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Originally posted by ozzy6900
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Originally posted by mattmets
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You wanna know why I hate Joe West? Let me explain my stance, please. He called Mark Bellhorn out the other night on a pitch that was well below the knees. His strike zone is consistently inconsistent and he has a habit of finding an argument too often.
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And you were able to gage that pitch from the TV or were you at the game? Were you sitting in your easy chair or were you standing in Joe's shoes?
By the way, do you wear a West Vest?
[/QUOTE]Ozzy: I do. I own one of the first 100 ever made, back when Douglas produced them and the patent was still pending. Two years ago I bought the new platinum WV, wore it once, and sold it for a $30 loss. Yuk!
BTW: I didn't know you were from Japan. When the gas was low on my Cavalier, a message popped up that said "Check gages." (big grin)
On a serious note: The depth of the catcher and the strength of his mitt hand are often causes for an umpire's strike call to look bad on a pitch at the knees. Many "misses low" come in the late innings, when the catchers are tired. The pitch hits the front of the plate at the hollow of the knee (it's a strike), but the catcher is deeper in his box than usual or he lacks sufficient energy to "frame" the pitch. When the batter reacts to where the ball was caught....
I [usually] don't call that strike a strike unless one team leads by a bunch or it's in the late innings and, like the catcher, I'm tired. (another grin)