[NIump50]

Originally Posted by Justme

Now I'm a thick headed gay man? You were doing better when grandma was cutting 4" off the pot roast..

If you thought I was calling you gay I'm sorry, not my intention.
Just another way to illustrate the point I thought you missed the first time.

Originally Posted by Justme

So my answer to your question "Why call the pitches in the dirt balls?" Because that's the accepted way of doing it, it's what every one expects & wants, and it's what you'll be evaluated on. Is it the right things to do? Based on this you bet.....

Finally, I have tried to "be true to the strike zone", as you call it, and had the worst game of my life..... Both sides hated my zone, the fans hated my zone, the guy from my association observing me hated my zone, my assignor hated my zone, Even my dog bit me for calling those pitches caught in the dirt strikes.

BINGO!!

We sometimes call pitches we clearly see in the strike zone balls because we want to appease coaches and spectators. Assignors want to appease coaches and ADs. So if we appease the coach we appease the assignor.
Many times it has nothing to do with the quality of pitch and everything to do with what the coach expects. Conflict avoidance while stepping up the ladder of success. It can't get much better than that.

I think this is a good honest answer to why.
Finally someone had the balls to call it the way it is. No pun intended.

Nothing wrong, IMO, with an appeasement philosophy, however it can become a slippery slope.
But I think a mixture of tough talk amongst ourselves and on the field appeasement may keep us on the upper half of the slope.

Originally Posted by Justme

The zone I call for 10 year olds is not the same as for players in their 20's+. .

for real it's different? you never know what you'll learn here.

I think the appeasement philosophy may play a part in this.
10 yr old coaches and players don't bite quite as hard as the big boys, therefore less need for appeasement.