Now, for some actual baseball

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

The intent of the runner is irrelevant. The only thing relevant to this OBS call is whether the runner's progress toward the base was impeded by F2.

To my mind, we're almost saying the same thing.

To call OBS, the runner's progress toward the base needs to be impeded.

To me - if the runner is moving with the intent of contacting a fielder and drawing an OBS call - then he's not making progress toward a base, he's making progress toward a fielder.

How do you differentiate between the runner in the OP, and someone simply running directly at a fielder with the intent of getting a free base?

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

To call OBS, the runner's progress toward the base needs to be impeded.

Agreed.

To me - if the runner is moving with the intent of contacting a fielder and drawing an OBS call - then he's not making progress toward a base, he's making progress toward a fielder.

Maybe. It depends on where the fielder is relative to the runner's basepath. It does not depend on what the runner is trying to do.

How do you differentiate between the runner in the OP, and someone simply running directly at a fielder with the intent of getting a free base?

See mbyron's post #16. That sums it up for me.