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Originally Posted by David Emerling
You say they can fill it in. That doesn't work very well because it is usually very loose dirt. The pitcher's movements are much more dynamic than the batter's so the comparison isn't completely fair.
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I dunno how it is in the rest of the country, but I do know that up here on the complexes we use for championship play (basically 16 fields at four complexes) there are hard clay "bricks" buried fairly shallowly in the batters boxes and around the pitcher's plates. We have very few problems with the big holes on those fields.
Of course, we don't always play on those fields...and we have many single fields that don't use the bricks.
I'm still contemplating pros and cons of the proposal. And, Spencer, we don't even have to demur to cricket. Similar rules were in force for good ol' baseball for many years until the move to 60 feet, 6 inches. (It's where the term "back through the box" comes from, even though there hasn't been a box in over 100 years.)
However, I cannot buy the argument that this change may only be for the benefit of umpires and not for players or coaches. Anything that makes it easier to do our job better inherently makes the game better for players and coaches. Quieting the nattering nabobs of the offensive team hollering about illegal this or that will be of great benefit to umpires, UICs and tournament directors everywhere.