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Discussion: what ASA Rule would apply?

Posted	Discussion
Sept. 4, 2007 Larry S 35 posts	what ASA Rule would apply? What ASA rule would apply if batter after hitting ball thru to fence, while rounding first base inadvertently comes in contact with first baseman? First baseman was not involved trying to catch ball nor impede runner. Should runner be allowed second or even third? Thanks Larry
Sept. 4, 2007 BruceinGa Men's 60 2438 posts	That's called obstruction. At the time of the collision, the umpire should hold out his arm horizontal to the ground with his hand in a fist. The runner should continue to run. When time is called, the umpire will decide if the runner could have advanced further than he did. If so, he is awarded extra base/bases. If the runner is tagged out on the original play, the umpire still shall decided if the runner would have been safe it there wasn't a colision. Obstruction doesn't automatically give the runner another base or guarentee that he will be safe.
Sept. 5, 2007 Ken Men's 55 464 posts	Bruce, I don’t know if the rules have changed, but I believe that if obstruction is called the ump is required to award one base and any other base that he feels the runner would have reached had he not been obstructed. I haven’t seen an ASA book in over 15 years, so maybe things have changed.
Sept. 5, 2007 BruceinGa Men's 60 2438 posts	Ken, my understanding is that the runner is never awarded an extra base. Maybe someone could post the ASA rule.
Sept. 5, 2007 BruceinGa Men's 60 2438 posts	Here is a link to the 2005 ASA rule book: http://www.azsoftball.org/misc/2006/Misc/05.softball.umpire.rulebook.pdf Page 44 (46 in the pdf file) and page 108 (110 in the pdf file) address this issue. Once you get to the website, do a "control f" to activate the find function and enter obstruction.
Sept. 5, 2007 Ken Men's 55 464 posts	Bruce, I guess what I meant (but didn’t say it very well) is that the ump is required to award the runner the base he is going for, and any other bases that in his judgment the runner(s) would have achieved had there not been an obstruction. He is always awarded a base, but not an extra base, unless in the ump’s judgment he would have got there anyway (Rule 8, section 5, part B4. By the way, thanks for the link. I haven’t read some of this stuff for a long time, lol.
Sept. 5, 2007 doker Men's 60 169 posts	MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE RUNNER CANNOT BE PUT OUT BETWEEN THE TWO BASES THAT HE CAME FROM AND WAS GOING TO BUT IF HE CONTINUES BEYOND THOSE TWO BASES HE IS SUBJECT TO BEING CALLED OUT. NO EXTRA BASES ARE AWARDED ONLY THE BASE HE WAS GOING TO. BUT IF HE IS THROWN OUT GOING TO THAT BASE HE WILL BE RETURNED TO THE PREVIOUS BASE AND NO OUT RECORDED BECAUSE OF THE OBSTRUCTION. ONCE HE CONTINUES BEYOND THE BASE HE WAS GOING TO THE OBSTRUCTION IS OFF....IT MAY HAVE CHANGED RECENTLY BUT YEARS AGO THAT WAS THE CALL,FROM A FORMER ASA UMPIRE AND CHIEF. IT TOOK ALL JUDGEMENT OUT OF THE PLAY..AS JUDGEMENT ISWHAT GETS MOST UMPIRES IN TROUBLE!!!
Oct. 26, 2007 BossBandit Men's 50 55 posts	In ASA, the umpire is actually supposed to determine in his mind how far he thinks that the runner would have been able to advance had he not been obstructed. Then, after the play is completed, he awards any base that he needs to award or reverses an out call if one was made on the runner. The protection that Doker mentioned actually extends to the base that the umpire believes should have been achieved. In actuality, there is no requirement that the runner continue to run to the next base in order that he be given the benefit of the award. Used to be and many umpires have not kept up with the case studies and interpretations coming from the National associations. Boss Bandit

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