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Blaine:
You know I respect your opinions, but I still have a problem with instructing a pitcher on balks.
Here's why, and mind you this is purely hypothetical.
Top of the forth inning with R1 only. Home teams left handed pitcher fails to gain sufficient direction and distance on a successfull pickoff on R1.
I call, "Thats a balk, Time!! You second base."
Defensive manager in a huff comes out. "Hey, Tim, how in the he11 is that a balk, it looked like a good move to me!"
"Skip, he stepped more toward home than first and that's a balk."
He then say's, "Show me in the rule book where that's a balk!"
"Skip the rule say's he must step directly toward the base, he didn't do that, now lets play ball."
"That sucks!" says the coach.
Now we're in the bottom of the sixth with R1 only as well.
Visting teams pitcher feigns a throw to first from the rubber, but I don't call a balk. Now the storm is going to erupt.
Home teams coach heads out and yells. "Hey, Tim thats a balk, and you know it!"
What am I supposed to tell him?
"Well, skip I think he didn't gain an advantage because he didn't pick your runner off." "He just needs some lessons on how not to balk."
I preferr to be consitent and call balks when I see them for high shool players. When you start to coach one pitcher in one situation you'll need to start coaching all pitchers in all situations. That's not an umpires responsibility in my opinion.
Tim.
[Edited by BigUmp56 on Feb 5th, 2006 at 03:39 PM]
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