[vtjack]

"Your strike zone?" "My strike zone?" the last time I looked at the rule book, the strike zone was defined. Letting each umpire define the strike zone differently is what got us to the point where MLB had to order the umpires to follow the rules, instead of calling everything above the belt a ball. What's the difference between saying "my strike zone is 3" outside" and "my fair zone is 3" outside of third base" or "if the throw doesn't beat the runner by at least a full step, I'm calling him safe"? No difference at all, except that everyone in the park is going to see you're wrong, whereas they won't see that the outside strike you just called is a ball.

When you're working youth leagues you are teaching everyone, not just the hitter. Specifically, you're also teaching the pitcher that he doesn't have to get the ball over the plate. Do you really think that's a good idea? Not me. An umpire who calls strikes out of the true (rulebook-defined) strike zone is interfering with the balance of the game by helping pitchers who can't find the zone. You're not letting them play their game, you're actively affecting the outcome by not following the rules.