blocking the plate question

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by reccer

Coach here.
Jones comment is a key takeaway from this thread. I'm finding my former coaching brethen turned Blues are much more apt to call obstruction than the old school guys who started their profession under different guidelines.

Maybe it is because they have now learned the rule properly.

Go back and look at the much discussed crash video. Why is the catcher so deep (behind the base path to begin with?) If she were in front of the basepath, would she possibly have been able to catch the throw on the fly and apply the tag a split second sooner? Straddling the base path without the ball gave her an advantage to force the runner into a wider path. Unfortunately for our catcher, the runner chose the direct line approach.

Again, learning the rule is important. You insist on making a coach's argument which as absolutly no validity as the rule applies.

The Blues on this forum generally agree that potential obstruction occurred on the part of the catcher, but they saw no deviation in the runners path as a reaction to the obstruction. Through the magic of the pause button, I see a reaction on the part of the runner prior to the ball being possessed by the fielder. She is lowering her body into heat seaking missle mode and being prematurely forced to slide.

But she is NOT being forced to slide. For that matter, this isn't even a slide.

The correct call should be obstruction, and MC.

Aahhh......no. There was no obstruction. By rule, an obstruction call is not available based upon any actions or lack of by either the offense or defense. If you believe there was obstruction, you do not know the rule.

My advice is do not teach your kids to block bases but DO teach them to look for contact with a defender without the ball. The inside corner belongs to the runner.

Again, if you believe that, you do not know the rule. The WHOLE FIELD belongs to the runner. A runner may take ANY PATH they like as long as it is not out of the basepath to avoid a tag or an act of interference.

If a runner makes contact with a defender intentionally, the runner is done. If the coach is dumb enough to come out to argue the point and happens to mention that is how s/he coaches, the player will have company.

Blues are not calling obstruction without contact. (See recent discussion regarding the non called obstruction in the CWS game)

This is incorrect. Just because you see an instance where it wasn't called does not make your statement true. Good umpires routinely call OBS when they see it. Hell, half the time the coaches aren't even aware of the call if it doesn't advance their runner a base. That doesn't mean it wasn't called.

Its tough enough to generate offense with the batters box to batters box sized strike zone, we need some rules interpretations leaning in the offenses direction.

You wanted to cite the NCAA's? Well, I just hated seeing all those 1-0 games this year, the offense really sucked.