For those of you that have gotten there yet
http://baseball.officiating.com/x/article/4415
Here are Carl's conclusions (minus 1761 words)...
- If the pitcher didnt stop, it was a balk, intentional walk notwithstanding.
The game situation (win/loss on the line) should have no effect on the decision to penalize the balk.
If your supervisor says call it, do so.
I think the third item may have been what really prompted the umpire to make the call.
Perhaps he didn't miss the previous balks;I really don't know. When in position B or C, I talk to my pitchers. And if I saw previous balks I probably would have said, "Make sure you get a stop in there." And next time, "You missed stopping on that last pitch. Make sure you get a stop in there." And finally, after reminding him on the previous two pitches, (okay you dumbass) "THAT'S A BALK!"
Oops. Game over.
