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Originally Posted by David B
Its hard to penalize the defense for something they didn't do, or when they did it right to start with.
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The new obstruction rule is not that hard, and it has been refined in NCAA for years. Don't expect much refinement.
This particular sitch is not that hard, either. Penalize the defense for something that they didn't do? Huh? An infielder made a lousy throw, pulling F3 off the bag, without the ball, into the path of the runner. That's several "somethings."
Two questions to rule on (this kind of) obstruction:
1. Did the fielder allow access to the base?
2. Did he have (secure) possession of the ball prior to contact?
If the answer to BOTH of those questions is 'no', then rule obstruction; otherwise, play on (and, depending on the level of contact, I'll verbalize "that's nothing!").