Grandad,
No, there is no time that a quick pitch can be ruled as a legal pitch. The rules state that is dangerous and should not be permitted. From your post, it sounds as if the PU in question was calling for a " directed pitch " although he was using piss poor judgement allowing the pitcher to get a running start.
A competent umpire would not call for a directed pitch unless the pitcher was on the rubber waiting to pitch, and delayed his delivery because the batter was not in the box.
I ask batters to do exactly what you have described in your post. I tell them that if they need to pick up a sign from the coaches box, they are to swing out of the box with one foot leaving the other foot in the box. This keeps them from simply walking out of the box at will, and from walking 3-4 steps up the line to receive their sign. This keeps the game moving along, and IMO it is good game management.
I am curious as to which organizational patch these umpires were wearing. If it was a LL patch, it does not mean much to me as to their competency. LL patches are handed out to anyone wanting to umpire in our area, and require NO formal training at all to obtain. I'm not saying they were bad because they were LL umpires, I'm just saying wearing a LL patch does not make them competent.
Tim.
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As umpires, we are the only ones in the world expected to be perfect on our first day on the job, and improve from there.
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