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Originally Posted by tibear
I agree with you to a point. When we call obstruction type "B", when there is no immediate play on the runner. Don't we have to "untangle" the play once we see what happens and make a judgement call. i.e. situation with R1 stealing on the pitch, batter hits a ball to deep right field. R1 waits to see if the ball is caught and then sees ball go over the fielders head. R1 is then obstructed between 2nd and 3rd and as a result is only able to get to third and the batter is standing on second. Depending on how long it took for the right fielder to retrieve the ball and throw to the infield, doesn't the umpire have to determine where the runners should be placed as a direct result of the obstruction?
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I'll probably regret this, but:
There is a major difference between the example you site and most types of offensive interference. In type B obstruction no one is preventing a play from occuring. The fielder is free to do his job. Interference, by its very nature, hinders an actual play. It is much more difficult to access what "might" have happened, thus play is halted and the penalty enforced.