illegal pitch (confession: good for the soul?)

[Little Jimmy]

Irish said...

And where does it direct the pitcher or umpire to wait a specific period?

This is obviously something we would have to see since one person's idea of immediate may not be the same as the next.

Is there anything that states that the separated hands must remain still and not move toward each other as the pitcher is "similating" taking her signals?

You've actually hit the nail on the head as far as what really has me irritated with my enforcement/non enforcement. The specifics are somewhat vague as to what the interpretation should be. Is it OK by the book(any book) for a pitcher to walk onto the pitching plate and at that same moment bring the hands together so that when both feet hit the plate she is together or almost together? Or is it a violation? I 've had veteran umpires, UIC's and various heads of state tell me me their interpretation, and there is no consensus. Some say absolutely not, don't allow it. Others say this is a minor violation at best, don't stop the flow of the game. And each one of these people have positions of authority and many years of experience that would lend creedence to either side of the argument.

Has any official word come down in the past from any organization that said that the motion I have been describing is definitively legal of illegal? Or is it simply up to each of us to decide for ourselves and explain our own personal view to those that question it?