Baseball rules corner: visual obstruction call ranks as a rarity in baseball.

SEATTLE SHORTSTOP JOSE LOPEZ had an incredulous look on his face after he was called for "visual obstruction" on August 6 at Tampa Bay. Can't say that I blame him. Here is what happened.

The Devil Rays had runners on first and third and one out in the bottom of the tenth inning with the score tied, 11, when Tino Martinez lofted a fly to short left field that was handled by Raul Ibanez. On the play, Mariners' third baseman Willie Bloomquist went out as a cutoff man and Lopez covered third.

Crawford, after bluffing a break for home, was trotting back to third as Ibanez's perfect throw reached Mariners catcher Miguel Olivo. It appeared that the game would continue with two outs and runners on first and third. Nope. Third base umpire Paul Emmel ruled that Lopez got a little bit too cute and obstructed the vision of Crawford who was trying to pick up the flight of the bail to prepare his tag-up. Veteran Rays' broadcaster Dewayne Statts described Lopez's actions.

"He came to the bag with his back to the outfield looking toward the plate and with the top part of his body, leaned into the fine of vision of the runner (Crawford). It was a strange play and I've never seen it called. Lou (Piniella) said he saw it called one other time but not to end the game."

Let's continue. Crawford bluffed a break for home and was trotting back to third as Ibanez's throw reached his catcher. But Emmel ruled obstruction on Lopez and sent Crawford home, giving the Devil Rays a 2-1 win.

Mariners' pilot Bob Melvin was enraged by the call. "That was the-worst call I've ever seen," he said in a story written by John Hickey of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "Emmel's a good umpire. But it was a horrible call." Melvin didn't protest the game because he was told it was a judgment call.

The umpires led by Emmel and crew chief Joe West tried to explain the ruling to Melvin for 10 minutes after the abrupt ending of the game. Then they talked among themselves for about 40 minutes before issuing a statement through West to the media and answering a limited number of questions.