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Legal trickery is part of the game. I get annoyed (not saying ANY of you here fit this) when people think we should make some call against "deception" because it is "unfair."
I agree that the LBR goes into effect when the pitcher has the ball and is not making a play. The runner is allowed on stop in order to find the ball, but that is the reason she is allowed the stop - not the condition for when she must make a decision. I.e., if she cannot find the ball, she must still make a decision "immediately."
Since "immediately" is umpire judgment, I can go along with WMB's "long" judgment here, but I think I would have handled it one of two ways...
1) Runner out for LBR violation, (as I said, deception is part of the game), or
2) Runner is released from LBR since a play is being made on her. The fact that she did not realize a play was being made is irrelevant - you realized it. The pitcher's part in this play was to pretend there was not a play. "Any action" that causes the runner to react - this requirement was probably met here.
I like #2 better.
[Edited by Dakota on Oct 25th, 2004 at 10:37 AM]
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Tom
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