I don't think it says taking practice swings, spitting or chewing gum is illegal either. :D

The point being that generally, if it doesn't say (or define) that it is illegal, it isn't and would then be legal.
right?

As stated above, the rule book does not list every permissible act. But it does list illegal acts, and any act not listed as illegal would by omission not be illegal.

The ASA case play on D3K situations is pretty specific the defense is repsonbile for knowing the count and the situation.

Whoa, what's with the insult?

Your problem is that you want everything to be black or white. The truth is, there's plenty of gray in the rules. And that's where umpires earn their stripes, dealing with that gray such that neither team is disadvantaged.

Just yesterday, I worked bases in a HS conference first-round playoff game. The weather was not favorable; we had a good drenching an hour before game time, and it rained off and on after we started. The home team pitcher had a pretty long towel hanging out of her back pocket to dry her hand between pitches.

When she came to bat, my partner directed her to remove the towel and put it in the dugout. Why? Probably because he didn't want a situation where a pitch hits the towel.

Was it illegal for her to have that towel in her pocket? Nope; there's no rule that says that. So does that make it legal? Not necessarily; if it was legal, then my partner couldn't make her take it out. He did something to nip a potential problem in the bud. Nobody complained.

The same is true here. There's no black and white rulings when a batter takes off for first when she doesn't become a batter-runner. You yourself said you would announce "That's Strike Two!" to try and nip that in the bud. That's what I would do. And if the catcher still makes a throw, then that's on her for not paying attention.

Insults are not necessary.

So, you assume that everything must be explicitly declared legal, else it is illegal?

Nonsense.

And, you would have this batter declared out? You DO need a rule for that! What is your rule?

I've had JV players twice this year run on an uncaught 2nd strike, and a varsity players who went to 1B on ball one. :eek:

In each case I called time once the ball was in circle and all action complete, turned to the batter standing on 1B and said "Miss? Would you like to finish your turn at bat?" :rolleyes:

Totally unacceptable. :(

Y'all are being way too sensitive. How can anyone possibly react to an incomplete comparison.

It should probably say "some of you are to thick headed" as "grilled ribs are to boiled ribs".

We just haven't figured out who "thick headed" is in the comparative equation. :)

Can you imagine how enormous a list of every thing you can legally do would be? Just listing "allowable actions by the batter" would be 20 pages long. Expecting such a list is rather ridiculous.

The book tells you what you CAN'T do. Generally, if it's not illegal ... it's legal.

Had the coach last week upset because opposing F1 was taking a signal from the dugout prior to being on the plate.

Rule says F1 must take or simulate taking a signal while on the pitching plate. Does not say when and where else she may take a signal and more importantly does not say taking a signal elsewhere is illegal.