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Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA
The reason is "seems" complicated is because of the coaches and umpires who overthink the process and try to find a loophole or advantage through the wording or the exclusion of such.
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There reason it "seems" complicated is because it is IS.
I would say the vast majority of coaches who use the DP/FLEX use it simply as a DH provision. Basically, Suzie is batting for Katie. That is almost the extent of their knowledge of the DP/FLEX.
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Because of that, the wording of the rule is not basic, but specific to the point of being extraneous. And, in spite of that, people still try to read into it and abuse what they believe to be a loophole or advantage.
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I don't think there are a lot of coaches out there looking for loopholes. And those that ARE looking for "loopholes" are only doing so because the rule is so incredibly convoluted it is practically crying out to be used to one's advantage.
Another reason a coach might be tempted to look for a "loophole" is likely because he is betting that he can get away with it due to the anticipated lack of detailed knowledge on the part of the umpire. It's a pretty safe bet. The coach, who understands it well, talks circles around the hapless umpire who probably hasn't faced many complex issues regarding the DP/FLEX. So the coach gets what he wants mostly because he sounds like he knows what he's talking about.
The bottom line is this: We waste far too much time talking about DP/FLEX when there are so many more important things to talk about. It's a substitution rule, for crissakes! The rules complexity makes it nothing more than a distraction.
Again - in my opinion.
David Emerling
Memphis, TN