[greymule]

I doubt whether the two sides will ever reconcile this issue, but to me, the strike zone does change with the level of play.

I believe that in high-level FP, a pitch can be completely below the armpits and still be a ball, because everybody on both teams expects it to be called a ball. The book zone high is too high, just as in MLB, even with the recent change. I just saw Juan Gonzalez called out on a pitch not two inches above the belt. Gonzalez argued, and the announcers thought it was a bad call. But when they saw the replay, they figured that with the new "higher" zone, it was a good call. This supposed borderline pitch "new" strike was several inches below what the book says is a strike.

When a slower pitch in a rec league makes it under the armpits, it's a strike. I don't know a coach that doesn't expect, for kids, a larger zone than for professionals.

Does anybody really call a MLB strike zone in LL? I don't do LL, but in every game I've ever seen, the ump stretches the zone low.