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Old Sun Oct 15, 2006, 09:54pm
SanDiegoSteve SanDiegoSteve is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Lakeside, California
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave Hensley
From the OBR 2.00 definition of OBSTRUCTION:

After a fielder has made an attempt to field a ball and missed, he can no longer be in the "act of fielding" the ball. For example: an infielder dives at a ground ball and the ball passes him and he continues to lie on the ground and delays the progress of the runner, he very likely has obstructed the runner.

Based on the information in your post that I have boldfaced above, and this citation from the OBR definition of obstruction, I would say you were perfectly justified in judging (and obstruction IS a judgment call) obstruction and awarding the obstructed runner 1B. You have not only rulebook support for the judgment, as I've noted, it's also the CS&FP (common sense and fair play) call, given the circumstances you described. The defense shouldn't expect it can butcher a play that badly, knock the runner senseless in the process, and pull an out out of the rabbit's hat.
I don't agree at all. He said, "The ball was thrown too high for F3 to catch and after it sailed over his head to the 8 foot high fence, the batter-runner collided with F3 and BR falls to the ground..." It sounds to me like the BR collided with F3 immediately after the ball passed F3. F3 wasn't "lying on the ground delaying the runner's progress" or anything remotely similar.

The fact that the ball was too high is irrelevant. This isn't football, and it's not the same thing as a Pass Interference "uncatchable ball" scenario. There is no precedent for saying that the fielder could not possibly catch the ball. The ball "sailed over his head to the 8 foot fence..." To me, that shows that the ball wasn't that far out of F3's reach, if it hit a fence behind him which was only 8 feet high. You make it sound like the ball should have gone over the fence and out of play, the way you are saying they "butchered it that badly."

I picture it more like: The throw was off-line and too high, the fielder had the right to try to catch it nonetheless, incidental contact with the runner. Not obstruction. Had F3 purposely remained in the baseline to obstruct the runner, then yes, you would have something. But this did not occur "after a fielder has made an attempt to field the ball and missed." It occurred during a play where he made a legal attempt to field the ball.
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