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Originally Posted by sargee7
The rules are there for a purpose and are changed periodlcally, not to make them easier to be understood but to prevent "cheating".
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Exactly. But why is the "punishment" different for different types of cheating.
In this case offense(I'll throw in balks as well) and defensive interference.
As I stated earlier, catcher interference and balks and even some types of obstruction are delayed calls because you don't want to punish the offense just in case the resulting play is better then the default punishment for the "cheating".
However, if the offense "cheats" the play is immediately dead except in rare situations.
Why are the rules written in such as way as to seemingly benefit the offense.
If a team is caught cheating shouldn't the "punishment" be treated the same? Immediate dead ball and enforce the punishment.
That or couldn't the offensive interference be delayed to see if the defense is able to make the play and possibly get additional outs? i.e. a runner clips a fielder making a catch but the fielder still makes the catch and then throws to a base to get the runner out for a double play. This allows the defense the same benefit the offense gets on a balk, CI or obstruction. If the defense doesn't make the play, then call time enforce the interference call by calling appropriate outs and returning runners to their TOP bases. This way it is EXACTLY the same way as balks and CI are handled.
I could easily say, read the rule and interpret exactly as written regardless of whether it appears fair and appropriate but isn't this what these forums are about. Discussion about topics such as this??