Terminology question--the River........

[SoCal_Dad]

So there's an inside river and an outside river? Twin rivers.
And is the thing between the two rivers an island or an isthmus? Home plate is an island.
Hmm, if the plate is an island, that means there is one river flowing around it. Perhaps we have 1 river with 2 forks...

I am disappointed that you're not a proponent of neomodern softball lexicology and the newly defined terms river and ocean

I'm torn between neomodernism's tight structure and postmodernism's openness to multiple interpretations. When it comes to terminology, I prefer standardized nomenclature. I do appreciate your interpretation, even though it denies the existence of the opposite batter's box just because it isn't currently occupied.

If the opposite side is an ocean, wouldn't the near side be a strait?

 

[SoCal_Dad]

I just came from repairing a field. There is definitely black on the edge of home plate; it's just below the dirt until the weather or wear makes it exposed. But it has nothing to do with 'river.'

Yep, some people like the black to be exposed to provide a clearer delineation of the plate.

I didn't have a problem with them saying the "river" is/has overtaken the "black" when talking about pitch locations. I thought their explanation of why it's changed was lame.

 

[nfhs ump]

WCWS announcers are responsible for spreading a lot of derp. They say many wrong things about illegal pitches.
Heard one Sunday say that base runner has to slide.
The black is a nothing. The river is the 6 inches between the plate and the inside batters box chalk. Until recently we were instructed to call the river, until recently.



This is from the current umpire manual.

NFHS/NCAA Ump

 

[Greenmonsters]

I'm torn between neomodernism's tight structure and postmodernism's openness to multiple interpretations. When it comes to terminology, I prefer standardized nomenclature. I do appreciate your interpretation, even though it denies the existence of the opposite batter's box just because it isn't currently occupied.

If the opposite side is an ocean, wouldn't the near side be a strait?

No, it would be an estuary or bay.

 

[Greenmonsters]

WCWS announcers are responsible for spreading a lot of derp. They say many wrong things about illegal pitches.
Heard one Sunday say that base runner has to slide.
The black is a nothing. The river is the 6 inches between the plate and the inside batters box chalk. Until recently we were instructed to call the river, until recently.

View attachment 5865

This is from the current umpire manual.

NFHS/NCAA Ump

Hmmm, so softballs have edges. This provides some insight into the illegal pitch issue.

 

[drc9805]

As others have posted, the river is the 6" between the plate and the batter's box.

One of TV announcers give a poor explanation of it over the weekend. They said it is a new term that has replaced the "black" because there is no black on/around the plate.

I heard this also and is exactly what I was going to post. I can't remember who said it but I set there and said "no it isn't".

 

[FiveFrameSwing]

I am a TB coach but my pitching knowledge is lacking. Been trying to get better and have seen and heard the term "the river" but never caught an explanation of it. What part of the plate/strike zone/off the plate is it referring to?

See if this helps .....

 

[RubberBiscuit]

If Kathy Smith, who I used to respect before I REALLY started listening to her, calls a screwball a "curve" one more time, I am going to explode.

Also when did a "Backdoor Curve" become an inside or outside pitch? In my baseball days a "Backdoor Curve" was ONLY an outside pitch breaking into the zone (from outside) and clipping the OUTSIDE back end of the plate.

Kathy (and I think others) are now calling a Backdoor Curve a curve ball on the inside corner. What the heck? This get redefined since my days playing?

 

[JJsqueeze]

The only definition of The River that matters..

http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAB4vOkL6cE

 

[SoCal_Dad]

The only definition of The River that matters..

[url]http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nAB4vOkL6cE[/URL]

Oomps, s/b Bruce Springsteen - The River - YouTube

Here in SoCal, The River is the thing separating CA and AZ (e.g. Colorado River).