Thanks. Helpful!

Agreed.

IMO, too many people want to refer to too many things as distracting. Why would a pitcher be the only one excluded to wearing reflective sunglasses? What if it was an infielder?

If tape on the pitching hand is distracting to the batter or umpire, they've got bigger problems than the tape.

I don't disagree. I was giving an example to make my point, not the sole exception. In my 43rd year, and I don't recall EVER dealing with a "distraction". But the rule exists, and if it were necessary to use it, that's how I would apply it.,

Actually, when I watched the game, two separate mutually exclusive things came to mind.

1) Why are the NCAA Softball Rules the only rules set in both baseball and softball that allow a pitcher to wear something on her pitching hand that allows her to better grip the ball?

2) How is the word "neutral" to be defined?

MTD, Sr.

I've had coaches argue the infamous "mirrored" sunglasses distraction which usually ended with me asking, "coach, why would the batter be looking at the pitcher's eyes when the pitch is coming from below the hips?"

In more recent years, I've had the argument that optic yellow shoe laces were distracting because they were the same color as the ball.

Then you have KR's excuse for ASA's ban on what could barely be considered minimal amount of optic yellow on a glove as being confusing to the players as it my give the impression the ball may be in the glove. So what?

And the latest interpretation that bats with barrels that are similar to optic yellow is a distraction to the fielders because they cannot see the ball.

Many of the claims are a joke and the fact that some of the governing bodies buy into them is just amazing.