As you probably know, I've been fascinated by Rule 7.13, from its creation last spring through its implementation throughout this season. I'm fascinated because it's so often a pure judgment call, and because it's so controversial, but mostly because I just love what it's brought to the game: more athleticism, more pure baseball plays.
The one thing I don't like about Rule 7.13 -- I mean, aside from all the belly-aching from people who seem to think it's spoiling the brutal, old-fashioned football fun, and hey I suppose it is! -- is that it's now routinely appealed, regardless of what actually happened. Here's a great example from yesterday:
Did you watch the whole clip? Jim Palmer's exactly right when he says, "This is just getting silly. Look at all that plate he has to come to... You're wasting time."
Indeed.
Yesterday's other 7.13 appeal wasn't nearly as clean, although I think the officials got this one right, too:
Granted, the catcher sure does have most of the plate blocked off. But I think the broadcaster is wrong when he says, right around the 2:38 mark in the clip, that Dioner Navarro "is not giving the path to the runner. I think the Blue Jays could be in trouble here."
But look how far from the marked baseline the runner is! In actuality, the baserunner establishes his own baseline. And if you draw a line from the runner to the plate, I think you'll find an unimpeded path. That's apparently what the boys in New York thought, anyway. Because the Blue Jays were not in trouble, as the call stood.
I say the rule's working about as well as it could. Which is plenty well enough for now.
