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mccrowder,
Of course, the essence of ANY checked swing is an aborted attempt to hit the ball. So, in that regard, you could say that ANY checked swing should not be ruled a strike since the batter clearly indicated a desire NOT to hit the ball.
The question really comes down to: Did the batter abort his attempt to hit the ball SOON ENOUGH? Could his bat have made contact with the ball despite his attempt NOT to hit it?
You're right - there is no "rule" that describes what constitutes a swing. He either offered at the ball or he didn't and it all comes down to umpire judgment.
All these thumbrules that are bantered about by umpires are nothing more than that ... thumbrules.
Over the years, I have just developed a "feel" for what looks like a swing and what doesn't. I don't try to describe it and I have not consciously adopted any of the common "rules" about breaking the wrist, crossing the plate, bat moving forward, or anything else - although I'm sure all of those have some effect on my final visceral feeling.
If it looked like a swing - it was. If didn't look like a swing - then it wasn't.
It's kind of like what Justice Potter Stewart once said when he was trying to develop a legal description of what constitutes hardcore pornography. "I know it when I see it."
David Emerling
Memphis, TN
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