Rocky's buddy said:
The ML zone as it exists has permeated the mindset of the coaching ranks, and thus umpires. Yes, some of US may have been consistent with a "high" zone, but it has been too easy for too many to BALL those just above the belt fastballs, and have it be accepted.
Exactly. The zone AS IT EXISTS has permeated the mindset of amateur coaching ranks. Have they been demonstrating loudly for a change? Or are they, like us, watching to see if a new zone is called, or if, as in 1997, two weeks after opening day the whole think is forgotten.
There has not been the orchestrated
PR battle in the amateurs to create a demand for change. There has not been the two year marketing campaign to rile the troups.
The antlered one continued:
My POINT is, is that at higher levels, those of us who EMULATED ML umps with a belt to knees zone...
And how long did it take for the amateur umps to copy the pros? Overnight? A couple of weeks? No...it happened slowly over time with the amateur zone change trailing the pros by a couple of years.
What Carl may be suggesting is wait and see for a bit. Save yourself the potential grief of leading a charge that maybe wasn't called for and then tripping over your "weapon" in retreat should this whole thing die before the Yankees are 7-0.
Personally, I think a high zone is gonna stick, at least some version of it. Alderson has asked for two inches higher, then five inches higher, then three baseballs higher. I'm not sure which one he wants.
The umps were training at 8 to 9 inches higher and some of the owners claimed they were told it would be a foot higher.
But I'll bet most coaches are heeding Carl's advice, especially those varisty coaches who like the lower zone. At least on the dry side of the state there isn't any campaign for a higher strike.
If I go out opening week and call even a "sternum" strike, I'll bet I'll have given the coaches another reason to use the old "this ain't the majors, ya know" comment.
We followed the pros up in time, we'd be better off following them down, in time.
Garth