Here's a wacky one for the books...

Rookie of the Year is the movie. Henry Rowengardner (cant believe i remember that name) pulls it off, but not really the hidden ball trick.

Also in Little Big League the Twins pull off the fake pickoff and everybody goes chasing it down the foul line while the pitcher still has the ball. They get Ken Griffey Jr. on that one.

I'm told that Hibriten was successful with this play twice this season. I kinda agree with Braves. Go play the game!!!

 

UK, I certainly ain't talking about all coaches as there are obviously many knowledgable coaches out there that know "light years" more than myself,,, I'm just saying sometimes I find it humorous to see coaches arguing and it often makes you wonder "if he shouldn't know" whatever it may be he's arguing. At my age, I often find many things during games that are entertaining, sorry.

As for the specific situation above, Eagles makes a good point, and I don't mind sticking myself out there too in saying he may be correct. The hidden ball trick is most often successful with an outfielder simply gets the ball back into the infield, and the pitcher stops to tie his shoe just off the dirt while the infielder still has the ball. But the situation above has a called timeout, so doesn't the plate ump have to put play back on with the pitcher toeing the rubber, ball in glove?

Good point Eagles, maybe Stretch can clear this up.

 

I think the movie was "Rookie of The Year" where the little boy has arm surgery and can throw 100 mph. When his arm pops while he is pitching in the majors all of a sudden he can't throw hard anymore so he has to trick the runners to get them out. I'm pretty sure he may even be toeing the rubber, but it is just a movie about a kid who is only 11 or 12 and throws 100 mph.

My son played for a travel team back when he was 13 and 14 that would practice this play and if they were playing a team that had not seen it before they might pull it off. Several times even the umps would be fooled and they would have to get out the rule book to see that our kids had done it correctly. The key was for the pitcher to never touch that dirt. You would think that the runner would not wonder off the bag until the pitcher at least got back on the mound. But they were kids and it would work at times. Our coach did not do this to show the other team up. And he was not a win-at -all- cost guy either. These boys were still real young and baseball was all about fun to them. It was fun for them to practice this play and even more fun to do it in a game and have it work.

Some times the other coach might get a little upset but usually our kids would laugh, the other team's kids would laugh and the fans would laugh. Most of the time the runner's own team might "horse laugh" him. It was all in fun.

When it did not work and the runner or the base coach caught on to it the other team would get a big kick out of thinking that they outsmarted us.

But at the college level I don't think anyone would think it was funny for long. I would say the next time the team in the field came to bat the batters better be ready to duck.

 

Platedad, selling rulebooks at baseball games is a wonderful idea,,,,, but then during the game, what would everybody argue about?

 

Rulebooks for sale at double the price

This would be a great way to distract the fans from seeing plays too. They would be so busy trying to read the rulebook. I love this idea.

 

Come to think about it, I don't like the idea of having rulebooks at games at all,,,,,,, its much more entertaining hearing folks argue, yell and cuss about things they're not sure of.....



You gotta admit, its funny to watch somebody yell at the top of their lungs about something they look passionate about,,,,,,,and then they calmly ask someone, "ain't that right?"

 

The clueless fan

CLASSIC LINE.

 

They would find something it is part of the game. Hey look at the coaches. They are suppose to know the book and they are always arguing about something.

 

Gotta love the "FANS" of the game...

I think my favorite is when a batter is hit by pitch and the opposing team ALWAYS has a fan or two that will freak out and scald the umpire that the batter has to try and get out of the way...it never fails.

Wonder why they call it the "batters box"?

"Know the rules, enjoy the game..."

 

I love to hear fans hollar "balk" and then give their explanations of what "they think" the pitcher did wrong,,,,,,,, or one that always draws catcalls is when a lefthanded pitcher with a good move picks off the kid who's dad is standing near you... Dad will explode everytime...