Should have knocked on wood

[chapmaja]

I was talking with someone the other day about ejections and how I was lucky to not have to deal with that (I may also have posted it on here as well).

Second game of a DH today (BU), I call obstruction on the F5 on a steal of third. Coach doesn't like the call and lets me know from the dugout. She says her piece and then stops. Parent next to the dugout decides to try to keep the conversation going, at least from her end. She had already been warned about her conduct from the bleachers in the first game. After she said a couple magic words including telling me to shut up (I wasn't talking to her at the time), she was informed it was time to leave.

The best part was the fact the SS, her DD, had a parting comment to dearest mom "Mom, you're pathetic." I actually feel sorry for the daughter because having a parent get tossed from a game has to be embarrassing for her.

Now, as for the two plays of interest (pretty boring today) from this game (NFHS rules)

First, the obstruction call that lead to the parent being asked to leave.

R1 on 2nd, ball gets by F2. F2 catches the rebound off the backstop and throws to F5. F5 is standing with her feet straddling 3rd base. The throw is to the inside of diamond and she has to lean into the field of play to try catching the throw. At the time the throw arrives, the runner also arrives (not sliding). The position of F5 forced the runner to pull up to avoid "plowing" her over. I called obstruction because IMO she had to pull up because F5 was leaning into the direct line to the base. The throw got away but was backed up by F6. I had called obstruction and awarded the base the runner had safely arrived at. This was the play the coach complained about (yet she didn't complain about a similar play at the plate in which her pitcher was called for obstruction when a runner was scoring on a passed ball.

The second play in question was the next half inning. Ball 4. BR runs to first as the ball is returned to the pitcher in the circle. BR rounds first and stops about 5 feet towards second base, then immediately returns to first. DC wants a LBR violation. As I read 8-7-4a, this is legal. She only had one stop and then immediately returned to first base. She had not stopped at first, then left. Am I correct this is not a LBR violation?

[EsqUmp]

Not a LBR violation.

[CecilOne]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

R1 on 2nd, ball gets by F2. F2 catches the rebound off the backstop and throws to F5. F5 is standing with her feet straddling 3rd base. The throw is to the inside of diamond and she has to lean into the field of play to try catching the throw. At the time the throw arrives, the runner also arrives (not sliding). The position of F5 forced the runner to pull up to avoid "plowing" her over. I called obstruction because IMO she had to pull up because F5 was leaning into the direct line to the base. The throw got away but was backed up by F6. I had called obstruction and awarded the base the runner had safely arrived at. This was the play the coach complained about.

Not clear whether the F5 had the ball before the runner's "pull up".
If so, might not be OBS, in fact might be INT if runner collided or knocked the ball loose while upright.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by chapmaja

...Parent next to the dugout decides to try to keep the conversation going, at least from her end. She had already been warned about her conduct from the bleachers in the first game. After she said a couple magic words including telling me to shut up (I wasn't talking to her at the time), she was informed it was time to leave. ...

Details about this would be appreciated, since it may provide some useful discussion.

In high school games, there should always be someone in authority present representing the school. If no one else, that is the home team's head coach.

In the rare instance where a spectator is disrupting the game, I go through the head coach the spectator's team to control his fans. If that fails (in actuality, it never has failed, so this is what WOULD happen if it came to this), I would go to the home team's head coach and ask that he summon the site administrator to deal with the unruly fan.

I never deal with fans directly.

[MD Longhorn]

Don't address fans. Don't eject fans. If one is THAT big a problem, have the coach (or preferably game admin) deal with it.

Not understanding at all, however, why anyone would complain about your obstruction call. Sounds like it was the right call ... but even if you didn't call it, the runner ended up on the base you awarded - so what's there to complain about? Especially vociferously.

On the last - correct ... no LBR violation there.

[UmpireErnie]

Assuming F5 has night caught the ball at time you judge R1 had to slow down or alter her path OBS sounds correct.

So during play you would have given DDB signal and a verbal "Obstruction" loud enough to be heard but not with the force of a dead ball call. At the end of the play since the runner ended up at the protected base you don't really need to do anything more. There is no need to "award" the base the runner is at.

Did you call time at the end of play and actually verbalize more about this obstruction and the base award or did play just continue? I'm wondering if you may have unwittingly "fueled the fire".

Many of our high school games have no on field "administrator" and most games are played at common neutral sites even though the league designates a home team. As others state I won't talk to fans but the game will stop and the HC of the team of the unruly fan will be told the game won't start again until the problem has been removed. If that ever did not work (always has) I would suspend the game and refer the matter back to the conference and the schools involved.

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by UmpireErnie

Assuming F5 has night caught the ball...

The tyranny of autocorrelate? (um, I mean auto-correct...)

[chapmaja]

Originally Posted by CecilOne

Not clear whether the F5 had the ball before the runner's "pull up".
If so, might not be OBS, in fact might be INT if runner collided or knocked the ball loose while upright.

No, F5 never caught the ball as it bounced off the end of her glove as she attempted to make the catch. The ball bounced into left field, but was backed up by the left fielder, thus no attempt was made by the runner to advance home. Since I did call obstruction when the play had ended I did "award" third base, just so the coach (one of whom was a baseball coach) did not think the runner should get home.