Is it legal to block 1st base without the ball?

qwikvr6gti said:

yes it's called obstruction. I taught my girls what it is and we use it to our advantage every time we can.

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Straddling 1st base is no different than straddling 2nd or 3rd--it's not obstruction.

It is obstruction if in the umpires judgement the runner was impeded in any way. Straddling the bag could very well be obstruction if the runner tries to go back to the bag standing up.

Comp said:

It is obstruction if in the umpires judgement the runner was impeded in any way. Straddling the bag could very well be obstruction if the runner tries to go back to the bag standing up.

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Good luck with that call. I've never heard it being called. I have heard of runners being called out just because they didn't slide. Opinion, of course.

softballphreak said:

Good luck with that call. I've never heard it being called. I have heard of runners being called out just because they didn't slide. Opinion, of course.

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Sounds like you're playing ball in some kind of backwards Bizzarro world....

Runners being called out for not sliding- when there is no rule that says a runner must ever slide?

Fielders straddling bases to obstruct runners- and it never gets called?

Strange, very strange....

BretMan said:

Sounds like you're playing ball in some kind of backwards Bizzarro world....

Runners being called out for not sliding- when there is no rule that says a runner must ever slide?

Fielders straddling bases to obstruct runners- and it never gets called?

Strange, very strange....

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Wow, really do have to keep it simple.

Not called out literally for not sliding, it's the saying you hear at the park occasionally about the umpire called her out just because she didn't slide. Meant to be a jab at not sliding when they should have.

The fielders aren't necessarily straddling the bag to obstruct. Don't tell me you don't understand why fielders straddle the bag.

My bad. I forgot to k.i.s.s.

softballphreak said:

The fielders aren't necessarily straddling the bag to obstruct. Don't tell me you don't understand why fielders straddle the bag.

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Don't tell me that you don't understand that stradling the base and giving the runner a path to the base does not absolve the defender from an OBS call.

Sounds like you're playing ball in some kind of backwards Bizzarro world....

Runners being called out for not sliding- when there is no rule that says a runner must ever slide?

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In our local LL sliding is a requirement to avoid collision. typically close plays at the plate require the runner to slide or be called out.
this eliminates the possibility of big girls (who aren't speedy)charging into the catcher to dislodge the ball. It applies at all bases but typically it's the plays at home where the runners are called out for not sliding. This gets tricky when, this time of year due to rain, Home plate projects out of the ground and catches the foot rather than allowing the foot to slide across it.

The good old "must slide" rule instituted by many rec leagues for "safety". Rec league I work used to have it also, but got rid of it a couple of years ago when their "safety" rule ended up with a girl breaking her leg sliding for no reason. She had to have pins put in her leg and was out of action for 6 months. She slid into home because she was afraid there might be a play on her and didnt want to get called out for not sliding.

obbay said:

In our local LL sliding is a requirement to avoid collision. typically close plays at the plate require the runner to slide or be called out.

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That's not an official Little League rule. Does your board realize that any modifications to standard LL rules must be approved by LL headquarters and a signed waiver obtained by the league? I'm guessing they don't, because the LL corporation would never sign off on that rule change!

While some local leagues will add a "must slide" rule in the hope of reducing collisions, what they don't take into consideration is that statistically more injuries happen due to the act of sliding than by players being hit by batted, thrown or pitched balls and player collisions combined!

I really think that leagues could prevent collisions in a much safer manner by educating their coaches and players to the standard interference and obstruction rules, then making sure that their umpires enforce them.

softballphreak said:

Wow, really do have to keep it simple.

Not called out literally for not sliding, it's the saying you hear at the park occasionally about the umpire called her out just because she didn't slide. Meant to be a jab at not sliding when they should have.

The fielders aren't necessarily straddling the bag to obstruct. Don't tell me you don't understand why fielders straddle the bag.

My bad. I forgot to k.i.s.s.

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No, you kept it too simple.

If someone posts the statement "I have heard of runners being called out just because they didn't slide", most readers would think that you meant "A runner was called out for not sliding".

If you were going for irony or subtext about runners not sliding when they should have, then you severely missed the mark.

"The fielders aren't necessarily straddling the bag to obstruct."

Didn't suggest they were. While taking that defensive position is not in and of itself obstruction, it puts the fielder in a position that makes obstruction a more likely call- whether the fielder intends to obstruct or not.