Bigger Strike Zone

[DaveASA/FED]

I agree, everyone can see up and down but only me and the catcher can tell if it was right or left, and she ain't telling!! I found that it works real well, and there are no complaints.....well I had one girl look at her coach on a called strike she thought was outside and he looked at her and said "Come on you got to get that, we want those called when were pitchin'....we got to hit 'em when they throw 'em" For the record she hit the next pitch to the fence in right field....it was almost the exact same place as the last pitch!! I figure if it is between the inside lines of the batters boxes, it's in the zone!! I'd probably say if it's toward the plate on the inside batters box line, and as long as part of the ball is toward the plate on the outside corner then it's good enough for me!! That is giving them 6" on either side of the plate, maybe more like 7-8" on the outside, and a 12" ball is approx. 4"(3.82.... depending on the value for pie) in diameter so that is about 1.5 ball width on the inside and about 2 ball widths on the outside.

[CecilOne]

Do any of you have a rule book?

[EdJW]

Beyond understanding. You are proud that you call a strike when the ball is clearly out of the strike zone. You should give up umpiring today.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by EdJW

Beyond understanding. You are proud that you call a strike when the ball is clearly out of the strike zone. You should give up umpiring today.

Actually, it is easy to understand. I've explained this repeatedly on this and eteamz board. You just choose not to understand it.

As is usually reflected in game experiences, the good coaches not only understand it and expect it, but WANT the strike zone called in this manner.

They understand that approximately 20% of the pitches which by the book would be called strikes are difficult to impossible to hit well.

As usual, I do not expect you to learn anything here. You are too lazy and have learned is it easier to whine and complain than it is to go out and discover the game of softball.

Give up umpiring? Most of these guys/gals umpire better than you breath. I'll tell you what. We'll stop if you do.

[EdJW]

Irish, here's what I understand about the strike zone. Any part of the ball in the officially defined zone is a strike. So, an umpire is on reasonably solid ground calling a ball over the white (17") plus over the black border (1" on each side of the plate) plus the width of the ball (4" on both sides of the plate). This is a total of 27 inches. Why would you find it acceptable for an umpire to call strikes on pitches that are 1 to 2 widths of the ball outside this acceptable strike zone. Because that's what the first poster says he is calling.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by EdJW

Irish, here's what I understand about the strike zone. Any part of the ball in the officially defined zone is a strike. So, an umpire is on reasonably solid ground calling a ball over the white (17") plus over the black border (1" on each side of the plate) plus the width of the ball (4" on both sides of the plate). This is a total of 27 inches. Why would you find it acceptable for an umpire to call strikes on pitches that are 1 to 2 widths of the ball outside this acceptable strike zone. Because that's what the first poster says he is calling.

Because that is how we are instructed to call the strike zone, just as I have posted numerous times on here and eteamz. The strike zone is only defined the way it is because the armpits and knees are the physical focal points. However, a ball at the arm pits or knees on the inside corner and the high outside corner are difficult pitches that many players cannot hit.

This is understood in the softball world, even by the better coaches. Unfortunately, there are no other physical attributes on a batter that can be used to adjust the strike zone to hitable pitches, so it is handled through instruction and interpretation. Umpires are instructed to bring it down a little, up a little, and to allow the same "square area" for the pitcher, out a little. An inside or outside pitch, even a ball's width, is much more hitable just above the knees and below the armpits than an inside pitch across the plate at the armpits/knees. The adjustment gives the batter more hitable pitches while maintaining the same "square area" for the pitcher to hit for a strike.

This is not a secret. This instruction and interpretation is given and referred to openly as demonstrated in this thread.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Actually, the inside line of each batter's box is supposed to be 6" from the plate (white), and the lines are supposed to be 2" wide. A universally acceptable strike zone in the highest levels of softball (NCAA Div I, Women's Major, 18U Gold, Men's Masters, all of which I have called) is for the ball to called a strike up to and including the width of the batter's box inside line. If the ball extends past the line inside the box, that is a ball.

That makes the strike zone 8" beyond the white on each side, or 33" wide. Actually, only one ball on each side what Eddie stated.

[argodad]

Originally Posted by IRISHMAFIA

Most of these guys/gals umpire better than you breath. I'll tell you what. We'll stop if you do.

Speaking ASA (and all the other codes I call)

That was your best call this year, Mike!

[wadeintothem]

In my view the path of least resistance is wider but shorter..

Everyone can see high low.. only you, batter, and the catchers knows a pitch was a little out side or inside.. but you call em at the arm pits and everyones screaming "its over his head he cant hit that"

So I bring it down.. but widen a little.. seems to work best.. be consistent that you are giving corners, they start to figure it out, but you dont get the chorus... but dont call the high stuff or super low stuff everyone can see.

Plink Plink...

do what you dig though, just saying what works for m.

[gsf23]

Dave,

Had a situation similar to that. Pitcher had just got an amazing fastball going that day and is locating it perfectly, starting it inside and tailing it back over the inside corner for a strike. Hitter are all giving up on it thinking it’s inside. I keep ringing batters up looking and I can see them and the coach becoming more and more agitated with every strikeout. (throwing arms up in the air, mumbling under breath stuff like that) Middle of the fifth inning, I ring up probably the ninth batter of the game looking and I hear “Jesus Christ” coming from the third base coaching box and the coach walking towards home. I reach up to start taking off my mask thinking alright here he comes, when he stops, turns to his dugout (on the third base side) and yells out “He’s been calling that pitch all damn game, when are you gonna start swinging at it!!” Turns and walks back to the coaching box.
I got a little chuckle and didn’t have another called strike three the rest of the game. Good players and coaches will adjust.

Personally, I think a big zone just makes for a better all-around game. The pitchers are more relaxed knowing they don’t have to hit a postage stamp for a strike so they generally throw better, the batters are coming up ready to swing and the infielders keep on their toes because they know the batters aren’t going to be wasting any time up there.

[tcblue13]

Originally Posted by DaveASA/FED

depending on the value for pie) in diameter so that is about 1.5 ball width on the inside and about 2 ball widths on the outside.

The value for pie is 2 for a buck at McDonalds
pi is a constant 3.14

[Bluefoot]

Originally Posted by tcblue13

pi is a constant 3.14

The approximated value of pi = 3.14159265358979...

But, yes, it is constant. (Maybe we should change it to the ratio of a pear's perimeter to its diameter!)

(BTW, I am a math teacher)

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Bluefoot

(BTW, I am a math teacher)

Hmmm... I have my doubts. If you were really a math teacher, you would know that the approximate value of pi is 3.141592653589793238462643383279502884197169399375 10582097494459230781640628620899862803482534211706 79821480865132823066470938446095505822317253594081 28481117450284102701938521105559644622948954930381 96442881097566593344612847564823378678316527120190 91456485669234603486104543266482133936072602491412 73724587006606315588174881520920962829254091715364 36789259036001133053054882046652138414695194151160 94330572703657595919530921861173819326117931051185 48074462379962749567351885752724891227938183011949

Unless, of course, you lived in Indiana in the late 1800's.

[Chess Ref]

I was under the belief that pie is continuing to grow. heard a story about a supercomputer at Cal that is getting new digits. It just runs the computations all the time........

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by Chess Ref

I was under the belief that pie is continuing to grow. heard a story about a supercomputer at Cal that is getting new digits. It just runs the computations all the time........

Actually, it is an irrational number. Not trying to tempt Bluefoot into giving us a math lesson, but what this means, in effect, is that we can never know the value of pi exactly. No matter how many digits are used, it is still an approximation.

So, pi is not growing, but the number of digits that we know keep growing. Don't know if the story about the supercomputer at Cal is true or not... if it is, Cal has too much money.