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Originally Posted by CecilOne
OK, hopefully to clarify, I assumed saying "which are OBS to call" meant there was a hindrance of the runner with or without a throw to the base and I was asking about which degree(s) of the fielder position is/are violation(s) of the rule.
IOW, I think both feet on the 2nd base side of 1st contacted by the runner is clearly a violation and called.
The above different degrees of base-blocking by the fielder are the questions of whether they matter if there is any hindrance.
Sorry about the cryptic results of my typing aversion, I'll have to keep fighting it.
Hoping for voice input sometime soon.
Still: - I know what I think & do, will post later, checking for disagreement.
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Well... honestly, if these are the things you are thinking about, comparing and contrasting, etc, when deciding whether or not to call obstruction, I am not sure you are being correctly told when to call it. No offense intended.
The first set of 3 (the ones you didn't repost) are obstruction every day and twice on Sunday. Call any of those situations every single time. Without thinking about it. Period. Granted - 90% of the time (or more) it will not matter at all that you called it. But for those 10% you better have called it when it happened, and not tried to retroactively call it. Besides, on the occasion that the defense does these things and you call it, the offense is allowed to try to capitalize, if they are paying attention. If you refuse to call it because you believe it's not going to matter, you take away that right.
The second set of 4 - as several have pointed out - the thing you are trying to differentiate is COMPLETELY irrelevant. You can have #1 (which appears to be the most likely to be OBS) not be obstruction at all. You can have #4 (apparently the least likely) and have obstruction. You can have a fielder BEYOND the base, and have it still be obstruction (rare, but possible). Where, in relation to the base, she's standing is NOT what the umpire should be worried about.
I think what bothers me most is this:
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The above different degrees of base-blocking by the fielder are the questions of whether they matter if there is any hindrance.
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This sounds like baseball thinking to me. Don't think base-blocking. Think RUNNER-blocking or hindering.
Regarding this:
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I assumed saying "which are OBS to call" meant there was a hindrance of the runner
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You say right there that there was a hindrance... THAT IS OBSTRUCTION.