Illegal Pitches???

[EsqUmp]

Originally Posted by MrRabbit

Rule 6, Section 10B The pitcher attempts a quick return of the ball before the batter has taken a position in the batter’s box or when the batter is off balance.
EFFECT: Section 10 A-E: The ball is dead, all subsequent action on that pitch is cancelled.

This is one of the most ludicrious rules in ASA and many other codes.

What sense does this make:

1: Pitcher steps on the PP with her hands together. Pitcher takes a signal. Pitcher pitches to a batter who is read in the batter's box. Rule - Illegal pitch.

2: Pitcher steps on the PP and delivers the ball in a dangerous and unexpected manner in a deliberate attempt to quick pitch. Rule - No pitch.

A quick pitch is dangerous. It's unexpected. And it is deliberate almost all of the time, with a possible exception of very low level play with new pitchers. Any second act of quick pitching is clearly deliberate because it has already been called once.

So why is there NO penalty for a deliberate, dangerous, unexpected and unsportsmanlike act (unless you think "no pitch" is a penalty - wrong), but we are willing to give a potential winning runner on 3rd home when the pitcher walks on with her hands together?

My beef isn't so much with number "1" above, it's with number "2" and the wholly inappropriate penalty.