Diff of Opinion - Obstruction Jurisdiction

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by LIBLUE

Imho I would never call obstruction if my partner was closer and was looking directly at the play. That's showing him up. Now if he came to me between innings and asked me for my opinion I'd tell him.

No, it's not. This is not like football where it's taboo to "fish in the other guy's pond". There are calls that specifically belong to certain umpires. OBS (and INT) is not one of them. Often, even if BU is closer, his focus is on what is about to happen. Finding the ball, hustling to position, setting up for the play at a base, etc. Much of the time, OBS is behind that focus. Think about it... as BU, are you watching the baserunner 100% of the time? Hope not. And since you aren't, it's entirely possible that OBS occurs while your focus is elsewhere. And also - with PU responsible for the touch of first base in some cases, PU is focused on the most common spot for OBS, while BU is elsewhere.

If someone calls OBS in "your area" as BU, you should NOT consider this showing him up. There is a reason clinics tell you that OBS is everyone's call. Don't be offended if your partner understands that.