I neglected to mention that if the catcher is in the process of catching the ball, that's okay too. It does seem that at times the umpire stretches the definition of "in the process of catching the ball", as illegally blocking the plate is rarely called.[/quote
Guys, here's another one that is rarely called. Getting hit by a pitch. If a batter gets hit by a pitch but makes no apparent effort to get out of the way of the ball, it's supposed to be called a ball. I've seen several instances of a slow curve that didn't break and hit a batter who just stood there and let it hit him. I've never seen it called a ball. Have you?