That's true. Additionally, by not calling we're putting our colleagues down the road who inevitably will call it in a terrible position. They're gonna run into *someone* who calls it. And if that's in the state tourney when umps from another area that was calling it all season are doing the game, then shame on the home area umps for setting that team up - even if that's what they wanted at the time.

Frankly, in the pantheon of silly Fed rules, I don't have all that much of a problem with this. Yea, they dumb things down a lot, but for a large majority of high school kids (and umps and coaches) I think it's appropriate that there is a defined line between the two positions. Pick one and pick it clearly. As long as the allowable actions are different and offenses are basing their strategy on that, the defense should clearly pick. The better kids that can handle it will be able to adjust and will find themselves to OBR leagues soon enough.

To add to this, and I'm not dumping on anyone, Most of the "chirping" I've heard is coming from college umpires. And I understand their frustration. But you have to remember the skill level is probably closer then at the HS level. Remember that FED wants to take as much judgement out of our hands as possible.

Too true. If Fed didn't have the "can not throw to a base without a disengaging from the wind-up position" code difference, this hybrid stance wouldn't even be an issue. Since there is the potential for a problem with runners on (and they can't trust us umpires to distinguish between potential advantage and none) lets just tell everybody to ball it with no runners on.

And then to make it even more simple (more odorous, IMO), they take what is, by literal wording, a legal set position, and make it illegal, with the wave of hand...
...thanks big bruda.

Remember, this is the same organization that took away the automatic first down on defensive pass interference to balance the advantage/disadvantage between offense and defense. Sometimes you just have to shake your head.

Completely different people, and this is not NEARLY as dumb as that.