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Pete, you are in left field once again..............
First off, the immediate decision to protect BR to 3B in this play is a poor decision that can be later altered. You need not determine your final protection at the moment of the obstruction. Using common sense you must realize that the obstruction of BR had no bearing on R2. Therefore, if BR runs up the back of R2, then he does so at his own risk and as a result of his own stupidity. If R2 never attempted advance to 3B, then you could and should award 3B to R2 as he is then, after the play is over, forced to advance due to the mandatory one base award of BR to 2B. However, if BR is thrown out attempting to acquire 3B when he cannot legitimately acquire that base (R2 has possession of 3B), then he's on his own.
In your play, BR acquired 2B---his mandatory award base. He could not have acquired 3B if R2 needed to stay on 3B, so I don't know how you could immediately judge that you are awarding 3B to BR---a poor decision. Now R2 eventually passes 3B, and BR passes 3B, so there's no more worry about obstruction penalty. The runners are on their own.
R2 elects to return to 3B, and BR passes him. BR is rightfully declared out, but he either doesn't hear or understand the call, and BR continues his attempted return to 2B. He as well as the defense should know he's been declared out. The defense should not have played upon BR, but when they did, they did so of their own choice.
Merely continuing to run is not an infraction under Fed rule (there is caseplay to support that). In this case, you tell the coach that the defense as well as the runner should have realized that the BR was declared out, and therefore, the run of R2 scores. BR's mere attempt at return to 2B after being declared out is not interference (as Pete indicated that is could be).
This scenerio is certainly different vs. when a lead runner is obstructed.
If R2 had been obstructed and you were going to award him home despite his decision to stop at 3B after the obstruction, you could award 3B to BR (who may have stopped at 2B with R2 on 3B) if you felt BR could have safely acquired 3B absent of the obstruction.
Freix
[Edited by Bfair on Jan 24th, 2003 at 09:05 AM]
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