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Originally Posted by mbyron
FED: if he does not slide and he makes contact with the catcher, then you have some decisions to make:
MC or not? You've stated that this was not MC, but I'm likely to rule that any contact significant enough to prevent F2 from catching a good throw IS MC. Penalty: out and ejected, MC supersedes obstruction.
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Why would you rule that way? If the runner attemped to avoid the catcher, how could it possibly be malicious contact?
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If no MC, then we go to the next question:
Did the contact alter the play? If so, the runner is out (8-4-2b: "A runner is out when he...does not legally slide and causes illegal contact and/or illegally alters the actions of a fielder in the immediate act of making a play"). Notice that the language of this rule requires that the runner AVOID the fielder, not just TRY to avoid. Penalty: out, no EJ.
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Again, if I have a runner that attempts to avoid contact then, I do not have a runner that caused illegal contact.
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If the runner is not out, then we go to the next question:
OBS or not? If the runner can step on the plate, then he obviously has access to it. No OBS as you describe the play.
Given what you describe, I've probably got MC on this play. At the very least, the runner is out under the slide provision (8-4-2b) quoted above. No way this is OBS.
Someone else will have to give you a Babe Ruth ruling.
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From what I understand, the wording here indicates that the runner is not allowed to illegally slide. Certainly, you are not trying to institute the mythical slide rule, are you?
So, I have a runner trying avoid contact-he is fine. The OBS call is hard to say with seeing it. But, you can certainly have OBS without the fielder covering every inch of the base with body. If the runner does not make it to the base because of the contact with a catcher without the ball, then I would rule OBS.
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