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Originally Posted by AtlUmpSteve
Oh well. You asked, and have been told that is the direction from ASA. You don't agree, oh well.
It's called judgment, and you are expected to have it and use it. It appears either you don't, won't, or choose to not agree.
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Judgment? Who says I am averting any judgment on such plays?
I'm merely saying that, as a practical matter, on plays that may involve a multi-base obstruction award, where the obstruction occurs long before the play is going to come to a conclusion, that an umpire is wise to mold his final judgment into what makes sense.
Let me ask you this. Let's say F3 is playing in close, anticipating a bunt. The batter swings away and hits the ball into the right field corner and is actually obstructed by F3 between home and first?
You and others (and apparently the ASA) require the umpire to make a decision at this point. Are you saying that the umpire has to have impeccable accuracy at this point as to where he will protect the runner? Hell, neither the runner nor the third base coach, at this point in time, even knows what exactly is going to happen. They are going to assess the play as it unfolds and play accordingly.
I would recommend the umpire do the same thing.
If the ASA powers-that-be mandate something different - then yes - I choose not to agree with them. Of course, they would never know that I am applying my judgment in defiance to their mandate, since there is no way of determining that.
However, if I make a completely outrageous (and obviously illogical) base award on an obstruction play, they (the ASA powers-that-be) may safely assume that I applied their mandate by making an earlier decision and not allowing the manner in which the play unfolds to be a factor.
I'm not disputing what ASA says. I'm making a practical point. Let's not pretend that we, as umpires, do not apply methodologies that we have discovered work on the field although they may not be what some textbook says or what some party line clinician might say.
I'm telling you, that if I see a very close play on an obstructed runner, I'm always going to call her safe. If I see an obstructed runner thrown out by a mile, especially if it was mild obstruction, I'm going to maintain the out call ... and I may not know which it will be until it happens. That's how I call it. I maintain that's how most umpires call it - even it they won't admit it. And the beauty is - they don't
have to admit it.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN