MLB Plans To Ban That Stupid Fake-To-Third, Throw-To-First Pickoff Move

Every baseball game seems to feature at least one of those useless, dilatory fake-to-third, throw-to-first pickoff moves. They never work, they slow down the game, they make you wait even longer for your team's terrible righty middle reliever to give up the lead. Who likes this thing enough to keep it a part of the game?

According to the Associated Press, no one does, really:

Major League Baseball is poised to pick off the much-maligned move, the fake-to-third, throw-to-first ploy that often succeeds only in getting the whole ballpark to shout "Balk!" [...] The Playing Rules Committee has approved a proposal to make it a balk, too, with MLB executives and umpires in agreement. The players' union vetoed the plan for this season to discuss it further. MLB is allowed to implement the change after a one-year wait—no telling whether that would happen if players strongly object.

Well, if it doesn't happen, there's another thing we can blame our terrible righty middle relievers for. Really, it's a win-win.

MLB Poised to Pick Off 1st-And-3rd Trick Move [NY Times]