And to think it all started with a little spit. Spitballs. I guess that just isn't good enough anymore.
Degrees of cheating. "Because they don't enforce a rule then it is not actually a rule." Really Trevor Bauer? To me, when I speed, along with all the other cars, and no speeding rule is being enforced, I don't convince myself there is no longer a speed limit. I know it could be enforced at any time, and that is my risk.
If a pitcher can't control the ball by throwing it that hard, then he needs to not throw it that hard. That is the whole point. If the pitchers can cheat, why not allow corked bats and or some other advantage? The answer is to stop cheating. If you will injure your hand or elbow by gripping the ball too hard to throw it so hard, if you want to have a long career, don't throw it so hard, and then you don't have to create your own injury. Seems simple to me. Bauer wants to make it safer for hitters? Then don't throw it so hard.
Perhaps we should also make the pitchers, if they hit a batter, go stand in the on-deck-circle (or some other location TBD), and the batter gets to throw one ball at him from the batters box on the opposite side of the plate. The pitcher can dodge the ball all he wants (more defense than a batter has) but has to stay in the on-deck-circle, and the batter gets ejected if he hits the pitcher above the letters. If the pitcher moves out of the designated "circle of shame", then the batter gets a second (and third etc) throw. Make the pitcher pay for hitting a batter, I would love to see the pitcher finally have to suffer the consequenses of hitting a batter. The umpire, of course, could declare no hit if he feels the batter "flops" and tries to get hit. A flagrant HBP so to speak. Judgement call, like a personal foul in basketball. The pitcher can still get off scott free, and dodge the ball thrown in the cicle of shame, but it would be fun to watch a side dodgeball break. Great fun.