I guess we will all be umpiring softball next year
 

From NFHS.org:

INDIANAPOLIS, IN (July 9, 2007) -- Beginning with the 2008 high school baseball season, fielders without possession of the ball will not be allowed to deny access to the base that a runner is attempting to achieve.
This change in Rule 2-22-3 is one of numerous rules revisions approved by the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Baseball Rules Committee at its annual meeting June 12-14 in Indianapolis. The rules changes subsequently were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.
"This rules revision will be very beneficial because it will minimize the risk of injury for both offensive and defensive players," said Elliot Hopkins, NFHS director of educational services and liaison to the Baseball Rules Committee.

How is this different from OBS that we currently call?

I believe you will find that obstruction calls are much easier with this new ruling. It takes the fuzziness out of the call. Either you have it, or you don't.

The current rule contains the concept of "in the immediate act of making a play" and "when a play is imminent."

The new rule doesn't -- the fielder must have the ball.

Sounds to me like they are just giving the coaches more things to complain about. Personally, I didn't have any problem enforcing the rule the way it was.

Oh Well,
 

"Sounds to me like they are just giving the coaches more things to complain about."

I don't know how you can think this. In the most general of terms the NFHS has just tried to get their rule more closely associated to the NCAA rule.

This seems to be a rather nice change from my view. We no longer have to try to teach each umpire what "imminent" means and give guidelines.

Regards,

I hope you're right, Tim. For the most part, NFHS coaches around here have the hardest time with the rules changes that should be the easiest to understand. I do like the fact that NFHS is trying to get closer to NCAA.

This will be only a little difficult to teach at first. I believe we'll have to go over and over what constitutes a train wreck when an errant throw pulls a fielder into a runners basepath.


Tim.

As far as I am concerned, if the FED moves this way it will be a breath of fresh air!

Which is exactly what I have been saying all along.

A move closer to NCAA is good in most cases since NCAA is closer to OBR than FED is. It will be easy to adjust to this change for HS games, but in some cases make it more difficult. Will American Legion follow? Will tons of summer leagues who follow OBR follow? As long as there are differences there will be occassions to explain the rules to coaches who most of which don't know a single set of rules much less multiple sets.

I have had very few arguments regarding obstruction at the plate and no problems explaining imminent to the complaining manager. But ball in hand will be easier, I must admit.

With this new rule, won't "train wrecks" be eliminated?

No. (Well, not likely -- I haven't seen the final rule.) A throw that takes a fielder into the path of a runner will still be a train wreck.

The current softball FED rule considers denying a base without possession of the ball as obstruction, so my comments are assuming (yes, I know, assume) that this will be the model for FED baseball as well.

In FED softball, their are no more train wrecks. You either have:
a) Fielder has ball, runner contacts fielder for a tag out, interference, and/or malicious contact.
b) Fielder does not have ball, runner contacts fielder (unintenionally), obstruction on the fielder.

The model is the NCAA (baseball) obstruction rule.