Quote:
Originally Posted by Snocatzdad
Is it USC to take the path you would have taken without the OBS???
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That is the judgment that the umpire has to make!
Simply trying to reach the base and making some contact with an obstructing defender isn't in itself illegal. Purposely "laying out the fielder", acting with flagrant intent to injure or harm another player, excessively crashing into a fielder when avoidance is a viable option- those all go beyond the scope of "just trying to reach the base".
All contact is not created equally and all contact is not illegal contact!
Back to the OP. The poster stated that the runner tried to go through the catcher, laid her out and the he had unsportsmanlike conduct. That is his (the umpire's) judgment to make. So, I didn't really take his question as being, "Is this unsportsmanlike?". He apparently has already judged that the runner's actions were. He was asking about the penalization and scoring of the run. That answer lies in the playing rules, not the individual umpire's judgment or discretion.