Lefty has a question

[Michael Hughes]

A question regarding the semantics of one of the rules was posed to me by a player at the senior level the other day.

I was certainly aware of the rule, but not the background behind it. As a result, I may have debunked the widely held convention that umpires are indeed all-seeing and all-knowing creatures that enjoy a higher state of evolution than the masses. That said, I was able to BWA (Bulls**t with Authority) my way out of the discussion.

He pointed out that under the rules of the sport, it's acceptable for a pitcher to fake a throw to third while on the rubber. (Given) Applying some commom sense and reasoning to his thought process, he wanted to know why left-handed pitchers would not be able to fake a throw to first.

He appreciates the fact that the most likely explantion for why a left handed pitcher is unable to fake a throw to first is simply "Because the rules say you can't"

My explanation as to the specifics of why, hinged on two points.

1) The risk of throwing the ball away is removed if the pitcher can just bluff the runner back. It almost as though there needed to be some sort of "risk vs reward" calculation taken into consideration.


2) The majority of 'throwing over to keep the runner close' plays are at first to begin with, and not forcing the pitcher to deliver the ball to the bag would likely increase the number of 'attempts', thereby greatly slowing down the game.

There may not be any specific historical reason behind the rule, but if anyone has a decent suggestion, I'm all ears.

* * *

Also, I recently refused to allow a game to take place because of the condition of the field.

Ridges and ruts in the infield, holes in the outfield and a sunken batters box among the problems with the playing surface.

I contacted the crew responsible for diamond maintenance that had been contracted at the beginning of the season. They indicated to me that they had exceeded their budgeted figures on those particular diamonds and would not be doing any further work unless more money was made available to them.

Although never named as a co-defendant, I had a kid break his ankle as a result of poor field conditions in the past, and came under a lot of fire over that situation.

Given that I can be declared responsible (read: liable) for any injuries that occur on my field in my game, I'm not hesitant to flush a game for that reason.

The players in this particular instance felt that my decision was unwarranted. But with a bag full of equipment, water to keep hydrated, my rulebook, and extra lineup cards, I've already got enough stuff to bring to the diamond. I don't really have any desires to show up with a stack of waivers for players to sign before each game.

As much as it might seem like a one-off instance, I'm sure thee are others out there who have been in similar situations.

What did you do?


Respectfully,


Michael Hughes

[Gee]

Here is what JEA has to say about your first question.

OBR 8.05(b) Customs and usage. "....The purpose of this rule is to allow the runner to get a practical lead. If feints were allowed, pitchers could hold runners much closer to first base and the offense would be stifled. The main purpose of the balk rule is to encourage offense not to stifle it."

So your second point was right. G.