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Originally Posted by GarthB
1. So you know where the batter's foot was after contact with the ball. We should change the rule to read "the batter is out when his bat makes contat with a pitched ball if his foot is completely out of the batter's box within a second or so after said contact."
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If a batter's foot is still pivoting in the dirt from a swing (- the most common)and/or the foot is still planted and is now pushing off the dirt to start running to 1B (and I'm positive it wasn't in the air during the contact) and/or and/or coming up from the dirt to start running to first base (and I'm positive it wasn't in the air during the contact - and I can see the entire cleat-print under the shoe/where the shoe was - also pretty easy to see) - I'm suggesting that more often than not, depending what type of swing/swinger it is/was, it's usually pretty easy for me to detect whether or not they violated the rule - agregiously or not - when the bat made contact with the ball.
In my mind, it's somewhat similar to other events that happen on the field of play which occur when the ball is arriving at/around the strike zone that I'm responsible for seeing from time to time when I'm PU - especially when working in a one-person system - i.e. a runner not being in contact with a base when the ball is hit; contact between catcher and batter on pickoff/steal attempts; a batter offering/not offering on a pitch that is a ball. These things often
do require I pay attention to 2 things at once, or at least very close to doing so.
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Originally Posted by GarthB
2. After a batter hits a pitched ball, I have more important things to do than take my eye off the ball, namely, keeping my eye on the ball, especially on a bunt attempt.
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I completely understand what you're saying - and I would also submit that, especially on things such as bunts and anything else where an immediate fair/foul ruling may be necessary, that I would obviously
not take my eye at all off the ball.