Are you calling a Balk?

[jicecone]

Thanks Mike, it works for some and that is their perogative. I have just never found it necessary (unless the situation needed), to let everyone know who is in charge on the field. I know it and that is all there is to it.

As far as the balks, I agree that it can be a learning process by calling all of them, whether technical or mechanical, its discretion and I continue to refine even that, if I think it will make me a better official. Not just because some has told me too. There are often some different schools of thought on it and I was just trying get some more opinions from others.

Thanks

[Caesar's Ghost]

Better to have them learn it in a 9-0 game then to learn it in a 0-0 game that becomes 0-1.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by jicecone

As far as the balks, I agree that it can be a learning process by calling all of them, whether technical or mechanical, its discretion and I continue to refine even that, if I think it will make me a better official. Not just because some has told me too. There are often some different schools of thought on it and I was just trying get some more opinions from others.

Thanks

I will continue to argue that neither one were technical. The runner in each case is illegally deceived by both taking the hand out of the glove in the former and by stepping off with the free foot in the latter. In each case, the runner is put at a HUGE disadvantage. What would you have done in Play #2 if after the pitcher stepped off, the runner decided to steal and the pitcher threw him out at the base? Go back and say "Oh, that was a balk, by the way?" Just wondering what your reasoning is for considering either of these balks "technical," when each one has effectively killed the runner's chances of a stolen base.

[dash_riprock]

Originally Posted by SanDiegoSteve

What would you have done in Play #2 if after the pitcher stepped off, the runner decided to steal and the pitcher threw him out at the base? Go back and say "Oh, that was a balk, by the way?"

The proper mechanic is to immediately signal a delayed dead balk.

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by dash_riprock

The proper mechanic is to immediately signal a delayed dead balk.

That's pretty funny!