[Paul L]

This thread has helped me, a second-year ump, understand my strike zone tremendously. So thank you, buckweat and NIump50 for asking the questions. I appreciate your courages. And thank you to Rich Fronheiser, BigUmp56, Tim C, nickrego and others for their experienced viewpoint.

The catch affecting the call sounds like part of the "make the expected call even if it conflicts with the black-letter rule" philosophy that is hard to accept at first. I don't see it clearly yet, but I'm starting to, having digested Jim Porter's Ten Unwritten Rules of Calling Balls and Strikes. It sounds like the big dogs take make-the-expected-call for granted. Is it that the oral traditiion fleshes out the rule skeleton?

I use the ovoid bullet strike zone. I'm cutting my teeth on mustangs and broncos (9/10s and 11/12s), where four balls equals a double or a triple, due to ease of stealing. The defined strike zone is knee hollow to nipples, but I'll expand it a ballswidth or two middle high and middle out, and half to a full ballswidth middle low and middle in, depending on the skill level. I can't articlulate my corner calls just yet, but I'm working on it. But PU's can't rely on many F2's at that level to help make calls. I try hardest to be consistent.