Posted on 05/15/2012 6:28:34 AM PDT by thurmant
Yahoo! Sports reported last week that Major League Baseball (MLB) was considering expanding the balk rule to include the infamous fake to third-throw to first move. MLB and the playing rules committee have agreed to make this play a balk, but the Player’s Union vetoed it for further review, but this rule can come into play as early as next season.
(Excerpt) Read more at fixmlb.org ...
My only question is...WHY?
That play rarely works - OK Granderson (NY Yankees) got picked off last year. Don’t make the play a balk.
It usually becomes ineffective at high school junior varsity level baseball.
As Harry Caray used to say in a disgusted voice: ‘That play went out with high-button shoes.’
Its very futility should eliminate it, but not a rule change.
They should delay any change in the balk rules until everyone understands the current balk rules.
Are they trying to encourage those idiots who scream balk ALREADY when this occurs?
Not a worse idea than moving the Houston Astros into the American League and then having season-long interleague play.
That will inevitably result in the DH all around.
Power Alley on XM Radio had a short seqment called “Ask the Ump” yesterday, and a former ump discussed this item. It seems that the move has aways been a balk, if rarely called. So, it’s not really a rule change as much as a change in enforcement policy, and the reason appears to be that the Comish thinks it delays the game.
Lots of moves are probably balks, you normally just have to be consistant with it. RA Dickey has a tremendous move for a right hander that works with a fast sweep tag that is probably border-line, but he’s also fast to the plate, which is absolutely mandatory for a knuckleballer. Petite has the best ‘balk move’ I have seen, the fifth guy for the Nats this year, Detwiler, has a sneaky thing where he goes to the plate and the runners are moving back to first without many thow overs.
I would rather they work on high strikes and the neighborhood play on second, combined with more interference calls!
Freegards
Baseball is incredibly boring. There should be some rules similar to basketball where the shotclock runs down, i.e. the pitcher has to pitch or it gets counts as a ball towards a walk.
When we were kids, there were so many arguments over strikes and balls (same today in pro baseball) that it was simply settled with a garbage can. If you hit the garbage can, it’s a strike. Baseball could use a few simple fixes like this.
It's interesting that you should have noticed that. I used to watch Detwiler when he played in single A at Potomac, and his pick off move to first was the best I have ever seen, bar none. He didn't always pitch that well, but he was gifted with an unnaturally fast and sneaky pick off move. I think word must have gotten around about it, and no one wants to be his victim.
That’s awesome. He’s been really good for the Nats this year. I can’t wait to see him actually pick someone off now, although the baserunner going back to first is fun too on a pitch to the plate.
Freegards
Maybe I’m just out there but I personally think that any move by a pitcher to fake a throw should result in a balk. The game is constantly being delayed by pitchers “looking back” runners on base. This should not be allowed. Pitchers should be made to just throw the ball and quit the nonsense.
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