Bigger Strike Zone

[bkbjones]

OK, I admit it: my strike zone looks like a stop sign. Closer to the middle it is wider.

In most every situation (save a couple atrocious school ball games I might do) I will negotiate the width of my zone. If I call one between the letter and the armpits, or if I ever call one where the entire ball is not above the knee, I have erred.

Your zone may differ...and is slightly higher in many cases, especially east of the rockies

The strike zone is indeed defined in the rule book, just like the infield fly. But ordinary effort for Player A is NOT the same as ordinary effort for Player B. Could go on ad nauseum, but don't want to beat the dead horse any further...

[SRW]

Originally Posted by bkbjones

Could go on ad nauseum, but don't want to beat the dead horse any further...

[bkbjones]

Originally Posted by SRW

SRW,
I have a name for the horse. I'd share it on the board, but many wouldn't understand.

[JefferMC]

As someone who only calls games when no "real" umpire can be had, I have enjoyed browsing this forum, and most of the posts, including in this thread.

I can understand some minor deviations from the "by the book" knees to armpits, edge to edge zone, as long as the strike zone is still pretty much a rectangle near the book definition. And I also understand subjective issues like the bat on the shoulder widening the strike zone.

But when I see umpires putting in writing that, as a matter of course, they have oval or octagonal strike zones because it's too hard to hit pitches in the corners, I get very confused , and not a little frustrated.

Do you think it's not hard to pitch into those same corners? How to you justify unilaterally changing the balance of the game like that?

Yeah, as you can probably guess... my daughter's a pitcher.

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally Posted by JefferMC

As someone who only calls games when no "real" umpire can be had, I have enjoyed browsing this forum, and most of the posts, including in this thread.

I can understand some minor deviations from the "by the book" knees to armpits, edge to edge zone, as long as the strike zone is still pretty much a rectangle near the book definition. And I also understand subjective issues like the bat on the shoulder widening the strike zone.

But when I see umpires putting in writing that, as a matter of course, they have oval or octagonal strike zones because it's too hard to hit pitches in the corners, I get very confused , and not a little frustrated.

Do you think it's not hard to pitch into those same corners? How to you justify unilaterally changing the balance of the game like that?

Yeah, as you can probably guess... my daughter's a pitcher.

First you say you understand the deviations from the book strike zone and then obviously display that you don't. Before you start off on an eteamz-style, unknowledgable rant, you might want to actually be trained as an umpire.

This isn't something individual umpires just make up and post on discussion boards. The information comes from the ASA Umpire Manual (page 207), clinics and schools at the local, regional and national levels. The umpires are just doing what they are instructed, and to the best of my knowledge, at all levels in all associations!

[JefferMC]

First of all, the umpires that said they were trained to do something weren't (IIRC) the ones that described odd shapes, their deviations from pit/knee/plate weren't the ones I was decrying.

The posters that described the odd shapes implied these were personal preferences, using words like "I like," or "my strike zone" not "I was taught." Mike, your post described a square. Although the oval poster does, unfortunately, say he teaches this.

I do have the NFHS softball rules and umpires manual, but not here with me at the moment. Maybe I'm blocking out an unpleasant memory, but I remember nothing in there like what you're describing.

The fact that it takes two or three different books, most of which are either not available to the general public or at least difficult to obtain, FOR EACH ASSOCIATION, just to have the complete story is a seperate tirade. Is the ASA rulebook online? No. Is the ASA Umpire Manual available online (p 207 or otherwise)? No. Can it be ordered easily? My efforts so far to obtain either have failed.

It's like telling the police that you should ticket anyone who runs a yellow light, but putting in the drivers training book not to run a red light, but proceed with caution through a yellow.

Basically, I guess I've two separate issues, one of which you address:

1) As someone calling a game, I should be trained to do it right. I won't argue that point.

2) As a fan/parent, I have a problem with what amounts to be a secret cabal deciding that the rules will be interpreted in a way different from what is the explicit written, and commonly understood, version of them.

[AtlUmpSteve]

Originally Posted by JefferMC

Is the ASA rulebook online? No. Is the ASA Umpire Manual available online (p 207 or otherwise)? No. Can it be ordered easily? My efforts so far to obtain either have failed.

Not sure why that would be difficult. Assumably your efforts to locate them online lead you to www.asasoftball.com, and then to your local association contacts. Your state UIC should be glad to register you as an ASA umpire, which includes the Umpire Edition of the ASA rulebook (and the umpire manual).

[LMan]

Originally Posted by JefferMC

2) As a fan/parent, I have a problem with what amounts to be a secret cabal deciding that the rules will be interpreted in a way different from what is the explicit written, and commonly understood, version of them.

[daffy duck] *mmwwhhahahahaha* [/daffy duck]

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by JefferMC

I do have the NFHS softball rules and umpires manual, but not here with me at the moment. Maybe I'm blocking out an unpleasant memory, but I remember nothing in there like what you're describing.

Top of page 21 (Section 2 - Plate Mechanics - Fast Pitch) in the 2004 NFHS Umpires Manual.