Teaching the strike zone

[GarthB]

Does "ADA" stand for the Americans with Disabilities Act?

[LMan]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer

I started to reply in like manner but I realized that stooping to your level wouldn't do any good. It's people like you, with your condecending attitude, that accentuate the hostilities between the two sports. I do pity you.

What would you say if went to the softball forum and argued endlessly that the LBR doesn't exist in practice? I suppose you would let that go


A while back I made the mistake of lurking on the SB forum and posting what I thought were answers to rules questions...not realizing the differences (in these rules) b/w baseball and softball. I was corrected in short order!

Did I immediately throw a GD hissy fit and cry like a spoiled baby about the 'hate' on the SB board? I think not.

I apologized for posting on rules/tradition/accepted practices I knew nothing about. I overstepped and corrected myself. Hint?

Why don't you grow up a little and learn? Or hit the road....

[Mountaineer]

Originally Posted by LMan

What would you say if went to the softball forum and argued endlessly that the LBR doesn't exist in practice? I suppose you would let that go


A while back I made the mistake of lurking on the SB forum and posting what I thought were answers to rules questions...not realizing the differences (in these rules) b/w baseball and softball. I was corrected in short order!

Did I immediately throw a GD hissy fit and cry like a spoiled baby about the 'hate' on the SB board? I think not.

I apologized for posting on rules/tradition/accepted practices I knew nothing about. I overstepped and corrected myself. Hint?

I think I (early on) admitted the difference between the two sports and that there were obvious differences between acceptable calls. I can handle correction - it's being treated like I'm sub human because I umpire softball rather than baseball that I cannot ignore. I don't remember you being treated like a child for umpiring baseball. I do remember you apologizing for coming to the SB world but I don't remember the exact post. I certainly hope I didn't treat you like a child. I wasn't attacked for having a different opinion but for umpiring a different sport.

Originally Posted by lman

Why don't you grow up a little and learn? Or hit the road....

That was VERY grown-up sounding . . . great way to make a point.

[scott1231]

Originally Posted by Mountaineer

I wasn't attacked for having a different opinion but for umpiring a different sport.

Granted, my reeding abilities sho aint what they used tuh be, but I do believe y'all wuz called out (not attacked) for bringing yer bigball stuff into this here baseyball forum.

and ... Puhleeze escuze the speelling of my poast becuz I am a lowley baseyball umpir.

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by Uncle George

CTBLU, on the other hand, if the coach of the pitcher see's it go through the strike zone and the ball short-hops the catcher, he's gonna give you @*ll as well! For me, coach comes out and complains, I just say, ball through the zone first, it's a strike. Once I've set the ground rules, I have no more problems as long as I continue to call it that way! I'm not affraid of running a coach. I give him his say, I give him mine and we play on. The coach knows what'll happen if he continues to %)$ch about balls and strikes! He's gone. It's as simple as that.

All I'm saying ... either sport ... is that unless you are doing kiddos, that if the pitch hits the ground and you THOUGHT it went through the zone, it probably didn't. Film yourself if you disagree - you'll be surprised. I've seen great changes in softball, and I've seen wicked cutters in baseball...

But if the pitch nicked the strikezone, even at the very bottom of the zone, and the very front of the plate, and managed to, within 2 feet, hit the ground in front of the catcher, it would be going in a direction that is nearly impossible to get a ball to go in.

[LakeErieUmp]

Mccrowder - next you'll be telling us that fastballs don't rise!

[ctblu40]

Originally Posted by Uncle George

CTBLU, on the other hand, if the coach of the pitcher see's it go through the strike zone and the ball short-hops the catcher, he's gonna give you @*ll as well!

George,

The only way the coach of the pitcher could see the pitch you described go through the strike zone is if he's standing on my shoulders or hidden in my ball bag... I'm carrying my partner already, he's heavy enough!

Originally Posted by Uncle George

For me, coach comes out and complains, I just say, ball through the zone first, it's a strike. Once I've set the ground rules, I have no more problems as long as I continue to call it that way!

And for me, if a coach steps 1 foot out of the dugout to argue balls and strikes, I run him. I set the ground rules by calling the expected strike zone... what's so hard about that?

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by LakeErieUmp

Mccrowder - next you'll be telling us that fastballs don't rise!

You're right ... they don't.

[mcrowder]

Originally Posted by Uncle George

For me, coach comes out and complains, I just say, ball through the zone first, it's a strike.

What? You explain the rules to the coach? For the rest of us, when the coach comes out to complain about the strikezone, we ask him who's in charge now and tell him we hope his view of the zone is as good from the parking lot.

George - before you continue to beat this dead horse, I BEG you to ask a buddy to film yourself. I GUARANTEE that these strikes you're so sure of that hit the ground before the catcher can catch them are NOT strikes. I can't tell you what's wrong with your stance that makes you think they are strikes without seeing you - but perhaps you can see that from your film too.

(Note - if you're calling 10U, I take it all back!!)

[cbfoulds]

Originally Posted by lawump

Just being a wise ***. I thought someone would have noticed the KGB/FBI cites first.

Oh! I figgered the "ASPCA, ACLU, NRA" were BECAUSE OF the "KGB, FBI..."

[dontcallmeblue]

The one thing a pitch that bounces cannot be is a called strike. It can be anything else. I also echo lawumps Q-Tec statement, I've too been told this by a big leaguer.

[Uncle George]

For Mcrower and CTblue40, thanks for the input of getting someone to film me behind the plate, I'll do that. It can only help. As for me doing 10 & under, not anymore! At that age some of the coaches act more like kids than the kids do! As I said in my first post, I've taken the cathers knees location as a point of reference. Look, I've only been doing this 15 years and the more I read and listen to guys who do more games and have been doing it longer, in most case, I get good feedback that'll only improve me. Anyone else got any "tricks" when it comes to umpiring. As someone once said, you're never to old to learn!

Thanks Guys
George

[SanDiegoSteve]

Originally Posted by Uncle George

Anyone else got any "tricks" when it comes to umpiring?

Occasionally I like to make coaches disappear.

[nickrego]

If you were to ask Coaches and Fans about umpires teaching other umpires the Strike Zone, they would say it is impossible. Why, because none of us knows where it is !

The fact is, you can't just teach the location of the Strike Zone (SZ).

You have to teach how to Call Pitches.

Many of us have argued that there is more to a Strike or Ball than the flight of the ball. The SZ is an ever moving target for each batter. It is effected by the Catcher, and sometimes, even the Batter.

I never just teach a new umpire the SZ, I always teach them "The Art Of Calling Pitches".