Pitch framing: isn't that like NBA flopping?

The intent is to deceive, not the opponent, but the official.  And isn't that cheating?

In the National Basketball Association (NBA) there has been a rule for a couple of years making it a foul for a defender to intentionally fall down in attempting to deceive the referee into calling a charging foul on the ball handler.  The basketball colloquialism is flopping.

I bring that up because it's the only thing in either basketball or football that seems analogous to pitch framing, an attempt by the catcher to deceive the plate umpire into thinking that a ball is a strike.

As far as I know NBA players are NOT rated and paid on their ability to flop successfully.  In the Major Baseball League (MBL) catchers are now rated on their pitch framing ability and paid accordingly.  See Russell Martin, now with Toronto.

The NBA tried to fix its problem.  The MBL has institutionalized theirs.  Eliminate the catching position.  Catching is a pointless, dangerous, unnecessary activity, which should be replaced with a simple fixed target, which if hit is a strike.

The strike zone is really stupid.  Thursday, May 8, 2014

Vlade Divac Flop