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Originally Posted by UMP25
Except that there is a difference between subtlety and obvious mockery, WWTB.
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UMP25,
I find your point well taken.
And I did not mean to suggest that the umpire declare a forfeit the first time the batter swings at a pitch when it is obvious that he has no intention of actually hitting that pitch. However, after the second time, I do think it would be entirely appropriate for the umpire to give the offensive manager a "heads up" that he's skating on thin ice.
WWTB offers two examples: 1. a base coach giving unnecessarily prolonged signals, and 2. a manager repeatedly changing pitchers.
In #1, the umpire should instruct the batter to take his position in the batter's box. Should the batter fail to do so, the umpire should call a "directed strike". If, on the other hand, the umpire allows the base coach & batter to illegally delay the game, he's not a very good umpire and needs some remedial work on his game management skills.
#2 is a little trickier. The manager may have a legitimate reason to switch pitchers. Each pitcher he brings in, of course, must pitch to at least one batter or retire the side before he is replaced by another pitcher. Unless he becomes "incapacitated" before doing so. If the umpire "feels" (which is, more or less what "palpably" means) the manager is simply trying to delay the game to gain an unfair advantage which is obviously not intended by the rules by doing so, he should put a stop to it. Umpire judgement.
Surely you don't tolerate this kind of B.S. in the games you officiate, do you WWTB?
JM