Gray Area Strikes

[UmpTTS43]

Originally Posted by kylejt

Call a true strike zone, if you're good enough to do so.

Sorry kylejt, didn't see the sarcasm there, just nonsence and arrogance. If you don't call the pitch that the catcher sticks and is a ball off of the plate, then you're going to have a whole lot of trouble. There are strikes and there are percieved strikes. If you don't call the percieved strikes, you will be writing ejection reports for most of the season, especially at the college level. The "true strike" is not even applicable in the pro game.

Let me ask you this. Do you call the low bender that crosses the front of the plate at the knees but hits the dirt a strike? How about the high bender that the catcher catches at his mask? The ball hit the zone at the back of the plate. And finally, my favorite, the lefty who throws that mean slider, hits the front corner and the catcher catches it a foot and a half outside. All are true strikes but all will have your lunch for such a calls. College coaches want strikes, consistency, strikes, game management and oh by the way, did I mention strikes. Let me say that in this case, strikes = any and all legitimate percieved strikes. The only real true strike zone is the one that I am calling that day.

Just like an OOO, an OOSZC causes more trouble than I care to deal with. To each his own, I guess.