Your Call - Simple Actually

[whiskers_ump]

Tied game, 3-3, timed game, time expires on 1st batter of visiting
team. Finish inning. First batter for visitors hits a ball that
deflects off F6's glove and goes towards the line in left field. F7
recovers ball. Meantime BR is clearly obstructed rounding 1B by F3 who
is standing way too close to 1B watching F7 go get the ball. BR hits
F3, spins, starts towards 2B, hesitates, Coach sees Blues OBS call, and
tells BR to go on to 2B. She starts in a trot, then a simi walk to-
wards 2B. F7's initial throw is misplayed by F6, retrived, and
upon seeing BR advancing goes over and tags her about 4 feet from 2B.

What have you got?

[TexBlue]

Well, I'm assuming I'm the umpire who gave the obstruction call. As soon as the tag is made, dead ball, announce the obstruction, call her safe and award 2nd base to her. It might be very reluctantly since she was taunting the defense, but so be it. Can't call her out between the 2 bases she was obstructed.

[whiskers_ump]

Second, why not return her to first?

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
Second, why not return her to first?

You could do that, but it might seem to be spiteful. You had a coach which knew the rule. If she was that slow and still got close to 2B, for those who were not there, that would seem the logical option.

However, if you move here back to 1B, what is the coach going to argue? It may be spiteful, but there is no rule stating you cannot do it.

[greymule]

If I believed that without the obstruction she would have tried for 2B and made it, then I'd award her 2B whether she actually continued to run (or trot, or walk) or not. If I believed that she would not have tried for 2B or would not have made 2B safely, I'd send her back to 1B. From the description, it's hard to tell whether this was a sure double or a single all the way. Keep in mind that, once the OBS occurs, she cannot be put out between 1B and 2B, even if her run to 2B seems foolish.

The coach was smart, telling her to try for 2B, since the worst that could happen was that she'd be sent back to 1B. She might have made it, and there was always the chance that the defense would throw the ball away.

I don't know whether the look-back rule supersedes obstruction—that is, whether OBS "does not pertain when another violation [LBR, in this case] is being played upon." For example, BR hits what looks like a single, rounds 1B, collides with F3, takes another couple of steps toward 2B, and stops as the throw comes in to F4. The ball goes back to F1 in the circle. BR, stationary, then retreats toward 1B and reverses direction or stops again. Is she out on the LBR, or is she immune because of the OBS?

[whiskers_ump]

I did not believe she would have achieved 2B. picked up quickly,
even though misplayed on the relay from F7 to F6.
Everything was right in front of me, and coach had not indicated
to BR to continue until I signaled DDB. I am sure then he was hoping
for a bad throw, late tag, whatever to get his runner in scoring
position. I returned her to first. Defensive coach thought I
should have called her out because there was no way she would have
reached 2B. Told me he knew the rule. I told him to read the entire
rule.

[Dakota]

Originally posted by whiskers_ump
...First batter for visitors hits a ball that
deflects off F6's glove and goes towards the line in left field. F7 recovers ball. Meantime BR is clearly obstructed rounding 1B by F3 who is standing way too close to 1B watching F7 go get the ball. BR hits F3, spins, starts towards 2B, hesitates, Coach sees Blues OBS call, and
tells BR to go on to 2B. She starts in a trot, then a simi walk towards 2B. F7's initial throw is misplayed by F6, retrived, and upon seeing BR advancing goes over and tags her about 4 feet from 2B....

I did not believe she would have achieved 2B.

Interesting responses to this play. You were there, so who's to argue with your judgment? A couple of things I'd like to comment on, though.

On obstruction, the judgment of where to protect the runner to is a continuing judgment. There is the "at the time" judgment, but that judgment is adjusted as the play proceeds. I will use a "how much was the runner delayed" guide for later in the play close plays (or not so close plays).

The rule says the umpire is to place runners (or not) so as to negate the effect of the OBS.

If there had been no OBS, would the runner have tried for second? (If, no - argues for returning her to 1st). Note that just because she did NOT try for 2nd until after the coach told her to does not mean she would not have tried had she not run into F3.

If yes, given the way the play proceeded would she have made it? (The poor toss to F6 argues for YES - meaning, place the runner at 2nd).

I wonder how much we should consider the runners lazy advance, since that was clearly a result of the obstruction, and would not have happened had there been no obstruction (the situation we are supposed to re-create).

Just things to consider. From your description, I have no issue with returning her to 1st.

[CecilOne]

It all comes down to judging what the runner was doing when rounding 1st. Was she just rounding or rounding on her way to 2nd? If she was on her way to 2nd, she apparently would have made it without OBS. If she was not on her way to 2nd and only went to 2nd because of the OBS, then I would say she would not have reached 2nd and should be placed on 1st.
The trot, semi-walk only serves to encourage the throw from F6; because if she was running, 2nd seems easily reachable. She would then be standing on 2nd or past it, probably no throw, probably no OBS effect, etc. Is the trot, semi-walk legit baserunning? Yes it is. Is it taunting? Probably not.

As to the OBS vs. CTR rule, the application of not being put out between the bases where the OBS occurs would seem to apply to the attempts by the defense to put out the runner. In the example,
"BR ... snip ... rounds 1B, collides with F3, ... snip ... The ball goes back to F1 in the circle. BR, stationary, then retreats toward 1B and reverses direction or stops again"; I would say the CTR supersedes because the defense has stopped trying for a put out. The ball was in F1's possession before retreat to 1st, let alone the change of direction; so a clear example of the CTR intent.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by CecilOne

As to the OBS vs. CTR rule, the application of not being put out between the bases where the OBS occurs would seem to apply to the attempts by the defense to put out the runner. In the example,
"BR ... snip ... rounds 1B, collides with F3, ... snip ... The ball goes back to F1 in the circle. BR, stationary, then retreats toward 1B and reverses direction or stops again"; I would say the CTR supersedes because the defense has stopped trying for a put out. The ball was in F1's possession before retreat to 1st, let alone the change of direction; so a clear example of the CTR intent.

I would love to see a citation for that one