Obstruction??? or Interferrence

[IRISHMAFIA]

Don,

Sorry, but I have to disagree. Steve had this right from the beginning. In ASA ball, the fact that a ball has been thrown does NOT give the defensive player the right to set up in the basepath or block a base.

In ASA, "about to receive" or catch a thrown ball, means that at some point the thrown ball MUST come between the runner and fielder. Of course, a throw doesn't always physically come between the two, but it basically means that at some point the ball gets closer to the defensive player than the runner.

There is no prescribed distance or physical point of reference the ball must pass. If you must have a point of reference, use the defensive player. More than 99% of all throws move faster than the runner and if it gets closer than the runner, the ball will arrive first.

If it is so close that you can't tell which got there first, then you have nothing more than a wreck. If an errant throw draws the defender into the path of the runner, you have nothing but a wreck.

There cannot be an out for interference unless it is clear that the defender had the ball.

As far as an ejection, that can come anytime the umpire feels an act was malicious, but it does not necessarily allow the umpire to call a runner out.