whats the call?
 

Runners on 2&3, pitcher starts delivery and throws ball into own leg. Ball is rolling toward home plate when catcher steps out in front of plate and picks up ball before it reaches batter. What's the call? Local guys mostly splitting between catchers obsstruction and an illegal pitch.

FP or SP?

FP, live ball, then CO and DDB IF the batter is still in position to hit the ball. If not, just a live ball and runners may advance at their own risk.

SP is dead ball the second it hits the ground, ball on the ball, runners stay at 2 & 3.

ASA FP, live ball, ball on batter.

Sorry, forgot to specify. Fast pitch. My first thoughts on it were catchers obstruction, but others have felt it was an illegal pitch. Wanted to get some opinions from here.

Not an IP. Could be OBS on F2.

Found it in book. 8-1-D-3. Catchers obstruction if they step in front of the plate and prevent the batter from hitting the ball.

What if the ball stops or will obviously be stopped before reaching the plate (don't know if that's the situation or not). Then the catcher wouldn't be preventing the batter from hitting the ball.

and then it wouldn't be catcher's obstruction.

This is one of those cases that is so wierd that you want to call something... but other than the possible catcher's obstruction, there is nothing to call.

Can't be COB unless the ball was still rolling and B had an opportunity to swing at it without leaving batter's box.

I know I'm always disappointed when the batter doesn't leave the batter's box to hit a bouncing pitch that has stopped rolling before it reaches the plate. Darn! Another missed opportunity for an out.:D

Anytime someone suggests something is an illegal pitch, and you're not sure, ask them exactly what made the pitch illegal. There's an easy list in the rulebook - determine if the pitch violated any of those items. Things happen that FEEL like they are illegal (or even items like this one that qualify as a 4-letter word in that other sport), that aren't illegal at all... they are just odd.