Mike Walsh

​I would not be happy if my partner talked to him about my call, even if he agreed with it. Mike

Actually, JEA owns ABUA. Mike

Adjusting the ball in the hand is legal. In fact, in the wind-up position, the pitcher can reach into his glove, adjust the ball, and take his hand out of the glove without balking. I interpreted juggling to mean tossing the ball up into the air a few inches and catching it. I've seen that at the lower levels, but never in high school. I never heard the term juggling used in baseball, but equated it to what you see guys do with bowling pins. If those pins don't leave his hands, he's not juggling B).

I assume the ready position means he was in contact with the rubber, or else it would not be a balk. That said, why wouldn't you call a balk if he was juggling the ball (even if he didn't drop it)? I used to have a pet peeve about balks not being echoed by my partner. It helps prevent arguments if both guys call it. Even with the best of partners it just doesn't happen, so I finally gave up worrying about it. Mike

I'm new to this forum and this is an older post but I have to comment - Amen to every point you made! Mike

Being as professional as possible is fun. Mike

There is a difference between the 2 levels. High school requires a throat guard, which can be part of the mask. LL requires a dangling throat guard. Most masks are manufactured with the throat guard built right into it and don't need any addition to be legal for HS. That may explain why the umpires let it go. Mike