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Originally posted by SanDiegoSteve
Quote:
Originally posted by mcrowder
I come back after a self-imposed 2 week hiatus and find the board is back to discussing actual issues. Fantastic.
This one is pretty cut and dried, however, and I'm surprised at the 2 or 3 hold outs that continue to insist that they will balk this when the rules clearly separate this action from those listed as a balk.
Don't you folks think that if the rulemakers intended this to be a balk, it would be INCLUDED in 8.05? It's not. It's not ON PURPOSE. Because it's NOT A BALK. It's not even illegal unless the pitcher subsequently creates an ILLEGAL disadvantage by then quick-pitching. VERY simple. Stop guessing and read the book.
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And while all of this is true, the FED insists that it IS a balk, by lumping every violation of 6-1-1 into a single penalty of either ball or balk, depending on whether or not there are runners on base.
I have never enforced this technicality, nor do I think I ever would. Like it has been said already, just tell the pitcher to get on the rubber when taking his signs. I'm not about to stand out there all day calling ticky-tack, technical balks anyway.
IMO, this is another example of over-zealous rule writers that seem to make up the FED rules committee.
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The difference in the FED rule has nothing to do with zealousness, either over or under.
The Fed rule difference has to due with FED's lack of confidence in the training, consistency and quality of its umpires.