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Nitpicking
I will always ask a batter to "step" into the box if I feel he/she is not in the box at the start of the pitch. "There is no box!" Of course we all know that even if the lines of the box are non-existent or wiped out there is still a box. I had a situation where I was a single umpire and the very first batter of the game hits a two hopper down the 3rd base line and is thrown out at 1st on a close play. The offensive coach goes ballistic and advises his next batter to not get into the box until he returns with the TD to overturn my call. As the coach is leaving I ask the batter to get into the box. He refuses so I call "Strike 1". I ask him again to step into the box and again he refuses..."Strike 2". He then proceeded to step into the box and popout to the shortstop. When the coach returned with the TD and his team is now playing defense (another out occured) he was furious at his player...not me. Go figure!
Sorry for the rant.
It kills me to hear batter's complain that you called them out for stepping out of the box when "there is no box". And I would never ever "draw" a box.
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