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The runner begins his retreat to the base at :16 into the video. The first baseman catches the ball and begins applying the tag just before it turns to :17. So the whole thing happens in one second.
I think the play illustrates important differences between FED, OBR, and NCAA.
Under OBR, the first baseman is not guilty of obstruction if he is in the act of fielding a throw. The ball must be in flight, directly toward, and near enough to the fielder so he must occupy his position to receive the ball. Clearly, the ball is in flight, directly toward, and within less than a second of that first baseman. It shouldn't be considered obstruction under the OBR.
As far as FED, I was a high school umpire in a non-FED state. So if I say something incorrect, hopefully a FED umpire will chime in. As I understand it, the FED definition of obstruction is very similar to OBR. Apparently the FED rule uses the language, "the immediate act of catching the ball." I don't know how much more immediate you can get than a fraction of a second. I would say this likely isn't obstruction under FED rules either, unless something has changed under FED that I don't know about.
But under NCAA rules, the first baseman cannot block the base without having clear possession of the ball -- period. That first baseman must first catch the ball before he can take a position to block the base. Clearly, he did not do that. The runner arrived first, albeit in less than a second before the throw arrived, but the runner arrived before the ball nonetheless. So under NCAA rules, this could very well be obstruction.
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Jim Porter
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