Quote:
Originally Posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
Three things:
1) What was all the hub-bub regarding the obstruction call against Texas's catcher in the first inning?
2) Why wasn't the Texas runner ejected for giving the Oregon catcher after being tagged out in the third inning?
3) Later in the game why wasn't the Texas batter/runner ejected for malicious contact when she was tagged out by the Oregon first baseman?
MTD, Sr.
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We have no NCAA ball in Alaska, so this is based on FED or ASA. With all due respect to my colleagues working this game, here are my opinions.. I am totally willing to accept that based on the view from the correct position on the field vs. the angle/distance of the view provided by ESPN I might change my opinion. With that in mind..
1. (This play takes place at about 24:00 into the espn3.com video) It seems clearly that the runner had plenty of time to react to the fielder in her path. All she had to do was go into her slide or step around her. OBS award home. But she CHOSE to stay upright and plow into F2. In Fed, this is a dead ball runner out for MC, ejected, all other runners return to last base occupied. It overrules OBS. In ASA there is no rule to call the runner out if the fielder is guilty of OBS but it is still MC and the runner can be (and my judgement based only on video replay is..should be) ejected.
2. (This play takes place at about 56:00 into the espn3.com video) On this play at the plate F2 has the ball well ahead of the runners arrival, and this time the runner makes a legal slide and is tagged out. So far so good. Then the runner while getting up from being tagged, shoves F2 to the ground forcibly with both arms. Not so good. PU called immediate dead ball after the shove by the runner, but he never signaled and out on the tag. In the video I can't ever see the ball loose it seems like a good tag so this should be a retired runner who then commits malicious contact. (If the ball HAD come lose and the runner had not yet scored then then the runner committed MC while F2 was trying to get the ball we would have INT and an out anyway.)
At the point of MC by a retired runner which it seems to me this shove by this runner is we should have a dead ball and return the runners to last base occupied at the time of the MC. If F2 had a play available on the runners on base but was prevented from making a play because the retired runner shoved her to the ground we would also have INT by a retired runner and the runner closest to home would be declared out. From the views in the video it appears at the time of the MC the lead runner was one step or less off 3B and based on the last shot we get of the batter-runner I doubt she was at 2B, that might have been what the later umpire conference was about. It does not appear in the video that F2 had any subsequent play so no INT by retired runner. But I would have moved the runners back to 1B and 2B.
In my opinion, the shove-down was MC and should also warrent an ejection. Further, had the runner who crashed the opposing F2 in the first inning been ejected, this shove-down issue might not have come up.
Interesting point at 1:03:00 PU has to warn F1 about arguing balls and strikes.
At 2:02:00 of the video we have another play at the plate where the retired runner throws an elbow after being tagged out at home. This time PU does eject the runner. Again, if the earlier MCs were ejected we might not escalate to this.
#3 (2:20:00 of the video) Either NCAA interp and the level of ball I get to do here differ or my judgement and this crew's judgement differ. I see this as the fielder with control of the ball completely stopped on the base bath waiting to apply a simple routine tag. The batter-runner made no attempt to slow down or avoid the contact and in fact raised both arms prior to running into and knocking down F3. It's uncalled for and it's MC. I think it deserves an early check out.
Another interesting point at 2:57:00. Runners on 3B and 2B, 1 out, pop up to F6. Runner retreating to 2B trips F6 as she is trying to catch the pop up. No initial call. F6 makes the catch after falling down. Blues circle the wagons and after further review come up with INT on the runner. Since the ball becomes dead the catch never happened, and it was not going to be a double play. So the batter-runner was placed at 1B with a fielder's choice. There were a lot of Texas fans booing this; one notable fan calling the umpires "spineless" but I think they got the call right.