While Jackson (from what I’m told) is saying all sorts of sounds and “words”, his actual first word was Balk. Which, as we all know, is a baseball term. And it’s quite amazing that while Jack and I talk about baseball, I haven’t gotten to the point of explaining the balk to him. Yet, he instinctually knew that a pitcher intentionally deceiving a runner is wrong. (To see just how bright our son is, I’ve included the exact rules on what is a “balk”, which he apparently already knew.) I told Kristen that I think we either have a pitcher or an umpire on our hands.

Of course, Kristen thought he might have been trying to say “bock” since they were working on the sound a chicken makes. We’ll let her keep thinking that.

8.05 If there is a runner, or runners, it is a balk when—
(a) The pitcher, while touching his plate, makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch and fails to make such delivery;
(b) The pitcher, while touching his plate, feints a throw to first base and fails to complete the throw;
(c) The pitcher, while touching his plate, fails to step directly toward a base before throwing to that base;
(d) The pitcher, while touching his plate, throws, or feints a throw to an unoccupied base, except for the purpose of making a play;
(e) The pitcher makes an illegal pitch;
(f) The pitcher delivers the ball to the batter while he is not facing the batter;
(g) The pitcher makes any motion naturally associated with his pitch while he is not touching the pitcher’s plate;
(h) The pitcher unnecessarily delays the game;
(i) The pitcher, without having the ball, stands on or astride the pitcher’s plate or while off the plate, he feints a pitch;
(j) The pitcher, after coming to a legal pitching position, removes one hand from the ball other than in an actual pitch, or in throwing to a base;
(k) The pitcher, while touching his plate, accidentally or intentionally drops the ball;
(l) The pitcher, while giving an intentional base on balls, pitches when the catcher is not in the catcher’s box;
(m) The pitcher delivers the pitch from Set Position without coming to a stop.