Balks

[Richard_Siegel]

It's late and I don't have the patience to write a long response. But to sum it up, I would take the piece of paper you printed that balk explanation on and tear it up and throw it away.

Start over.

I found the discussion to be overly simplistic in some cases, and inaccurate in others. It does not describe the proper mechanics of calling balks. It does not discuss the way to deal with coaches properly. i.e The man who called the balk intercepts the coach if the coach come out and is headed to the wrong guy. I would never say "I blinked."

Finally, if the speech was meant for new umpires, the most confusing thing you can say is "It is all about deception." Bringing up deception is a slippery slope because most deceptions are LEGAL. As soon as you equate deception with balks you are openning yourself up to defending all the other legal decpetions.