Obstruction
 

I need to beat this dead horse, to see if my distinguished partner and I got it right...

Grounder to F6, throw pulls F3 to her right, and gets past her. BR rounds 1B, collides with F3, knows F9 is right there backing up the throw, and gives up (she walks safely back towards 1B).

But before touching 1B... seeing my outstretched arm, OC yells for BR to go to 2B, which she does, and is thrown out by 10'.

Gun to my head, I can't swear I dropped my arm as soon as she gave up the first time, but I know it wasn't out as I ran along the baseline with her towards 2B.

I had her out, not protected back to 1B, partner strongly agreed (postgame discussion).

Should I have a clear conscience here? What is the mechanic for "clearing" an OB call when the situation calls for it, and did her "giving up" call for it?

Obstructed runner cannot be called out between the two bases where the obstruction occurred. There are a few exceptions which according to the post were absent. Dead ball bring BR back to 1B after tag at 2B.

Paul

There isn't a mechanic to "clear" the obstruction. Once you call and signal it, all of the rules covering obstructed runners are in effect until the play concludes. If you drop your arm at some point, it doesn't mean that the obstruction is cancelled. Conversely, when it's been called, you don't have to keep running around with your left arm held out for the remainder of the play.

All we need to do is signal it long enough to let the participants know that it's been called. Then drop your arm and stay with the play.

Her "giving up" didn't change the rule or the ruling. She still can't be put out between the two bases where obstruction occured.

Bret & AZ are both correct. Give the coach a bit of credit here, as well. The coach knew the rules and sent her. It's a free chance to advance (kinda like defensive offsides in the NFL). Barring something crazy happening, the worst that comes out of this is that she's returned to 1B.

Good to see the coaches know the rules every once in a while. ;)

Let me first say that the length of time you hold your arm in the air is completely immaterial. You are supposed to show the call for a second or two and verbalize, "Obstruction". Far too many umpires feel like they must run around the bases with their arm in the air until the runner reaches her protected base. A) They look stupid, and B) there is no requirement to inform or direct any runners as to how far they are protected.

The idea of obstruction is not to allow a baserunner a free attempt at a base - although it does sometimes work out that way (as in the OP). The idea of calling obstruction is to "undo" the negative effects of being obstructed.

In the OP, you have a runner obstructed between first and second base. She cannot be called out between first and second (unless she commits some other violation). Other than an intervening play on another runner, there is no "waiving off" of this protection. The runner "giving up" and beginning to return to first has ZERO effect on her protection.

Sounds to me like the coach knew the rule better than either umpire in this case. He knew A) she was protected between first and second and B) she was not going to be awarded 2nd. Despite the fact that this was not the INTENT of the rule, it is one of the effects and coach did EXACTLY what he should have done when he told his runner to try for 2nd.

You guys did boot this one. Shame on the coach for not protesting, but we don't see nearly enough of that. Runner should have been placed on first base.

I think, by now, you probably already have the answer to this....

To clarify slightly what Mike is saying here. There is one case where the runner getting back (not starting back) to first effects her protection. And that is the case of the intervening play. If a runner gets to the protected base (1st in this case) and then the defense plays on another runner, the protection from obstruction is over.

Thanks guys, guess deep down I knew I was wrong, else I wouldn't have asked.

YoungUmp, does your comment mean that she can actually go back and touch 1B, and still trot to 2nd as long as no other play is made (& ball is not in circle)?

Absolutely.

You've already been told yes, but perhaps this will help clarify why.

There are three keys to getting obstruction right.

One figure out the right award. You have to make it at the time of the obstruction based on what happens then. If she had not been obstructed based on what has happened in the play, where would she have reached.

Two, unless it's one of the specific exceptions, the runner is protected between the bases where she was obstructed AND to the base you are awarding.

Three, if the runner is put out while protected, kill the ball immediately. Award the obstructed runner the protected base and all other runners the bases you think they were going to obtain if you hadn't killed it.

So in your play. The award was first. Because that's as far as she was getting. Move to step 2. Acquiring the protected base is not one of the specific exceptions [nor were any others present]. Move to step 3. The runner was put out between the bases where obstructed so she is protected. Award first base.

In my variation lets put a runner on third who tries to go home in the confusion, seeing the runner go home the runner who has retreated all the way to first runs to second where she is tagged out. The award was first. Running back to first (the awarded base) and having a play on the runner going from third to home is an exception. Do not proceed to step 3. Runner is out keep the ball live. (Until the coach comes out to argue and then you can explain that this is an exception.)

To clarify the clarification ... you implied but did not state that there is a play on this runner heading home. Just having the runner trying to go home is not enough to waive protection. Also... the obstructed runner must go ALL THE WAY back to her protected base to remove the protection. If said runner rounded, but didn't return to first, instead heading to 2nd when the throw goes home, she's still protected.

That said, YU's 1-2-3 steps is going to get you through an obstruction call 99% of the time. I believe I've waived off obstruction twice in my entire career - one was missing a base, the other passed another runner. The exception above in YU's scenario has never happened while I was on the field, although it DID happen in a championship game I watched - and the blues (of course) got it right and managed to not eject anyone.

There were no other baserunners in my situation, nothing else to drop the OB except the BR's own actions, which I see now were not enough. Thanks again.

Good answer, grasshopper. SRW can be proud.

Although not all sanctions say make the award decision at the OBS moment, rather after seeing the result of the OBS on the full run by the runner.

It only took years of him getting it wrong to finally get it right.

Actually, he did this one all on his own.

I am proud, actually.

:cool: