>>>>I know you aren't going to like this, but I still think Lincecum is off the rubber when he lets go of the ball. He should be getting called for a balk on just about every pitch. I'm not sure why the umps let it go, but if you watch him closely you'll see.
>>>>
>>>>>
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Lincecum>>>>
>>>>Hah! there, you see? Blow up the last picture and the picture two before it and look closely at his back foot (the one that's supposed to still be on the rubber while the ball is still in his hand). Then look at where the ball is at that moment.
>>>>
>>>>Lincecum has a lot of talent. No question about it. But he ought to have to play by the same rules as everybody else.
>>>
>>>Waah, waah, waah ;-) Have you considered the possibility that the umpires understand the rule better than you do?
>>
>>I'm not much of a Waaher. I'm more of a *&%^$# er ;). But, the rule does exist. Hey, why not take a few
more steps toward the batter before throwing? What's a step or two among friends?
>>
>>I think the umps just don't want to interfere as long as nobody complains or seems to care much. Or maybe they just never noticed. I doubt it's the easiest thing to see because it happens so quickly. I only noticed when I saw a slo-mo of his style. He can sometimes be quite a ways off the rubber when he lets go.
>>
>>Anyway, the Jays have Brett Lawrie (good young Canadian kid) and he's turning out to be what everyone hoped for and more. A real treat to watch. He has so much enthusiasm that he can tire you out just watching him sit on the bench.
>
>I will let the stepping off the rubber thing go. It just seems unlikely to me that you are the only one who has noticed or cares. Nothing personal because I know you know the game.
They don't say he's balking, but SI comments on back foot off the rubber in a profile of him:
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1141385/4/index.htm"One secret, he explains, is what he calls his "ankle kick," a snapping of his right ankle as his right foot, the back foot, leaves the rubber. Lincecum comes off the rubber with such snap that, upon the ball's release, his right foot is more than a foot in front of the rubber, shrinking the distance—and thus stealing precious time—between him and the batter."
Tamar
