Here a balk, there a balk...

[BellevueUMp]

I'll toss this out to try and help answer the question about the "time out" signal. In the back of the Fed rule book, the "Mechanics" illustrations show the umpire making what appears to be a 'time out' signal (like I'm typically used to seeing a basketball player use towards the official). I was taught to signal a foul tip by brushing the palm/fingertips of one hand across the back of the other, so seeing the mechanic depicted this way was a bit confusing. I wasn't sure if this was a different mechanic or just how the one I learned was drawn. Guess I'm not crazy after all (well, not as much as I'd thought ).