Microphones for umpires?

[Jim Porter]

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

1) Am I correct in assuming when you protect someone forward (i.e. to 3rd in this situation) you are also protecting him backwards (to 2nd). Although thats not what the umpire did here, would that be correct if there was no R2 and U2 thought that he would have advanced to 3rd if no obstruction had occured? Seems like he'd be protected both ways.

No, you protect him only one way initially. And then you can use subsequent events during the play, called post-obstruction evidence in Roder's manual, to revise the protection. Post obstruction evidence can include anything and everything that occurs while play is live after the obstruction. Sometimes post-obstruction evidence requires you to extend protection, change protection, or end protection.

Originally Posted by TussAgee11

2) Also, can you never protect him into a base where a runner is occupying the base with no advance eminent? If no, under what circumstances can you protect him to that base?

With Type B obstruction, you must decide which base the obstructed runner could have reached safely had the obstruction not occurred and protect him initially to that base. Obviously, an obstructed runner could not reach an occupied base safely under any circumstances. Only with post-obstruction evidence can you extend protection to that initially occupied base.