Anybody here NOT know how I feel about this rule? Obviously, I don't believe it should be a rule.
However, since it is and the rule book is clear, the runner is out if they leave the base.
I love it when people cite "spirit of the rule". If the powers-that-be wanted the umpire to judge when and when not to enforce a rule, it would be written as such.
Of course, as already has been brought up, there is the absurdity of the lifting of the foot a few inches or shifting weight. Give me a break.
Then again, every time someone starts this is just one more reason to get rid of the rule, so keep it up. If enough people know the spirit of the rule better than those who put it in place, maybe they will just get rid of it like the rule involving the handle of a bat.
