Complaining about SP

[IRISHMAFIA]

Originally posted by ronald
Elaine,

You have hit it on the head with slow pitch batters. Do they ever wait for the perfect pitch. I did some games in Texas and could not believe how many players walked or had 3-2 counts. when I played and when I get a chance to play, I generally swing at the first strike. god help the pitcher who throws me anything hitable inside: I'm swinging and it does not matter if it is a strike. I'm gonna crush that ball. I've seen the big boys play and they do the same thing. If it is not on the table, they do not swing. It's pathetic.

Then call more strikes. Forget what the players want for a strike zone, call it by the book. Bend your knees and get down to the set position and look up through the strike zone. I guarantee you will see more strikes than standing erect behind the catcher and looking at the ground or guessing. The strike zone isn't as small as many umpires call.

One of my favorite exchanges:

Batter (standing adjacent to the plate): Damn blue, how is that a strike?
Me: It was in the strike zone.
Batter: It was deep!
Me: Did you have to look down to watch the ball pass the plate?
Batter: Well, yeah. So what?
Me: If you had to look down to watch the ball as it passed, it must have been below your back shoulder.
Batter: What does that have to do with anything?
Me: The back shoulder defines height of the strike zone which makes that pitch a strike.
Batter: How and the hell am I supposed to hit a pitch up there?
Me: The box is seven feet long, I suggest you use it.

This batter was totally confused by the time we finished our conversation, but I've never heard another word from him.

Another favorite:

Batter: Damn that was a good pitch.
Me: Then why didn't you swing at it?
Batter: Can't swing until I get a strike called.
Me: No problem, here it comes.
Batter: That's no strike.
Me: Sure it was. Not as pretty as the first one, but they don't have to be pretty, just in the strike zone.
Batter: You're taking the bat out of my hands.
Me: Nope, because if I had the bat, I would have hit the first one and been on second by now.

Don't get me wrong, I don't make up strikes, but I do use every quarter-inch of the strike zone. If a team gets a couple of walks in a game I'm working, the pitcher really sucks.