The Hidden Ball Trick

 
You rarely see the "hidden-ball-trick", but it was used in the MLB earlier this week:
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20130810&content_id=56561040&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlb
 
Maybe we should ask some questions in case an MCBA coach gets any ideas this fall...
 
With a runner on 1st base, the batter grounds out to the 1st baseman for the first out, while the runner on 1st base advances safely to 2nd base. While the ball remains live, the 1st baseman quietly transfers the ball to the 2nd baseman. The runner does not notice the transfer, thinks the pitcher has the ball, steps off of 2nd base and is tagged. The key to a successful hidden-ball-trick is the position of the pitcher during the attempt.
 
Using NFHS rules, which of six below are a balk and which are an out.
 
During the "hidden-ball-trick" attempt, the pitcher was standing:
A. In contact with the pitching rubber?
B. Not touching the rubber, but had his feet on either side of it ("astride the rubber")?
C. On the dirt of the pitching mound, but about 3-4 feet from the rubber?
D. On the dirt of the pitching mound with both feet, but real close to the grass of the infield?
E. With one foot on the dirt of the pitching mound and one foot on the grass of the infield?
F. Completely off the mound on the grass of the infield?
 
BONUS QUESTION: Does it matter if the ball is in play? For example, can you successfully execute the hidden-ball-trick immediately after a foul ball, HBP,  or a visit to the mound by the pitching coach?
 
Call
The rules for High School (NFHS), college (NCAA), and MLB (OBR) all differ on where the pitcher can be on the mound without the ball. Nearly every one of Ray's games is NFHS, so rule NF 6-2-5 carries the day: "It is a balk when there are runners on base and the pitcher places his feet on or astride the pitcher's plate or positions himself within approximately 5 feet of the pitcher's plate without having the ball".

So for NFHS only:
-  A, B, and C are balks -- the runner is not out -- rather, the runner is awarded 3rd base.
-  D, E, and F are legal -- so the runner is out.
 
The bonus question is an important point. The defense cannot successfully execute the hidden-ball-trick directly after "time" has been called. The ball must be put back in play. One of the half-dozen criteria for putting the ball back in play by the UIC is that the pitcher is on the pitching rubber -- with the ball.