[greymule]

I agree, Chuck Chopper. But obviously there are ways that players can stay within the technical rules and yet make a mockery of the game, and we can't let that happen. In baseball, a pitcher can make endless "pickoff" attempts. At what point do we put a stop to it, and how? We've all seen teams use various tactics to stall in hopes of rain as well. Players can fake injuries, too.

In baseball, I've seen runners overrun 1B by 75 feet and then return ever so slowly, stopping to pull up socks, etc. Do we call an out for failing to return immediately? I once saw an ump do just that.

In games that are run by a clock, there are far fewer opportunities to engage in the sort of thing we've been discussing. As for runners returning inch by inch, at some point we have to assert ourselves and manage the game. Exactly how in that situation, I don't know for sure. I guess it's something to deal with on a case-by-case basis.