i saw a weird one today in a girls 10u tournament game
the home plate ump cleaned the plate by tilting it up then he replaced it about 6" up the first base line. the pitcher was having a little trouble throwing strikes and one of her coaches asked the ump between pitches if he would move the plate back to the proper position. the umps response was to ask the coach to move to the other end of the dugout. he actually left the plate out of position until after a play at the plate , when he cleaned the base again, and moved it to its proper location. |
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Welcome to the forum. I agree that it is a shame <li>the umpire did not place the plate in it's proper relation to the rest of the field<li>the umpire displayed poor judgment in responding to the coach/manager request. Further, it is unfortunate <LI>that home plate was moveable<LI>that the tournament administrators refused to acknowledge the need for suitable facilities<LI>that more volunteers are not available/willing to assist in the overall managment of tournaments. A misaligned home plate would make me crazy! mick |
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But that is not why why she had trouble throwing stikes. She had trouble throwing strikes becuse it is a 10U game. In those games, I'm usually giving an extra 8"-10" on the strike zones already. And, also... since the entire field is based on the position of the apex of home plate, wouldn't it be that home plate was indeed proper and the rest of the field was out of alignment? At least that is how I rationize the rest of the world's relationship to me. :) |
"In those games, I'm usually giving an extra 8"-10" on the strike zones already."
10/under with that wide a strike zone? SHAME. A Major League Baseball batter couldn't hit a ball that far outside. Bob |
interesting comments
i too, coach 10u and we spend all season trying to teach the kids the strike zone. then we get into tournaments and the the zone expands up about a foot. for some of the umps anything under the bill of the cap is a strike. i know this helps move the game when the pitchers are 10u and it works for/against both sides but it drives crazy telling the girls that the umps calling them so they better swing. sometimes i fear i'll offend the ump if he/she hears me telling the kids to swing at the high "strike". i guess this does help the kids learn that every ump has his own strike zone to some extent. |
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<LI>A strike that enters the front of the zone <U>and</U> exits the back of the zone is rare on the local level. <LI>A strike is likely to enter the top of the zone and exit the lower back or bottom of the zone. <LI>If a pitched ball is "hittable", it may well be called a "strike". <LI>A catcher is most likely going to initally touch the ball on the first bounce. <LI>In tournament ball, the skill of the players is elevated. mick |
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Just my opinions. :) |
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I sympathize with the coach who has been teaching his hitters out to have discipline at the plate, and then have to deal with "high" strikes. I have no doubt some umpires call a high zone at this level (i.e. out of the book zone, but hittable), but I would guess most are like me... calling the <u>full</u> zone with a arcing pitch. Consider this: with young kids, a ball can catch the top of the zone and still be at chin level visually from the fans perspective as the batter is in her crouch. Add this: if the pitch has any arc at all, it can enter the plate area at the eyes or higher and drop well into the zone at the rear of the plate. Add this: with these slow pitchers, the coach will frequently put the batter forward in the batter's box. The zone stays above the plate. Add this: with low arcing pitches, it is not at all unusual to have a low strike end in the dirt before it gets to the catcher. At this level, I have seen many, many low "in the zone" pitches actually hit the back of the plate. |
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I know this was 10U, but shouldn't the pitcher be taught to throw to the glove, not the plate? And last, but not at all the least part of my personal opinion as many on this board know, is that 10U may a bit early in the learning stages to be playing in tournaments or for championships. [Edited by IRISHMAFIA on Jul 28th, 2003 at 03:27 PM] |
the FUNNY thing was that the chalk lines were still intact and you could clearly see that the plate was off(I was about 10 feet away behind the backstop).
just to clarify, on the subject of the high strikes, our girls stand way back in the box because they aren't used to the pitching we saw in these tournaments(it's just a rec league all-star team) and these girls are throwing HARD.It's definitely not like slow pitch wher the ball arcs through the zone. i was amazed at the skills of some of the pitchers! i felt for the umps too because alot of the catchers were not up to stopping a lot of the pitches. |
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I know from the comments I hear that neither fans nor many coaches remember that the zone does not move with the batter. |
[QUOTE]Originally posted by coachz
just to clarify, on the subject of the high strikes, our girls stand way back in the box because they aren't used to the pitching we saw in these tournaments(it's just a rec league all-star team) and these girls are throwing HARD. Dakota's right - strike/ball are determined by the location of the ball when it crossed the plate, not where your batter is standing. Also, within a couple of years, these same pitchers are going to be throwing pitches with a lot of movement on them. Your batters in the back of the box won't stand a chance on pitches that break on/before the plate. It's definitely not like slow pitch where the ball arcs through the zone. I see way too many of these in LL fastpitch games. I was amazed at the skills of some of the pitchers! I felt for the umps too because alot of the catchers were not up to stopping a lot of the pitches. That's why we have shin guards, chest protectors, face masks, and plate shoes. Any plate umpire at any level of fastpitch without this gear doesn't need sympathy - he/she needs a shrink. -Kono |
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