JM,
This is a balk. The pitcher needs to make his move to the plate in a continuous motion. The rubbish the opposing coach was feeding you about since he "does it every time, it's legal" is exactly that, rubbish. It's not in any rulebook or interpretation. By that coach's logic, if the pitcher balked every time he delivered the ball, it should be legal, since he does it every time.
As for your question on how i'd enforce it.... younger levels, i'd give em a little warning: "pitch, make sure you don't pause when you lift your leg up there, or it's a balk, ok?" I had to do this in a game earlier this year.
Older levels, i'd probably balk them, but i'm not totally sure (you'd need some experience to judge the value of the rule, and since i'm a rookie, i'd probably have to ask some of the vets in my assoc.)
That's just my two cents.
PS- I posted pretty much this exact same question on another forum, and the response i got was "balk."
http://www.umpire.org/modules.php?na...ewtopic&t=1911
[Edited by largeone59 on May 26th, 2005 at 11:52 PM]