Situation
 

ASA Adult Men's Slow Pitch

You are the PU.

On a hit to right field, the baserunner on second attempts to score. You are positioned for the call on the play at the plate. At the exact moment there is a play at the plate, the on deck batter goes directly in front of you for the bat the batter runner discarded totally blocking your view of the play. How would you rule on the call and what rule would you base your decision on?

I'll handle it like any other screen... I'll wait a second for crowd reaction and make my call. :D

After checking with my partner (if I have one) and s/he cannot provide any help, unless I have obvious reason to believe the runner was safe, I'm ruling him out.

Dead ball, interference with the umpire. Game forfeited. Advance the umpire closest to home to the nearest dispensary of adult beverages! :D

Is that guessing an out?

Pretty much, but the OC wouldn't have much of a leg to stand on when it was the on-deck batter hindering our ability to make a call.

It will only happen once.

I'm in agreement...
 

I've always subscribed to the "if you didn't see an out you can't call an out" theory. Safe.

Well, you're just going to have to make the best call you can, period. If it looked like a tag would have easily been made, then it was probably an out, and that is what I'd call. If it looked like the runner would have beaten it, then it's an easy safe.

I'd definitely have a chat with the OC later in the game, reminding him/her to keep his/her ondeck batters out of my way.

My call to make - I have the impression that the ball is there & the only thing needed in this play is a tag. And the offense keeps me from seeing what I need to see?! Unless that's the game-ending run, screw the team that screwed up - OUT.:D
No rule citation needed, that's judgement.

It is doing the best I can under the circumstances presented to me. What do you do when you cannot see if a batted ball down the line was fair or foul because a play or coach literally blocked you our of the play?

If I reward the team which blocked me out of the play by an ODB leaving his assigned area in violation of 7.1.C, would that be right?

I cannot have a "do over" and Steve is correct, it is my judgment. And when the coach asks, it is, "Coach, I see the ball coming to the catcher. I see your runner coming to the plate. Just as the play happened, that idiot player of yours stepped right in front of me. When he moved out of the way, I see your runner on the ground, but the catcher has the ball. Runner's out. If you want to protest, take it up with your ODB".

I've never had one of those at the plate because I can pretty much move people out of my way, but I've had plenty on fair/foul and a couple at 2B. On a play from the OF for some reason, the pitcher feels he has to get between me and the play. In those circumstances, the call was safe.

Gotta line up behind Irish here... I'm going to make a call.. It very well could be out. I'm not going to blow it and say "I cant guess an out because an offensive dude got in my way so a run scores". I will make a judgment based on the entirety of the play. "Out" looms as a real possibility.

Why should batters and runners get the benefit of the doubt?