Obstruction --- Debate #1,264,894

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

I think that you are misunderstanding the arguments. Access to the "whole base" is from the direction from which the runner is coming. In this case, the defender has clearly allowed the runner access to the whole base (from the perspective of the direction from which she is traveling), and is thus properly positioned and legal as per the rule.

Now, if her right foot were on the exact opposite side of the base (toward right field), and her left foot were still on the infield side close to where it is, she would be straddling the base, allowing the runner only to use the lane that the defender chose for her, and subsequently would be guilty of OBS.

Well unfortunately for me, there is a picture of me making this exact call, and I consider it one of the worst calls I've ever made. This horrible call has been posted to the HS's Softball Team site for 3 years now.. and I know they have it posted just because it was so horrible. I remember the game and I was clamping down because the game was so rough, they were really beating on each other and it was a big rivalry game. Incident after incident and I pulled the trigger to quick and have to live with that HS posting this pic of me making such a horrible call.. I'm cured of that line of thought.

I do not agree with this interpretation.

You are saying that I made a good call here:


I KNOW I blew it.

[WestMichBlue]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

You are saying that I made a good call here?

I not only agree with your call; I complement you on being in great position to make the call.

I am tired of umpires being soft of defensive players. From a coaches view, defenders should be taught to set up to receive a throw on the side of the base from which the throw is coming. Then runners will react and go to the opposite side. (But they have all of the base to slide towards.)

Because you are still outside, and because of the angle of the defender's glove, I assume the throw is coming from the infield, or at least the right side of the field. The defender should have been positioned to the right of the base.

Why make excuses for her? She took away the runner's options. The runner may have decided to slide straight into the bag, but we don't know that. What we do know is that her options were taken away from her by a defender in the wrong position.

Let's put steel spikes on all these girls and see how long it takes for them to learn how to execute a tag play correctly.

WMB

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by WestMichBlue

I not only agree with your call; I complement you on being in great position to make the call.

I am tired of umpires being soft of defensive players. From a coaches view, defenders should be taught to set up to receive a throw on the side of the base from which the throw is coming. Then runners will react and go to the opposite side. (But they have all of the base to slide towards.)

Because you are still outside, and because of the angle of the defender's glove, I assume the throw is coming from the infield, or at least the right side of the field. The defender should have been positioned to the right of the base.

Why make excuses for her? She took away the runner's options. The runner may have decided to slide straight into the bag, but we don't know that. What we do know is that her options were taken away from her by a defender in the wrong position.

Let's put steel spikes on all these girls and see how long it takes for them to learn how to execute a tag play correctly.

WMB

I go to the site and look at their galleries and I just hate that pic on there... these can give you an idea of the war zone this game was... but I still think I blew that one.. I just got trigger happy because of the full contact nature of the game..

This was the 2nd shot of that play..

[Skahtboi]

Originally Posted by wadeintothem

You are saying that I made a good call here:


I KNOW I blew it.

No. I hadn't seen this picture before, so obviously I have made no comment on it. Does the defensive player have possession of the ball at this point? As I don't see it anywhere, then I don't have all the information to judge this. Assuming possession of the ball by the defensive player, then no, you blew this call, unless you felt as though the position of the player prior to receiving the ball had caused the runner to alter her path.

Remember, to have OBS, the defense must block the runner w/o possession of the ball, AND the runner must do something in some way have altered her approach to the base as a result.

Still pictures are hard to use to judge OBS, because OBS requires movement.

[wadeintothem]

Originally Posted by Skahtboi

No. I hadn't seen this picture before, so obviously I have made no comment on it. Does the defensive player have possession of the ball at this point? As I don't see it anywhere, then I don't have all the information to judge this. Assuming possession of the ball by the defensive player, then no, you blew this call, unless you felt as though the position of the player prior to receiving the ball had caused the runner to alter her path.

Remember, to have OBS, the defense must block the runner w/o possession of the ball, AND the runner must do something in some way have altered her approach to the base as a result.

Still pictures are hard to use to judge OBS, because OBS requires movement.

I missed your question.. but she either JUST caught the ball or was about to receive the ball.. either way, I called OBS because of this positioning before she had the ball.