To Balk Or Not To Balk, That Is The Question..

[GarthB]

Originally posted by DownTownTonyBrown
Marty is trying to differentiate between the stretch and the set portions of this delivery.

I think so, especially after reading Bob's and your post.

The original post sounded like the pitcher was standing tall

" Left foot on rubber, right foot in front a foot or so,... Getting ready to go into set position."

Perhaps not in the stretch yet??? So maybe his question was do you allow the pitcher to move his shoulders at this stage of the delivery - something that would look like the beginning of a delivery? This is really two seperate questions - shoulder movement, and delivery movement.

As I said in my post above, the shoulder turn prior to coming set is okay in OBR but a balk in FED.

OBR: Yes, shoulder move is allowed until the pitcher comes to his stopped, set position.

FED: No, shoulder movement is not allowed while in contact with the rubber.

And you agree. Good.


I do like the moniker of the Black Letter of the Law... Sherriff Benham (spelling?). I don't think it was meant to be offensive and I don't think you took it that way. But not everybody may be aware that being considered a "Rulebook Official" is not necessarily a compliment.

I have a hard time of seeing myself that way. Of course some rules lend themselves to that kind of enforcement. But overall, as a good friend once put it, we need to be a channel in the flow of the game, not a dam.

Which black letter would you choose? I can see your spurs and cowboy swagger now. That's a nice black hat Sherriff.

I guess I'd pick the letter G. I remember as a kid watching the Cheerios commercials. At the end they would zoom in on the script G in "General Mills" and the announcer would say: "The big G stands for goodness." I was only about seven and probably 40 pounds soaking wet, but the other kids started calling me Big G. Even when it became obvious I wasn't going to grow into it, the nick name stuck.

Now, unfortunately, it fits.

However, since Mick, Rich and Bob have been deputized by official forum, it might be best if one of them took the moniker. Sheriff Fronheiser has a ring to it.