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I guess I see it as a ruling in line with the concept of the safety base. My interp of the whole double base idea is that the runner has a base (15X15) to run to and the fielder has a base to make a play at. The theory as I understand it is now BR has an unobstructed "lane" to run at and the fielder has an area to touch the base without worrying about getting an ankle clipped by the passing runner.
Normal play: Fielder has white portion, BR has contrasting colored bag never the two shall meet.
Errant throw play 1: Play ASA clarification describes. Errant throw pulls fielder into the batter runners path in front of the contrasting color portion of the bag. At this point BR is free to use the white portion again theory is they switch bags, defense gets contrasting color bag to make play, BR gets white portion to have unobstructed path to run through.
Errant throw play 2:One that Steve described from the past interp. Throw takes fielder past the colored portion into foul ground then the fielder is coming back to touch contrasting portion of the bag.
To me both the errant plays have the same receipt for a collision. If you think of it as I described above with a BR having an open base to run through either play 1 or play 2 has the fielder possibly/probably blocking the contrasting bag, leaving only the white bag for the BR to run through. So if in play 1 I require the fielder to cross in from the colored portion to the white portion I have IMO put the BR at a disadvantage since they have to change which portion they are running to again and they possibly have both portions of that base blocked by the fielder, who will most likely have the ball at that point so there would be no OBS called.
Again in answer to the OP about advantages it can be looked at either way. Looking at it from the BR's eyes if you made the fielder come back to the white portion: I'm running to colored portion, play develops fielder comes over colored portion I aim for the now open white portion, now fielder comes back to white portion I have to move my aim back to colored portion. Granted these are small differences since the two bags are connected. But if we rule with the clarification once that fielder is pulled into the contrasting colored portion as a BR I know the white is all mine I got a clear lane to run through.
Now I personally haven't seen data that says a double base is safer or not so don't think I feel this rule is a "required item" to save lives at 1st base or anthing. But I see this as a consistent way to rule in this case, if the defense gets pulled onto the contrasting bag they use it to make their play and that frees up the white bag for the BR to have an open lane to run to.
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