Opponent blocking the bases....

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As this discussion has pretty well run its course (thank you for the perspective and insight) I thought I would share these quotes from baseball. I simply submit these as food for thought: (I cannot verify that these are 100% accurate, I got them from a web source)
"The rule is, ‘Do anything you can get away with.’ (Heywood Broun, New York World, 1923)
"I don’t put any foreign substances on the baseball. Everything I use is from the good old U.S.A." (Yankee Pitcher George Frazier)
"I’d trip my mother. I’ll help her up, brush her off, tell her I’m sorry. But mother don’t make it to third." (Leo Durocher)
"I didn’t begin cheating until late in my career, when I needed something to help me survive. I didn’t cheat when I won the twenty-five games in 1961. I don’t want anybody to get any ideas and take my Cy Young Award away. And I didn’t cheat in 1963 when I won twenty-four games. Well, maybe a little." (Whitey Ford)
"If you know how to cheat, start now." (Hall of Famer Earl Weaver)

This Day in History: Sports Illustrated Publishes an Article Alleging Pete Rose Bet on Major League Baseball Games
 
Sometimes in this game, players just happen to be in the vicinity of other players. It's the nature of the beast and sometimes it leads to contact.

Not all contact is illegal contact. But if a player goes out of her way to initiate it, when it was otherwise unavoidable, and the contact is either flagrant, excessive or malicious, the player initiating it deserves to be ejected.

Saying that a player purposely running into another is doing something illegal isn't just a warm and fuzzy feel good comment. By rule, if an obstructed runner commits interference or illegal contact, the interference or illegal contact supercedes the obstruction call. Just because you're obstructed, it doesn't give you free reign to knock the fielder into next week.

Thanks Bretman! This is what an older umpire once called a "trainwreck." Not much you can do to prevent it, all you can do is watch and clean up afterwards.
I guess I just wanted to know is the runner completely responsible for avoiding any/all contact even when the defense is clearly in an area that "belongs" to a runner.

Thanks everyone.
 
Last edited:
Jul 9, 2012
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Here is an example of DD for ya (DD is batter). Now who is in the wrong here? You guys be the Umps and make a call. FYI, the play is going to be at 3rd.



Not to high jack a good thread, but someone tell that catcher to leave her helmet on. This thread is one of he reasons catchers should leave their mask and helmet on regardless.
 
Mar 1, 2013
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I guess I just wanted to know is the runner completely responsible for avoiding any/all contact even when the defense is clearly in an area that "belongs" to a runner.

Thanks everyone.

I think it's been a great discussion overall. To answer your broader question (quoted here), I'll broaden it even more.

All players are responsible for avoiding contact when possible. When the baserunners are in a place where the fielders have a right to be (like fielding a batted ball), it doesn't give the fielders the right to bulldoze the runners. By the same token, as we discussed, the runners don't have free reign to plow over defenders who are in the way. Check up, go around, etc. and trust that the umpires will see it and make the call. I understand that the call isn't always made and that sucks, but it doesn't give the players the right to "police themselves" by injuring one another.

All of that said, shirt happens. Softball is a fast moving game in a pretty tight space. Runners, fielders, umpires, the ball are all in the same place at the same time and while we all try not to run into each other, it happens sometimes. As an umpire, I know that I've gotten in the way of the defense by being out of position. I apologized and moved on and worked on being in a better position the next time.

Contact is not needed to get a call (either INT or OBS) but is often the most clear indicator of it. As umpires, we need to train ourselves/be trained to recognize INT/OBS when it occurs and by the same token the players need to train/be trained to avoid the same.
 
Nov 26, 2010
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Michigan
Thanks chinamigarden (BTW, I have often wondered the origin of the name?) that has been my point. I don't want flagrant contact,injury or poor sportsmanship.
But when the fielder is camped out in territory that should belong to the baserunner, it cannot be avoided without hindering the offense.
Unfortunately the conversation kinda wandered off into bulldozing the fielders.
the name comes from having a short memory. I didn't want to have to remember a million screen names and the first time I ever logged into a forum it was a tomato growing forum so my garden name became the one I stuck with. Plus BaldNBeautiful was taken.
 
Jan 31, 2011
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This is really late, but the kid in video #1 needs ejected. That is what the orange bag is for & with that blooper its not reasonable to take the white bag. She's gone.

The kid in video #2 did the right thing. She has a right to the bag & there was no play at 2nd so the SS needs to get out of the way. Obstruction was called and she got 3rd base. SHE decided to go home on the overthrow. Two separate events.

However, the runner really has to make contact to ensure obstruction is called.
 

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