Good balk move video

[grayhawk]

Saw this on my feed and thought it was explained well. This is a tough one to get, if it's executed well. We all have seen these done well enough that it left enough doubt in our minds to not make the call. We have to be sure on balks, we can't just THINK it's a balk. When I'm U1 in the A position (3-man), I focus on both heels to see if the left heel moves before the right heel. Some F1's are just so fast that it's hard to tell.

 

[dumbdumb]

nice pickup there grayhawk

don't think this is the only one taught, along with the left handed step home or not, or the spin move, from what i can see from other videos on this forum.

and after being with pitchers in the with various experiences in yankees, orioles, padres, and guardians organizations, Matt Antonelli would know all about cheating or maybe tone this down to illegal pick off moves. great video (visuals) on how it is done.

so, just like some umpires are better at ball/strike the stats show, some are better on the bases for safe/out the stats show, so why does everyone get in such a big hissy fit knowing that some umpires are better at balks than other umpires, yet everyone wants to slam on Joe West, Angel Hernandez, Bruce Froemming, Bob Davidson when they catch these pitchers doing this type of move, or the old proverbial stepping home rather than to first base on the left handers. some are just better than others in the balk arena, and not just 1 or 2 better, just like the other 2 areas show.

oh yea, i forgot--- if you ain't cheatin, you ain't tryin. is that just a baseball term, a sports term, a sports and business term, an all of life term or what.

and so when you do get caught cheating/illegal move, do you just point at everyone else and blame them and bad mouth them and run them through the mud like you are really a saint. or is everyone a cheater/illegal move and you just blame everyone else and try to ruin them, like the umpires, when you get caught.

oh well

 

 

 

[grayhawk]

This is the balk that I am "looking for" the most. Do I "want" to call a balk? Not at all. But this balk is the one I don't want to miss. When I'm U1 in the 3 umpire system, I have no responsibility for the no-stop balk, so my focus is the feet. I used to focus on the left heel, but that left me uncertain as to whether it moved first. So now I look at both heels. This gives me a much better picture of this particular balk move.

When I'm on the dish, I am first looking for the no-stop. But when I have a stop, my eyes then shift to the feet. Depending on how the pitcher sets, I may have a look at both feet, or just the left foot. It's tough to get from the plate, but not impossible. I definitely prefer U1 to grab it.

The one that I think is funny is the lefty step home and throw to first balk. This is the one that is MUCH better seen from the plate, but I have had coaches argue twice this season when I called it from the plate. Mind you, they weren't arguing that it wasn't a balk, just that I called it and U1 didn't. They have no clue that PU has the better look.

[834k3r]

1 hour ago, grayhawk said:

This is the balk that I am "looking for" the most. Do I "want" to call a balk? Not at all. But this balk is the one I don't want to miss. When I'm U1 in the 3 umpire system, I have no responsibility for the no-stop balk, so my focus is the feet. I used to focus on the left heel, but that left me uncertain as to whether it moved first. So now I look at both heels. This gives me a much better picture of this particular balk move.

When I'm on the dish, I am first looking for the no-stop. But when I have a stop, my eyes then shift to the feet. Depending on how the pitcher sets, I may have a look at both feet, or just the left foot. It's tough to get from the plate, but not impossible. I definitely prefer U1 to grab it.

The one that I think is funny is the lefty step home and throw to first balk. This is the one that is MUCH better seen from the plate, but I have had coaches argue twice this season when I called it from the plate. Mind you, they weren't arguing that it wasn't a balk, just that I called it and U1 didn't. They have no clue that PU has the better look.

I appreciate the technique description here. I'm average at best at calling balks behind the plate and it's definitely an area I want to improve. This helps.

[Jimurray]

5 hours ago, 834k3r said:

I appreciate the technique description here. I'm average at best at calling balks behind the plate and it's definitely an area I want to improve. This helps.

Rule of thumb at upper levels, if F1 successfully picks R1 with a jab step move it was a "knee pop" but I didn't catch it. Second pick I'm thinking about it. Third pick I might be sure enough to call it.

[Jimurray]

10 hours ago, grayhawk said:

 but that left me uncertain as to whether it moved first.

It's not whether it moved first. It can move first in many pick moves where the knee has to flex to make the move. It's whether it moved separately. Best advice I can give to a runner is that I might not catch it and you need to key on something else.

[grayhawk]

18 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

It's not whether it moved first. It can move first in many pick moves where the knee has to flex to make the move. It's whether it moved separately. Best advice I can give to a runner is that I might not catch it and you need to key on something else.

If the left heel lifts before the right heel moves and he picks, it's a balk.

[Jimurray]

52 minutes ago, grayhawk said:

If the left heel lifts before the right heel moves and he picks, it's a balk.

I don’t think that is an absolute with some moves. But when you call it what rule language are you using other than the left heel lifted first?

[grayhawk]

24 minutes ago, Jimurray said:

I don’t think that is an absolute with some moves. But when you call it what rule language are you using other than the left heel lifted first?

Knee pop. That does it 99% of the time. If they want rulebook terminology, then he started his motion to pitch and didn't deliver.

[dumbdumb]

nice answer grayhawk

but

so, do we or do we not call this.

is this a yes we know it is illegal, but no we do not call it, because it puts us in that Joe West, Angel Hernandez, Bruce Froemming, Bob Davidson category and everyone hates us despite the fact this puts the base runner at a severe disadvantage because it is cheating/illegal/deceivement. (crap end of the stick) and ruins the game.

Or/And, we don't want to lose our schedule or go back/be demoted to jv assignments

Just have the rules committee make this knee pop legal then, end of story.

Besides, baseball is for the big boppers and gap hitters (launch angle) not those little gnat singles hitters and base stealers. fans want to see the former not the latter and thats why those guys make the big bucks.

below is another example of the pop, and a another balk video for the young guys. there may be some things that are only for certain levels. if it is not perfect, go ahead and laugh it off. see 8.35-8.50 for the pop. maybe TASO has their balk video version out there.

the hidden ball trick, was in the old days, in some MiLB leagues that the pitcher could not be in the dirt to try the trick (versus on or astride the rubber which is or was in the book (said the old guy i met that was in the school years ago. (they, MiLB could  have their own League rules, including a summer 5 pitch between innings to speed up the game in july and august, although you could demand 8 if you were not loose on a 98 degree day after just pitching 3 innings).

 

 

[grayhawk]

1 hour ago, dumbdumb said:

so, do we or do we not call this.

See a balk, call a balk. The problem with the knee pop, if it's done really well, is convincing yourself that you actually saw it.

[johnnyg08]

On 5/18/2024 at 11:40 AM, grayhawk said:

See a balk, call a balk. The problem with the knee pop, if it's done really well, is convincing yourself that you actually saw it.

You have to specifically watch for it. You should try to be situation aware. Does this team really need an out? Inning, score, etc...

I think if you're aware, you can get it the first time...but if not, they're likely to sneak it by you. 

Some teams are not smart...they use their best moves early in the game...when they don't necessarily need an out. 

[MadMax]

On 5/18/2024 at 9:44 AM, dumbdumb said:

Besides, baseball is for the big boppers and gap hitters (launch angle) not those little gnat singles hitters and base stealers. fans want to see the former not the latter and thats why those guys make the big bucks.

… 🤔… then why did they make the bases larger, from 15” to 18”? 

Base size doesn’t matter on a HR trot. 

[Velho]

"You're here just to screw us Bill @MadMax. What the hell are you talking about? You'll do everything to keep us from having two guys on base won't ya?" - Earl Weaver