Quote:
Originally Posted by Tim C
See I thought this was really easy when I first read everything and now some of you are confusing the issue.
The reason it is being eliminated is based on there is only one "legal" way to disengage from the pitcher's plate: to be legal F1 must "step back" to disengage.
On the Fake to 3rd and throw to 1st the disengagement comes illegally by dragging the pivot foot off the front edge of the plate.
It seemed awfully easy to understand.
IT IS NOT ABOUT THE FEINT . . . it is simply about legally disengaging.
Rules in sports are really a lot like the laws in our country. Many laws are interpreted so many times the actual wording is not always followed the interps are . . .
Same thing happens with sporting rules.
The fake-to-third fake was established in college baseball far before any major league pitcher used it.
Another "illegal" F1 motion is the "jab step" that was invented by Greg Maddox (or SanDiegoSteve). The quick step with the pivot foot toward 3rd (kinda) is just as illegal as the play we are talking about HOWEVER through "tradition" we allow the move.
Don't over think things.
T
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A few years back I asked Jim Evans at a clinic if dragging the pivot foot off the rubber during a feint was a legal disengage. He said it was and the pitcher could now run at the runner.
I guess next year that won't be so. Ramifications might include not being able to throw to fielder not covering 2B or 3B.
It looks like the rule need not be changed, only the 8.05(c) comment and whatever the MLBUM says.