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Originally Posted by wadeintothem
Maybe its the baseball catcher in me, always leave the runner a spot to go unless you want to get killed.
But with these strict OBS rules.. that thinking would probably not apply to softball..
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Think of it this way. You are a runner rounding 2B on your way to 3B. F5 is setting up for a throw from CF on the corner of the base pointing at you. While there is no play to which react yet, do you think that you should have to adjust your route to approach the portion of the base left available or should you have access to any part of the base you chose?
As a runner going to 3B, I would always round 2B wide when I knew a throw was coming from the RCF-LCF range so I put myself between the ball and F5. Well, if F5 is set up on that side of the base, should I not be allowed access to that side of the base? Please note, I am not running at F5 trying to draw an OBS call, but to the portion of the base I believe is more beneficial to my goal of reaching it safely. If the defense wanted the out that bad, they should be able to get the ball there earlier than my fat *** gets there.
To mention the issue towards the beginning of "straddling" a base. This alone is not OBS. A smart player (okay, stop laughing) wouldn't be over the base, but on the opposite side of that which the runner is approaching. Now, if there is no play or the ball gets away from the defender and the runner wants stay on their feet or execute a pop-up slide to possibly advance and is impeded by the defender, OBS is the obvious call. And (oops, there I go again) staying on one's feet and intentionally crashing into the defender gets them an immediate trip to wherever. They don't have to go home, but they cannot stay at the field/complex/park.