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Old Thu May 02, 2013, 10:18am
David Emerling David Emerling is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Germantown, TN (east of Memphis)
Posts: 783
Quote:
Originally Posted by MD Longhorn View Post
Worst advice ever. I'm sure you've discarded that since then.
You're taking it too literally.

With every pitch, do you tell yourself, "That was not a balk"?

No! You don't. And that's because nothing looks unusual about it.

It doesn't even occur to you to call a balk.

But, when something looks odd, even if at the very instant it occurs you could not immediately say WHY it's a balk - your mind is racing to determine why, indeed, it is a balk. What sets our brain in motion is precisely because "it looks wrong".

The key is that you have to be able to intelligently and properly articulate why it was a balk once you call it.

SIDENOTE: Whenever I'm a BU, with a runner on 1st, I have to confess that I do, specifically, tell myself "That was not a balk" - especially if the pitcher has already demonstrated that he is on the edge legality.
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