Quote:
Originally posted by ozzy6900
Carl, I'm sure that you read the whole post here with my analogy on the original pause in the windup. I brought this to my superiors, but I won't see the rules interperter until next week. Can you give me your opinion? I promise I will not argue with your opinion but I will print it out for my rules interperter to read. Tim C never got back to me on it. Thanks [/B]
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Here's the passage you wrote:
Now there is the FED wind-up rule. Please tell me how bringing your hands together, is the start of the delivery! I contend that once the hands are together, you have no choice but to deliver or step off. The delivery movement is the next movement after the hands are together. Again, I refer you to simple physics; you have to come to a pause once the hands are together.
I'll go one step further on this. If you try to bring your hands together and go right into your pitching motion (remember, no pause of any kind) you will balk! PLEASE - try it before you respond (not just Tim I mean everyone)!
First of all, the pitcher may
as he steps onto the rubber move both hands and bring them together to address the batter. That's legal.
Bringing both hands together after being on the rubber is the start of a delivery because the FED defines it that way. Consult the casebook plays at 6.1.2.
I respectfully disagree that bringing the hands together and going straight to the pitching motion will create a balk.
The pitcher has both hands at his side. He brings them together above his head as his non-pivot foot is stepping back from the rubber. That's a perfectly ordinary delivery in the windup, right?
And that's the basis for the FED rule that movement by both hands, followed by a stop, is a balk. They argue that since an ordinary delivery in the windup begins with movement of both hands, the runner (at third, we presume) may begin his steal of home at that moment. If the pitcher may then legally stop, he may then legally step off after the stop and throw out the runner.
Fact is, the FED rule is excellent. (It's "offense friendly," but so are most of baseball's rules.)