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"Let's face it, on pitches, most umpires give the black and then some. I certainly do." (clip from greymule)
Oh great, greymule, that's exactly what i've been afraid to hear all season long !!!
Being my first year behind the plate, I haven't been very generous at all with pitches that don't catch a piece of the white section of home plate. Maybe some of those "come on Blue, that was over the plate!!" cries I've been hearing were right ?????
My 2cents:
I have a home plate and it measures 17" across the white portion. The black is extra. I wouldnt call the black perimeter part of the plate ... but read on:
May I offer the possibility that purpose of the black perimeter is to make the edge of the actual plate more visible to the umpire against the sand/gravel/etc on which it rests?
I know that at my clinic this year, the clinician suggested we call strikes for pitches that, in his words, "catch the paint". Like I said above, I haven't been doing that.
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bobbrix
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