Your call?

[rngrck]

Passed ball. R1 breaking for home. F2 throws to F1 covering plate. The ball, R1 and F1 all arrive at same time and a collision occurs in the baseline about 4 ft from the plate. Ball not caught and R1 scores. Interference, obstruction or nothing?

[UmpJM]

rngrck,

To me, this a HTBT situation.

As described, I would be inclined to go with "nothing", possibly obstruction. I'd have to see something blatantly intentional by R1 to call interference.

JM

[kylejt]

Originally Posted by rngrck

Passed ball. R1 breaking for home. F2 throws to F1 covering plate. The ball, R1 and F1 all arrive at same time and a collision occurs in the baseline about 4 ft from the plate. Ball not caught and R1 scores. Interference, obstruction or nothing?

It's nothing IF you judge the throw took F1 to the point of the collision.

What rules set are we talking about here? Some might require a slide or avoid in this situation.

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by kylejt

It's nothing IF you judge the throw took F1 to the point of the collision.

That's really not a consideration in FED any longer.

[UmpJM]

Originally Posted by GarthB

That's really not a consideration in FED any longer.

Garth,

I'm having a little trouble reconciling your assertion with the following statement from the 2008 Rules Book POE section:

Plays where the ball, fielder and runner all converge at the same point - the "train wreck" - are a part of the game.

JM

[GarthB]

Originally Posted by UmpJM (nee CoachJM)

Garth,

I'm having a little trouble reconciling your assertion with the following statement from the 2008 Rules Book POE section:



JM

The POE section contains statements contrary to FED's rules and/or intent in a couple of areas...hand to mouth for example. You will find contradictory information about that in the POE, Rule 6 and the Casebook...three distinct opinions. When that happens, we do our best to get word from Indianapolis to determine the intent of the committee. What we got from national was that "above all, a fielder cannot block access to the bag without the ball...no exception for emminent possession or the throw taking the runner into the basepath".

Besides, the ball didn't arrive there accoring to the OP. It wasn't caught. The fielder did not have possession of the ball at any time.

What is HTBT for me is seeing whether or not access to the plate was denied.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by GarthB

Besides, the ball didn't arrive there accoring to the OP. It wasn't caught. The fielder did not have possession of the ball at any time.

What is HTBT for me is seeing whether or not access to the plate was denied.

I agree that these are the crucial 2 issues for applying the new FED obstruction rule at the plate.

However, the OP said the fielder was 4' up the line. Since the fielder never had possession, he's not entitled to be in the baseline. (There's a new case play on that, involving F2, but the principle is the same.) I think that might shade "HTBT" toward obstruction, though it's not decisive.

[bob jenkins]

Originally Posted by kylejt

What rules set are we talking about here? Some might require a slide or avoid in this situation.

Since Ranger Rick used "R1" to refer to "R3", (unless it was a very strange passed ball and a very fast R1), my guess is that he meant FED rules.

Since R1 reached the base, I probably have nothing here, but obstruction is a possibility in FED (as Coach JM said).