RickF, don't doubt your point of view, or that you're just looking out for the safety of the pitchers. None of this is about having a dog in the race.
As I stated pretty clearly before though, we've already established that the way the VHSL ruled during year (directly from Tom Dolan himself) never synced up with what you're contending is in this slide. I haven't seen the slide, but even if I take you on your word then what it does is prove what we've already said here a million times. The VHSL did a very poor job writing the rule and describing it on paper. We agree. There is no argument there.
However, where we don't agree is that the VHSL ever enforced it inconsistently or contrary to their intent. For that, I'm sorry, I don't have the burden of proof in that matter and I'm also sorry, because their intent can't be measured on our own interpretation of a rule or a slide. The most direct way to measure it is in how they ruled and reacted when confronted with real life scenarios. To that point, we already saw a clear statement made from the VHSL on the highest profile stage there could be this year. What WE think of the rule is irrelevant. It doesn't matter what I think about whether a pitcher should be able to pitch 6 innings after that second day (Both of our opinions standing and, realize, I'm not advocating just saying that our opinions are irrelevant because we are not involved in the decision.) At this point, the VHSL precedent for last year was/has been set. Agree or disagree with it at will, but that's just the truth of the matter according to the coaches who spoke with Tom Dolan himself. Regardless of a poorly written rule or a poorly written Powerpoint Deck that no coaches likely saw after January, when it came down to it, as best any of US will ever be able to tell, the VHSL consistently ruled.
The best one could say at this point is that the VHSL consistently enforced the rule in a way that doesn't agree with his/her opinions and interpretations in reading the rule. But, we've already agreed one could be of that opinion. That's a fair point of view. There just isn't anything new here though, and if our concentration is really on the safety of the pitchers let's move towards next year. Because in truth, there is 0 action we can take that would have any affect on last year.
And what if we somehow miraculously manifested evidence to prove the VHSL made contradicting decisions? Would that somehow invalidate the whole 2013 high school season and cause asterisks to be put in the "non-existent" record books?? Would we get a story on the front of the New York Times splashing the pictures of 16 year old kids and high school coaches? It's comical. What's the point? Are we going to re-award district, regional and state championships to other teams or replay these games on the basis of an argument they were "wronged" by the VHSL? I shutter to joke about it, because I'm sure there are some folks who would. (I'm in no way referring to you RickF.) I'd argue BBCOR bats have been a bigger issue and that the realignment certainly has a bigger contention for some "game-changing" asterisk than this pitching rule.
So what is our real goal here? Talking about whether or not the rule is effective as it is or whether it should have wording changed or be changed entirely to a pitch count rule is, at least, the beginning of a constructive conversation. When we go back and try to create controversy it just starts to make me twitch. It's like I'm reading a page out of the National Enquirer. I come here to escape the media! Not be a part of made for T.V. "scandals." If I want to watch endless rehashing, speculation and criticism, I'll go watch Catching up with the Kardashians or, really, even ESPN at this point.
The future is ours to affect. The past is just there to distract.