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Carbide
One of the biggest changes I have seen in professional umpiring (besides the stupid group hug sessions when the get together to "get the call right" and screw up the original call) is not only identifying the number of balls and strikes but many are also giving a verbal location on close pitches.
Now first things first:
I do not know of any area where I have worked that don't normally verbalize a third strike (when called), This sounds like it may be a local thing to your group.
Actually I do not know an umpire that doesn't do the big sell on strike three without some type reference to the number.
Mine actually sounds like: "Hike . . . heeee!"
Secondary to that is my reference about professioal umpires:
I often hear PU in the Majors identify the number of strike. In the most general of terms it is the younger guys that do this.
I now often hear on very close inside/outside pitches the umpire identify what the reason was for the ball call. "BALL, inside".
We know that decades ago in professional school umpires were taught to give a subtle body signal on each pitch to show how it missed. A quick glance on way or the other indicated inside outside . . . other activites showed up and down.
Somewhere in the late 70's and early 80's this process changed and at school you were taught to never identify a thing.
Now I am going to jump into the deep end of the pool with my answer to what has happened:
1) I believe, in my heart, that the arrogance of the umpire union management (make that Richie Phillips) lead to the change in identifying locations. I think this could possibly be confirmed by the lessen of legal tensions post 1999 and the reemergence of the umpire approachability.
2) I doubt if there is an organized effort to change the status quo. I think that umpires in this trendy, get it right, umpiring society believe that more information is better. And information can be an assistant in stopping discontent. And that is probably a good thing.
3) I know that personally I have gone to giving locations (inside and outside) on critical pitches and this has, in concert, lowered the questioning from the bench area.
Of course this is just all my opinion and will be ignored by certain other posters on this site.
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