Fed Pitching Interp

[JJ]

Here's the play: Pitcher, in the windup position, steps on the rubber with his hands at his sides. From there, he brings both hands up simultaneously and pauses in front of his body to adjust the ball.

According to the new Fed rule interp, with runners on base this is a balk. But is there a problem/penalty if he does it with nobody on base? Illegal pitch? Dead ball? If dead, when? If not, does a preventative-officiating umpire casually tell him or the coach that what he's doing will be illegal with runners on base? If a pitcher cannot start a windup with nobody on base and stop without it being illegal, what do you do with a pitcher who starts his windup with nobody on base and stops when his hat blows off?

All of this was posed to me at a Fed rules interp meeting. Now I'm passing it along to all of you. Hey - a RULES question to generate some discussion. How refreshing!