Quote:
Originally posted by cbfoulds
As for "I don't understand": what I can't figgure out is where you draw the line:
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It's been quoted a couple of times, but I'll quote it again, straight from the 8.05 Penalty case notes:
Umpires should bear in mind that the purpose of the balk rule is to prevent the pitcher from deliberately deceiving the base runner. If there is doubt in the umpire's mind, the “intent” of the pitcher should govern.
It's judgment, pure and simple. But when you see a pitcher employing nonstandard mechanics to simulate a motion that is obviously associated with the pitching motion, and your experience and judgment tell you that he is doing that with clear intent to incite the runner into believing he has begun a motion to pitch, then rather than just tell yourself "gee, that's ugly, but ugly ain't a balk," you now know that the spirit and intent of the balk rule is to balk that move and nip that **** in the bud, pronto.
You'll be surprised how un-Calvinball-like the game will be when you enforce this.