Obstruction opinion - ISF
 

So I was doing a training game the other day - training for the club who have several tournaments upcoming and personal training for me who has a BASU (british umpire) assessment upcoming. Batter hits to left field and goes for 2. When F4 catches the ball she keeps well off the path and places her glove on the ground in contact with the side of the bag. BR doesn't slide into 2, rather he drags his lead foot over her glove (making obvious contact with the glove). Ball stays put he halts on 2. My call is out on the tag.

Nobody argued, just had a good laugh at what stupid baserunning BR did. As I look back, should I have called obstruction on F4 for blocking the base? In my mind i don't think she did as most of the base was left uncovered.

This is ISF, not ASA.

Thanks

I don't know anything about ISF rules, but I would have a hard time believing that they would call for an obstruction call by a fielder who has possession of the ball. Every other rule set that I'm familiar with (ASA, NCAA, NFHS, USSSA, etc.) gives the fielder complete freedom to block a runner's access to a base when that fielder is holding the ball.

Even in ISF, you cannot have obstruction on a fielder that has possession of the ball. Also, you cannot have obstruction if the runner is not obstructed.

Actually, I just reread the rule and obstruction is given only if the fielder in possession of the ball is impeding the runner but NOT making a play.

Not sure how that could possibly work to be impeding a runner without making a play...

So....never mind....

Um ... can you quote the rule - I don't have that book here. "Not making a play" makes me think of a fielder with the ball who doesn't even know there is a runner in the vicinity... but even in that case, I do not see the obstruction rule allowing OBS to be called in this case.

In ISF a fielder in possession of the ball can not be ruled for obstructing a runner except if pushing the runner off a base (which is understandable) or not making a play on the runner obstructed (which I do not understand)

Rule 8.7.b.5
8.Batter-Runner and Runner: (7)RUNNERS ARE ENTITLED TO ADVANCE WITHOUT LIABILITY TO BE PUT-OUT (b) When a fielder prevents the runner from making a base, or impedes the progress of a runner or batter-runner who is legally running bases; if the fielder is (5) In possession of the ball, but not in the act of making a play on the runner which intentionally impedes the progress of that runner or batter-runner who is legally running the bases.

Again--not sure how you could be next to the runner with the ball, and simultaneously impede him but not knowning be making a play. Sounds like it would more be a case of back to the basics

I suppose an extreme example would be a fielder who falls face-first to the ground after fielding the ball, and as the runner tries to run behind her, she reaches out with her leg and trips her, then crawls over to her and tags her.

In your situation, F4 placing the glove in front of the base as the BR approaches it is enough of an act for me to consider it making a play on that runner. She's anticipating the BR is going to slide into the glove.

Poorly worded, but this is not what you're making it out to be... this is their attempt to codify the fact that the fielder with the ball can not push/pull the runner off the base or grab their jersey to make a play, etc.