<acronym title='Obstruction'>OBS</acronym> opp ....

[Thunderheads]

Last night I worked my first game for a new assignor. 11u travel. Nice little 1:33min 6 inning game ( OBR modified w/ the FED slide rule)

TOP of the 6th, home team up by 7 ... 1 out, ..... R3.

Batter rips one ankle high just to the right of the pitcher who snags it... "out" ....

R3 is breaking as the ball is hit ...and then is caught up in "no mans" land as the pitcher turns with the ball and looks to throw to 3rd for the quick game ending double play.

I'm PU ....I look to 3rd base when the pitcher looks and off w/ the mask and I step towards 3rd.....

As I follow the throw to F5, I realize that F5 has come in down the line because R3 is kind of caught there .....the throw goes to F5 (who is in the baseline) ...just before he receives the throw R3 moves around him (has to move around him) and F5 tags him, ...BU bangs him...double play, ballgame.

I look again and say, ... OBS? YES, ...call it......I hear NOTHING...no reaction except for R3 saying to his coach, "but he was in my way" ...coach says "it doesn't matter, you were caught and they nailed you" ...... again, NOTHING from the VT ...so I let it go.

THAT SAID .....

I could have called OBS on F5, yes? If I had called it, would I have pointed and said ..."that's obstruction" wait for the tag and the out call by the BU.....say TIME, ...that's obstruction on F5, he's safe!

Correct?

[ukce1861]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

[Thunderheads]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

because he already acquired 3rd?

[Mike Prince]

No Jeff, it's Type A because a play was being made on the runner at the time of the OBS, so no delayed call.

If you had been working FED it would have been a DDB call.

[noumpere]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

because he already acquired 3rd?

I dont mean to sound mean but based on the posts here youve been doing this long enough to know the penalty for type A obstruction.

[ukce1861]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

because he already acquired 3rd?

Type A in OBR (and NCAA) is punitive - it's always a minimum one base award. As Mike said (and I should've) F5 was making a play on R3, so in any non-FED code, this is an immediate dead ball. In any code, this is a minimum award of one base from the last legally aquired base. Since he was R3 at TOP, he gets home.

[Welpe]

At what point did you think F5 impeded the runner? Was he receiving the throw or had the ball not been thrown yet?

Does this league play straight OBR for obstruction or is there a modification requiring that the fielder have possession of the ball before he can obstruct the runner?

From the sound of it, you may not have even had obstruction on this play but I'm not sure I'm envisioning it properly.

[Thunderheads]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

because he already acquired 3rd?

I dont mean to sound mean but based on the posts here youve been doing this long enough to know the penalty for type A obstruction.

What I was trying to say here is this .... he gets home on the OBS because R3 already has acquired 3rd, and type A is a one base award.

I know what it is, I'm just walking through and verifying the proper call and application

[Thunderheads]

At what point did you think F5 impeded the runner? Was he receiving the throw or had the ball not been thrown yet?

Does this league play straight OBR for obstruction or is there a modification requiring that the fielder have possession of the ball before he can obstruct the runner?

From the sound of it, you may not have even had obstruction on this play but I'm not sure I'm envisioning it properly.

He was standing between R3 and 3rd, on the line when the ball was on the way to him. This is OBR w/ HS slide rule...I'm not aware of anything special for OBS.

[Welpe]

He was standing between R3 and 3rd, on the line when the ball was on the way to him.

Then you do not have obstruction under OBR.

[Thunderheads]

He was standing between R3 and 3rd, on the line when the ball was on the way to him.

Then you do not have obstruction under OBR.

I do in FED though, don't I?

[Welpe]

Yes.

[Thunderheads]

Yes.

:yippie:

[Mike Prince]

No, this is Type A. If you call it, call obstruction, then time, then award him home.

because he already acquired 3rd?

I dont mean to sound mean but based on the posts here youve been doing this long enough to know the penalty for type A obstruction.

What I was trying to say here is this .... he gets home on the OBS because R3 already has acquired 3rd, and type A is a one base award.

I know what it is, I'm just walking through and verifying the proper call and application

Proper call is being discussed in following responses so I won't add to that.

But as far as application Type A is immediate dead ball as the play is being made on the runner, so your initial thought to let the play end with the BU's call is not correct. You kill the play at the point of OBS and make awards.

[Thunderheads]

But as far as application Type A is immediate dead ball as the play is being made on the runner, so your initial thought to let the play end with the BU's call is not correct. You kill the play at the point of OBS and make awards.

Thanks Mike, and I understand that ....

The more I think about it,....it all really happened simultaneously ....

[sdix00]

When I learned to recognize obstruction, I gathered as much footage of obstruction as I could find so I could learn what it looks like. I don't have the luxury of imagining the definition in my head when I see something suspect, so I just assembled a bunch of clips to train my brain to recognize it when it happens. After I call it, that's when I need to definition in order to explain it to a coach.

Here is everything I have on recognizing OBS.

Blatant OBS A 7.06(a). Good call, easy call, even thought the announcers don’t get it.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=6938807

An Excellent OBS B 7.06( b ) call and mechanic by Dan Bellino

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=8725303

Notably, Bellino correctly and emphatically ruled obstruction during theJune 5 contest between the Reds and Nationals. With none out, Reds baserunner Brandon Phillips made contact with Nationals shortstop Ian Desmond as Phillips rounded second base. 3B Umpire Bellino correctly pointed to the obstruction while keeping the play alive, and when a play was made on Phillips at third base, Bellino waved off the apparent tag out, pointing to the obstruction which had taken place, and awarding Phillips third base on the violation. Bellino's first career ejection occurred this year.

OBS 7.06( b )

3U calls OBS( b ), PU calls the runner out then reverses the call and awards the run after getting the signal from 3U. Good communication.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=13425925

Obstruction

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4850243

Not the best example of OBS, but it will do for government work.

http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=4717453

Obstruction call and the award (example of the mechanic, not necessarily the best example of OBS)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9pnrKQIZGM&feature=related

[grayhawk]

Thanks Stephen - those are some helpful videos. Gotta love youtube comments on baseball videos. Just a whole lotta dumb going on there.

[Thunderheads]

You've GOT TO LOVE the basketball "blocking" call from Tschida!!! LOL

[yawetag]

Since he was R3 at TOP, he gets home.

No, since his last legally-acquired base was 3B, he's awarded home. Where he was TOP doesn't matter.

[scrounge]

the 2nd to last one in the Indians-Reds game looks pretty iffy to me....