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Originally Posted by umpduck11
So you just pick and choose which rules to apply by the letter of the rule ?
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The umpiring community as a whole picks and chooses which rules to apply by letter. Jim Evans has famously listed 234 (or some similar number) of errors in OBR. Most of those errors are instances in which we apply the rules differently than written. In some instances, the rules are self-inconsistent, and one part or the other of a written rule necessarily has to be ignored.
Even a casual fan of baseball knows that umpires universally enforce a strike zone which is different from the letter of the rule.
Regarding the rules associated with the on-deck batter, there are a couple of reasons to not enforce the letter. First, the rule carries an unjustified level of precision. I think it is obvious to everybody that 36 or 38 feet are nearly as appropriate as 37 feet. I've never seen an umpire with a tape measure checking the on-deck circle for compliance.
Second, the rules themselves recognize that many fields don't have sufficient space, and the rules end up settling for whatever is safe. I suppose in that sense, I do favor following the letter of the rule!