Gorilla Stance

[mbyron]

Originally posted by Daryl H. Long

1. I do not admit that in the gorilla stance the arm is in front. I say it is still at his side so he conforms with the rule. If any part of the arm conforms to the rule then pitcher is OK. Can a pitcher get his WHOLE arm behind his back. NO. Try it. I would bet no matter how hard you try the only part of your arm you can get behind your back is from the elbow to the tip of the fingers. If he can conform to that part of the rule with only a portion of his arm actually behind his back then we have to conclude if only a portion of the arm is at his side he also conforms.

This has got to be one of the stupidest comments I've ever seen on this board - I'd like to think it's a joke.

Stop for 30 seconds and think: your arm is attached to your shoulder. Where it attaches, it's on your side. So it's physically impossible to have your whole arm in front of your body, or behind it, as you say.

Now ask yourself: if THAT'S what they meant by "at the side, or behind the back", why write a rule that prohibits something physically impossible?

The principle of interpretive charity dictates that when someone writes something that is obviously false or absurd, then likely your interpretation of it is incorrect. You have not applied this principle in your interpretation of the rule. I have tried to apply it in my interpretation of your comment: that's why I want to think that you're joking.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by Daryl H. Long
You said yourself that umpires were not calling the gorilla stance a balk until this year. If the NF can legalize the sideways step because no one was calling it a balk they can legalize the gorilla stance also for the same reason.

I agree -- it wasn't "clear" before. So, some were calling it and some weren't. Much like the "sideways step." So, the FED made it clear in both instances. One they allowed and one they didn't. It's not what I would have done, but they didn't ask me. (And, I think the reason for making the gorilla arm illegal had to do with potential complications during the shoulder turn -- was that a feint or not with the arm hanging down?)

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by Daryl H. Long

3: There are no "unenumerated" balks?

Situation: F1, while in contact with the pitcher's plate, places his pitching hand on his mouth and then distictly wipes off the pitching hand before touching the ball? What do you as the umpire call?

I am going to start this as a separate thread also to guage what other umpires would do.

Specifically an illegal pitch for starting the pitching motion and not continuing. The specific play is in some FED interp -- 2000 or so.

[bob jenkins]

Originally posted by Daryl H. Long
1. I do not admit that in the gorilla stance the arm is in front. I say it is still at his side so he conforms with the rule.

The rule requires the HAND (not the ARM) to be at the side or behind the back.

[Tim C]

We've done it AGAIN.

We have wasted this much bandwidth because ONE GUY refuses to recognize a clearly written rule.

As the editor of this website once intoned, "Lah Me!"