Obstruction??

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by oppool
This was stated very clearly from Henry Pollard "If at the time the obstruction occured you determined that you were protecting the runner to 3rd and no matter if you misjudged or something else would happen on the play(error) and the runner was put out even on a very close play at home, You would call the runner OUT...

Dont know of Gary(Ntxblue)had the same discussion in his group but Henry made this point very clear at the time of the obstruction you gave the delayed dead ball signal and you determine at that time how far you will protect and if it was just bad judgement or something else happen on the play afterwards it didnt matter. If the runner went past your predetermine base and got put out then the out would stand no matter how close the play was

Dont agree but it is how I and others in the room heard it stated

Don

But don't you see the beauty of this? Only the umpire making the call can rule the runner out and, if it is his/her judgment, no other umpire can make any other determination.

I can understand what Henry is saying, but what if you throw out that arm on a long fly ball that has not descended yet? How can you possibly know the fielder's capabilities in advance? For that matter, you're supposed to be watching the runner, how are you going to know what happened to the ball in the outfield?

Henry's main concern was probably adjusting the award each time a ball is thrown over one player's hear or between another's legs. I know some umpires who would just get blown out of the water if they had to try and do that.

Also, remember that umpires are probably the best scouts in softball. If we see the same players on a regular basis, it is much easier for us to judge player abilities and apply that knowledge to the ruling.

This is not a big deal. The umpire is in total control and the ruling cannot be protested. You may need to explain the call to a UIC, but unless it is outrageously out of kilter, there is no problem.