Is catching a called strike too much to ask?

[UmpJM]

Bulldog,

When I first started doing HS Varsity games, I would not call a strike that the catcher did not catch.

Then, one time, I thought to myself, "Phuck it, I don't care. That's STILL a strike." And I said as I pointed, instead of just "strike", "That's a STRIKE, anyway!"

Nobody had a problem with it.

After that I saw a video of Jon Bible speaking to an NCAA audience discouraging giving too much weight to the consideration of how the catcher caught the pitch in making your ball/strike decision. Even at the NCAA level. It made sense to me.

On a borderline pitch, the catcher has to catch it (preferably, "well"). On a "cockshot", it's STILL a strike.

JMO.

JM