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Originally Posted by JefferMC
As someone who only calls games when no "real" umpire can be had, I have enjoyed browsing this forum, and most of the posts, including in this thread.
I can understand some minor deviations from the "by the book" knees to armpits, edge to edge zone, as long as the strike zone is still pretty much a rectangle near the book definition. And I also understand subjective issues like the bat on the shoulder widening the strike zone.
But when I see umpires putting in writing that, as a matter of course, they have oval or octagonal strike zones because it's too hard to hit pitches in the corners, I get very confused  , and not a little frustrated  .
Do you think it's not hard to pitch into those same corners? How to you justify unilaterally changing the balance of the game like that?
Yeah, as you can probably guess... my daughter's a pitcher.  |
First you say you understand the deviations from the book strike zone and then obviously display that you don't. Before you start off on an eteamz-style, unknowledgable rant, you might want to actually be trained as an umpire.
This isn't something individual umpires just make up and post on discussion boards. The information comes from the ASA Umpire Manual (page 207), clinics and schools at the local, regional and national levels. The umpires are just doing what they are instructed, and to the best of my knowledge, at all levels in all associations!