n the mid-1980s amateur baseball rule makers began a campaign to make the game safer. First they redefined interference, focusing on what until then were routine tactics designed to "take out the pivot man" and "break up the double play." Within a few years the attention turned to violent collisions at home plate. Then came tougher penalties imposed on pitchers throwing at hitters. Along the way there were new policies eliminating jewelry, requiring better protective equipment and, more recently, directing treatment of open wounds.

Cries of "that's not baseball" still occasionally echo across diamonds when umpires enforce those safety related rules, but let's not be distracted today by the "traditionalists" who 15+ years after the fact refuse to see change (behind them) on the horizon. Instead, let's consider how and relate some information about why NCAA baseball has changed its obstruction rule for the 2002 season. As usual, it's best to start with the (new) definition.

The NEW rule

Nine words have been removed from the obstruction definition: "and not in the act of fielding the ball" is deleted. What's left? Obstruction is "(t)he act of a fielder who, while not in possession of the ball, impedes the progress of any runner." Unstated but unchanged is the principle that a fielder in the act of fielding a batted ball is not guilty of obstruction. As a result, unless a fielder is holding the ball, he is guilty of obstruction any time he hinders a runner's progress. There's been no change to obstruction awards or to the status of the ball when obstruction occurs.

That's how the rule changed; here's a bit of why.

Continued...