Quote:
|
Originally Posted by TwoBits
As soon as he said your pitcher was attempting to deceive the runner, any other argument was futile.
|
No - the rules regarding attempting to deceive do not say anything about just standing there - they pertain to movements designed to deceive the runner. This stands is not just technically legal ... it's SPECIFICALLY legal. If you take "attempting to deceive" as your SOLE criteria (without the rest of the sentence in the rulebook), then even a simple good quick move on a pickoff is a balk, in that the pitcher was moving quickly to attempt to get the runner out (ie, deceive the runner).
"Deceiving the runner" is not a catch-all created to allow umpires to balk stuff they simply don't like. It has a specific use.