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Originally posted by ronald
If the black is showing then you can get away with calling it because most people and some umps think it is part of the plate but it is not. Take the ruler out and measure the white part across and you will find it is 17 inches just like the rule book says.
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Speaking ASA, you would be wrong. For the purpose of all ASA rules, the black is to be considered part of the plate. If your clinicians are not teaching that, they are not using ASA's Clinic Guide or attending the right clinics.
From the 2002 guide:
Discuss the black safety rim (Emphasize that it is not part of the 17-inch width of the plate.)
1. If a pitch crosses over the black part, it is assumed the pitch also crossed over the white part.
2. If the catcher is touching the black part of the plate on a force out, it is considered to be also touching the white part.
3. If a runner touches the black part, it is considered they also touched the white part.
4. (Slow Pitch) If the ball touches the black part, it is considered that some part has also touched the white part.
Can't get any more specific than that.
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You wanna call the back shoulder, then make sure you call 12 feet and not thirteen and 14 and fifteen feet as legal. Otherwise you take the bat out of the players and give an advantage to the defensive team.
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Of course, you should be calling anything over 12 illegal.
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There was mention of this in referee magazine by Mr. Butler on this aspect: he was instructing the umpires to call it at 12 feet and that was not being called correctly by the umps. (he here was not talking about your ordinary ump but the guys who got the big games).
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Actually at the upper levels, the high pitch is always called on the rare occasion you see it and the umpires are instructed that 7 to 11 is more appropriate so if one gets by, it's probably still within the legal range.
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If the pitch does not cross the strike zone, I generally did not call it a strike unless I had a blowout.
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No one has suggested umpires make up their own strike zone, just use the one available, even in a blowout.
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ASA's strike zone might have something to do with why they have lost a lot of leagues and tournaments in Houston Area. Most are USSSA and NSA.
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I doubt that's the reason.