Balk again??

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by PS2Man
I love little trolls that try to take everything someone says out of context of what the conversation was about. You cannot change your normal motion all of a sudden. For those that can think, that does not mean that your leg cannot move a little bit, or your kick is not as high at one point. Or doing a high leg kick one time and the next minute doing the slide step. But if you did not have a hitch in your motion all game long than you get a little hitch in your motion, you cannot do that. I have been umpire for some time and I do not see kids changing their motion purposely very often. When they do something like that it stands out like sour thumb. I am not talking about a minor change. I am talking about a major change. Not sure how old you are but you might not remember Louis Tiant of the Boston Red Sox? His motion was ugly, but was apart of his normal motion. He had a hitch in his motion and he did it ever single time. If I have a pitcher that does the Luis Tiant motion and was pitching looked more like Randy Johnson all game long, I am balking his ***. You do not have to do that, but I will. I have been doing this over 20 years and I cannot think of any time that a kid did something that unusual and it was not balked. Now that is what I am doing. I really would like a very specific rule reference to back up your claim. Just telling me I am wrong is not enough.

In each of the following plays, assume that F1 has continually used a "normal" (whatever that is), deliberate wind-up motion for the first six innings. Then, in the 7th inning:

1) F1 pumps twice. Balk or not? It's a "major change."

2) As F1 starts his motion, R3 breaks for the plate. F1 speeds up his motion. Balk or not? It's a "major change."

Hint: Neither one is a balk. And neither is the original play (at least not for the reson you've given).