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Originally Posted by ukumpire
With all due respect, the proposed change has - - - very little to do with negating a size advantage (other than to say that pitching from 46 feet means exactly that - EVERYONE releases the ball from 46 feet).
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What? The very first advantage listed is to
Level the Playing Field - to take away the advantage of taller players or those with long strides. Why should everyone be forced to pitch from the same distance? This is a sport - size matters! Height, weight, quickness are physical attributes that aid or hinder an athlete in a competitive environment.
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Turning the clock back 50 years would do nothing to eliminate the subjectivity in determining whether or not the pivot foot is in contact with the rubber at the time of release.
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OK, I mis-stated the rule which, just before the drag was legalized, said that the pivot foot had to remain in contact with the plate until the stride foot landed. That is very simple for any umpire to see.
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Even worse, though, is that almost every pitcher today would have to relearn his/her craft to comply with the requirement that the pivot foot remains in contact with the rubber until........
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That is not true. It is very easy to pitch from the plate. In fact, many girls are changing from the "leap 'n drag" style to a shorter, more upright pitching from the plate. They are giving up power in favor of more control. (A young lady I taught the power style when she was eleven gave it up in favor of the "K" style. She lost maybe 4 or 5 games in four years of varsity pitching, won a state championship, and is now playing at a D1 school.)
I personally would get behind this change to the FP rules. No more Leaps, no more Crow Hops, no more arguements about Plants and Re-Plants and secondary push-off's, etc. etc, etc. Very simple pitching rule and umpires could go back to watching the rest of the game and coaches would go back to coaching (and some pitching coaches would be out of work!)
With today's hitting skills and hi-tech bats, this change would probably create more offense. Could require further restrictions on bat exit speed. However, the superior pitcher would still dominate the poorer batting teams.
WMB