Obstruction vs. Fielder's right to the ball

[Mountaincoach]

Thanks for the input. This happened in a Little League game (Minor Division). From what I recall, the runner had no shot at making it to third safely. But, like you said, that's a judgement call. I appreciate the input.

[kylejt]

Obstruction should always be called when it happens, no matter the circumstance.

It's not an easy call to make, especially with most umpires working at the LL minors level. OBS and INT are tricky, and it takes experience to make that call in the less than 2 second window you have to call it.

[Mountaincoach]

Originally Posted by kylejt

it takes experience to make that call in the less than 2 second window you have to call it.

And that is why umpires have my respect, and I keep my mouth shut. As per usual, the coaches in our league are all parents, and, amazingly, we get along pretty well. We just make mental notes of those type plays and debate them at the picnic table among ourselves after the games (away from the kids). We usually have about one call per week like that to give us something to discuss.

[kylejt]

I actually enjoy working minors games because of all the interesting calls you get to make. You might get 5-6 OBS calls per game with the little guys, and not see one for a month with HS aged kids. Working the little guy games keeps me sharper.