Obstruction question from the NFHS board

[David Emerling]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Cheat? Yeah, right. My concern is that you were willing to place a young lady's well being in jeopardy for a "well, just maybe" situation. Did you ever try thinking there was an idiot coach in the other dugout, too? You know, the guy/gal that is as equally, if not more agressive with their players. The type that is going to tell the player to attain a base at all cost and if you hurt the opponent, oh well, it's competitive softball!

As an aggressive player, if a defender had the nerve to try and block a base with their foot/leg, the target of my slide was no longer the base, but the player. I've sent a few players off the field in my younger days and I'm not talking about under their own power.

Was it stupid? Hell, yeah, but it was competitive softball. Did I do it as I grew older and wiser? Hell, no. The difference is that I did this as a young adult (and that may be questionable in itself ). You are teaching children who will not know the ramification of listening to a heartless coach until they are in the ambulance.

Yeah, shame on you and any other disingenuous moron masquerading as a coach.

I love telling that story because it always brings out posts exactly like this. Didn't I predict it?

The pitcher is going to position herself very near the plate anyway - I've seen pitchers actually straddle the plate - which wouldn't be obstruction but I certainly wouldn't recommend it. Being off to the side, with one foot planted on the 3rd base side of the plate poses no physical threat to the pitcher.

I'm just being honest. Coaching and umpiring causes one to have a certain realistic perspective of the dynamics involved between the two. Coaches try to get away with stuff and it's the umpires' job to prevent it. To pretend that this doesn't go on is naive to the extreme. And to view that dynamic as something evil is equally naive.

Umpires have their little bag of self-serving "tricks" they employ to manage the game even if they're not willing to admit the things they ignore or the rules they choose to enforce.

When I umpire, it doesn't bother me in the least when a coach tries to "pull a fast one." I just apply the appropriate rule and calmly enforce it. If everybody does their job - it all works out fine and fairness is maintained.

By the way, my daughter is a pitcher - she's still alive - has never been injured by placing her foot on the 3rd base side of the plate - and just signed a full Div I scholarship to play at Binghamton University.

Thanks for your advice, though. Duly noted.

David Emerling
Memphis, TN