The comments over at the umpire ejections blog insist Wakefield stepped towards the plate. I put together a photo with two screen grabs that show his step was much more towards third than home, and they still insist on balk.

http://i149.photobucket.com/albums/s...ire/nobalk.jpg

Obviously I don't know what Francona said to Hernandez, but the ejection seemed way too quick. Hernandez held out his hand as if to say, "Don't come out here" (much like West often does). It seems to me the interpretation that you can't argue balks doesn't preclude a manager for asking for clarification on what the balk was.

Given how close the foot is to the line and the camera angle, I can see how a balk can be called.

All the umpire is required to do is state the reason for the balk, which Angel did. The balk cannot be argued, which Francona tried to do.

West's job was to rodeo clown Francona away from Angel, which he did.

They've all moved on.

Just now. Bottom of 4th, Cin at Chi. Balkin' Bob rings one up. Not a peep from anyone.

It's amazing how, even at that level, a few guys will call balks and the majority do not.

Edited to add: And another one. Bottom of 8th. Davidson calls a start and stop balk. Great call...not even close.

Was it a great call then, or was he just doing his job?

The correct way to draw the diagram is to have a line coming from the rubber to the base and a line from the pivot foot to the plate. Split that angle and you can determine where the step is. From the photos, to me it clearly looks like he stepped towards home

And to be definitive, the camera angle would need to be from along that split angle. Any other angle would be distorted.

The camera angle makes these pictures inconclusive, and your vertex is in the wrong place. It should be farther from home plate, so your screen grabs don't show what you say they do.

Both. He did his job by making a great call...one that so many of his brethern ignore.

A picture tells a thousand words, but not all of them are true.

Watch the video. Clearly the weight and step go towards home. An easy call for the plate umpire and I can't believe so much effort is going to show that Hernandez is "wrong."

I won't say that it's blatant or obvious, but I think it is the right call based on the video.

Yep. I've got a balk on this one too. It's not blatant, but I can see why he called it.

No RHP steps in this manner to throw home, and there is no 45 degree rule.

I could care less about Hernandez, and it is easier call for 3b ump. Joe West was at 3b, and he did not call it, so clearly, it was not clearly a balk.

Whether 45 degrees is written or not, it's certainly the easiest way to describe what makes a step more towards one base as opposed to another.

You couldn't be more wrong. Who better to see a step to the plate than the plate umpire?

I am fine with that balk call.

Show me a video of a RHP who has ever stepped in this manner to throw home and I might agree with you. As it stands I do not on either of your points.