From ESPN.com: MLB tweaks rule to prevent stalling.

On June 20, 2011 the Rays were playing the Milwaukee Brewers and had a 5-1 lead. Sam Fuld pinch hit for JP Howell and the Rays went on to score 3 runs to take an 8-1 lead. Maddon had planned to use Joel Peralta in the bottom of the 8th but with a comfortable lead he wanted to save Peralta and use Cesar Ramos. Ramos needed extra time to get ready so Maddon sent Sam Fuld out to the mound to take his warm-up pitches. After he had completed his warm-ups he went to the mound to make the pitching change.

The change is to Rule 3.05 and now includes:

The change will "prohibit a manager from sending his current pitcher out to warm up with no intention of having him pitch because a relief pitcher is not ready to enter the game."

Sam Fuld shows good form (have to navigate to MLB.com to view).

Joe Maddon had not heard about the change until asked about it last week and said:

I know this, that all the odd kind of moments that occur during the season regarding umpiring, that they do write them down, and they'll talk about it at the end of the season. So, it doesn't surprise me. And it also indicates that they're on top of things, so I kind of like it," he said at the Rays' spring training camp.

"That was an anomaly. That'll probably never come up again," he added. "The other thing with Sammy. That was just something that we pulled out of our hat, just to try to make sure that we got everybody warmed up and ready to go."

Joe Maddon and my favorite managers Earl Weaver, Sparky Anderson, and Billy Martin all have rule changes which have occurred because of their keen knowledge of the rule book. A tip of the hat to Joe Maddon for joining the elites on this front.