Quote:
Originally posted by chuck chopper
I think deception is unsportsmanlike & doesn't add a darn thing to the integrity of the game.
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I strongly disagree with this statement. Deception is integral to the game; it is part of the game; it is at the very core of the game. Without deception, there would be no changeup, no fake bunt, no slap, etc. What would poker be without the bluff? What would football be without the fake punt?
Quote:
Originally posted by chuck chopper
We should try to eliminate the chicanery.
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Based on what rule? USC? No, no, no. The rules specifically make illegal certain acts of deception (e.g. fake tag, retired runner continuing to run to draw a throw, etc.), but beyond what is specifically mentioned in the rules, there is no overriding rule against deception, and we should not be making them up under the cover of USC.
Quote:
Originally posted by chuck chopper
If the pitcher makes a play on the runner... the LBR is off, so I'm saying the pitcher is "participating" in a play & that gets the runner off the hook.
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This is the argument I was starting to make earlier in the thread, but after reading the responses, I don't think even I believe that holds water. The rules DO define making a play; it must be an act by the pitcher and it must cause the runner to react. That's it. It would be a stretch to call "no act" an act, but I do see the argument that the pitcher was a participant in a multiplayer deception.
Quote:
Originally posted by chuck chopper
I would love to hear this defensive coach ask for an out on the LBR violation.
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I would love to hear your explanation of not making the call because you are on a mission to expunge chicanery. If you truly believe this is USC, then you should be ejecting someone rather than just refusing to call the out.
The facts of the play are these:
1. The pitcher had control of the ball in the circle.
2. The runner stepped off the base, stopped, and did not immediately go anywhere.
You're left with a judgment call to make. Was this a play by the pitcher? If not, how long is "immediately"?
Either way is defensible, but as I said, retracting my earlier comment, it would be hard, I think, to call a motionless pitcher facing away from the runner to be "making a play" - even with the rest of her team engaged in theater.