I see the news link is back up.. Found this interesting blurb.

With one out and runners on first and second in the bottom of the 10th, Lynx left fielder Bobby Darula singled off reliever Joe Valentine. Bernie Castro was on second and tried to score, but Louisville catcher Dane Sardinha blocked the plate as he awaited right fielder Rick Asadoorian's throw.

The throw was late and Castro would have scored had he slid, but instead he tried to hurdle Sardinha and touch the plate on his way down. He missed the plate and stood 10 feet in back of it.

Sardinha guarded the plate, unsure whether to go tag Castro or prevent Ed Rogers from scoring from third.

"It was the winning run for them and I was just trying to stand in front of the plate and stop him so the ball could get to me and I could tag him out," Sardinha said.

"He ran by and I looked at the umpire and he didn't make any sign -- safe or out -- so I knew he didn't touch the plate."

Home plate umpire Dave Riley eventually called out Castro for leaving the baseline.

Say what?? Leaving the baseline?? Something has to be missing from the story or from the PU's head. Tag out if the runner is still at the plate area, appeal if not. But out of the baseline?? As certain people would say, lah meh

He wasn't called out for leaving the "baseline" to avoid a tag. He was called out (on appeal: 7:10d) because he didn't return to the base.

As is often the case, the sports writer didn't talk to the umpire and doesn't know much about baseball.

Louisville catcher Dane Sardinha blocked the plate as he awaited right fielder Rick Asadoorian's throw.

The throw was late and Castro would have scored had he slid, but instead he tried to hurdle Sardinha and touch the plate on his way down. He missed the plate and stood 10 feet in back of it.

FED RULES--THAT'S OBSTRUCTION!!!! RUN SCORES!!

FED Rules - hurdling is illegal (unless the fielder is lying on the ground).

FED - the act of obstruction does not negate the runner's responsibility to avoid a fielder legally.

was this a FED game? If not, why interject FED rules?

[Edited by LMan on Aug 8th, 2005 at 03:44 PM]

Where you read that one illegal act trumps another illegal act?

Malicious contact supercedes obstruction.

Hurdling is not malicious contact. Since this came up I have been searching for a FED reference (since not hurdling is a FED rule) that says a hurdler who did so because he was obstructed should be called out, instead of calling obstruction, kind of a which came first, chicken or egg question. Seems to me the obstruction came first, and resulted in the hurdling. I have not found the definitive answer yet, that's why I asked where you read this. I can find a reference to a runner being obligated to avoid a fielder legally, when he is not being obstructed, ie catcher has the ball or is in the act of catching. But when one illegal act leads to another, it seems we should figure out which came first.

8.4.2T

Which is one sentence says WHAT????

Thanks. I put my highlighter on it. Seems illogical, but well, it's FED.

Not illogical - obstruction means that a runner can't be put out between the bases where the OBS occurs UNLESS he transgresses in any number of ways... hurdling being one of them (passing another runner, missing a base, etc being the more common ones though).

No, in FED obstruction means a runner advances even if in no danger of being putout. The obstruction (an illegal act) caused the runner to hurdle (another illegal act). Absent the obstruction there would be no hurdle. It seems logical to me to penalize the first illegal act, but the FED case book says otherwise, no doubt ruling on the side of safety.

FED is different. They want to minimize the opportunity for injury I guess.

For example, the NCAA says:

If the defensive player blocks the base (plate) or base line clearly without possession of the ball, obstruction shall be called. The runner is safe and an immediate dead ball shall be called.

A.R.—If the base runner collides flagrantly, the runner shall be declared safe on the obstruction, but will be ejected from the contest. The ball is dead.