Need help with a rule reference
 

FED.
Sit: R3, outs don't matter. F1 makes legal pick off move to third, however, F5 is nowhere near the base (about 20 ft). Throw goes to F5 who moves one step closer to base to make catch of throw. I am BU in C and immediately call balk based on F5 not being close enough to make play on runner. Of course defensive HC comes out to argue, ends up ejecting himself, and we move on.
I cannot find this in the NFHS rule book. Found it in the Case book, pg53, Sit 6.2.4J.
Any rule guru's out there?

Tom C.

That case ONLY applies at first -- where F1 is required to throw to first or throw to a fielder close enought to make a play (judgment).

At second and third, since F1 is allowed to feint to those bases, it doesn't matter where he throws the ball, as long as he steps and throws closer to that base than to any other.

It is difficult to balk to 2B
 

Welcome Tom, you raise an interesting point.
I wanted to add another comment about the OP that is well understood by many here.
If I understand it correctly, IIITBTSB = It is impossible to balk to second base,
or YCNBTSB = You can not balk to second base, or OCNBTSB = One can not balk to second base.
There is further discussion about this topic on this website.
Some may continue to believe otherwise, but it is generally accepted by all.

This doesn't require a guru, just an umpire willing to study and uderstand the rules before he agrees to be responsible for them on the field. That way, coaches won't be ejected because the umpire didn't know what he was doing.

Mr Umpire, you are correct, there is no excuse for making a mistake in a rules interpretation. However, the mistake was made, and Buckeye had the courage to post his mistake in order to learn from it. I applaud him for that, and so should you.

My point, had you been his partner, what would you have said during your post-game discussion? That is how I approach posting on this forum. Would you have skewered him and not provided him guidance?