[greymule]

I believe that on plates that contain black, the white is 17 inches wide. The black is simply a slope to keep runners from getting their spikes caught on a vertical edge. I have seen 17-inch (white) plates with a black slope that is as much as an inch and a half, even 2 inches, wide all the way around. (That would be a lot for a baseball pitcher.) Regardless, ASA does instruct its umps to consider the black to be part of the plate.

Maybe the statement about a ball that hits black has to hit white referred only to balls hitting the ground. That makes more sense, as it would be tough for a ball to hit only the slope without hitting the top.

Let's face it, on pitches, most umpires give the black and then some. I certainly do.