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Originally Posted by Rich Fronheiser
I treat OBR games exactly the same.
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Then you're choosing to umpire OBR games with your own set of rules. You can argue the merits and logic of the rule...and whether it
should be changed (as you implicitly did in the last paragraph of your post)...but to change it on your own by inserting your own (FED or NCAA) rule is something I have no respect for, unfortunately. Just so we're clear, I usually always respect your posts and positions...but not this one.
If one of my umpires (in my association that I'm President of) admitted to using OBR in a FED game or FED in an OBR game because he didn't like a particular rule or rule interpretation I'd come down pretty hard on him. I'm understanding of guys confusing one for the other during the heat of a game...but not understanding a rule is a totally different animal than intentionally ignoring a particular rule because of the umpire's particular view of the rule. You're doing a diservice to the league that retained your services, and your association's other umpires who, possibly, will have to explain to an irate coach why the same play got ruled on differently by different umpires.
And there is no wiggle room here, as you pointed out. Obstruction is a MAJOR difference between OBR and FED/NCAA. Treating an OBR "Type B" obstruction the same as you treat FED or NCAA obstruction is wrong. OBR requires the umpire to kill the ball when a play is being made on the protected runner.
And (it is not clear in your post) if you are treating OBR "Type A" obstruction as you would in FED (keep the ball "live")...if you are, then that's, IMO, even worse.