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Either I am misreading what some of you are saying, or some of you do not understand obstruction.
A handly place to start is the rule book. In ASA Rule 1 obstruction is defined as an act of A fielder ... which impedes the progress of a runner or batter-runner who is legally running the bases. Contact is not necessary to impede the progress of the runner. (yeah, I know this is a Fed thread - at least is started out that way, but I don't have my fed book handy.)
To impede the progress means that the runner does not make the same progress (speed, direction, distance from A to B, etc.) as s/he would have made. It is not necessary to know the ultimate effect on the play to call obstruction; it is only necessary to see the impeding of progress.
Forcing a runner to go wide or go over a fielder's dropped knee to get back to base on a pickoff attempt is impeding the progress of the runner.
Forcing a runner to take a more indirect route from A to B is impeding the progress of the runner.
Causing the runner to slow down to avoid collision is impeding the progress of the runner.
The reason it is a delayed dead ball call is to allow the play to complete in order to judge the actual effect on the play, and then apply the rule accordingly. You don't have to, and should not be trying to, predict the future. Likewise, you should't wait to see if anything significant results before calling obstruction. You should call obstruction as soon as the runner's progress is impeded by a fielder who does not have a right to impede it (situations where the fielder has a right to impede are listed in ASA Rule 1-B-1 thru 3.).
[Edited by Dakota on Mar 13th, 2003 at 10:48 AM]
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Tom
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