in the computer somewhere and it snuck back in this year. Nice find, SC.
No problem with Sit. A being obstruction.
In Sit.B we cannot have simultaneous ball arrived and contact - one must have happened before the other. In my mind, if the ball disappears into the glove a millisecond before contact then I have interference and runner is out (based on the NFHS interpretation of no train-wreck.) However another surprise. Runner remaining on her feet and crashing into defender has been deleted from 8.3.14 this year. Now 8.3.14 only addresses malicious contact. It appears that you now have to use the did not legally slide/illegal contact clause of art 13 to call interference.
I dont have a problem with obstruction in Sit C. Remember that the defender is being drawn into the runners path by an errant throw. Any time that runner recognizes the danger and reacts by changing directions she has been impeded.
AtlUmpSteve: I had a no train wreck interpretation in a Mary Struckhoff email last spring (from a collision at 1B due to errant throw), but I did not see anything in the 2005 Softball Guide. Where did you see it?
WMB
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