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

[smddad]

I hadn't heard it called the river before. I have always referred to it as the "alley."

 

[Amy in AZ.]

I have never heard it called the river, before. But, today they said the pitchers need to get those calls that are between the plate and the batters box.

Good luck, with that.

 

[Jojo]

I had a little fun with this and painted my river blue.

 

[RubberBiscuit]

I have never heard it called the river, before. But, today they said the pitchers need to get those calls that are between the plate and the batters box.

Good luck, with that.

No doubt - With todays high performance bats any umpire that sticks to "Majority ball must be over plate" induces an offensive slugfest.

I HATE this because it makes average batters look great and makes great pitchers look average.....

 

[WARRIORMIKE]

I've used. "Don't chase the rabbit". Got that from the movie Pacific Rim. I reference it when the girl are throwing around the horn and not getting the runners

 

[smddad]

I've used. "Don't chase the rabbit". Got that from the movie Pacific Rim. I reference it when the girl are throwing around the horn and not getting the runners

I like that! Since coaching is pretty much plagiarism, I'm going to steal it.

 

[FPump]

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

If by your statement you're saying/implying that the SUP instructed us to not call any pitches in the river a strike....that would not be accurate.

 

[riseball]

...if they simply touch the line of the plate. Not one part of the ball has to be over the plate according to NCAA rulebook.

Can someone please explain the difference between "touching the line of the plate" versus "one part of the ball...over the plate"? Maybe I am missing something but I am envisioning this to be a difference so small that it cannot be discerned by the human eye.

 

[nfhs ump]

If by your statement you're saying/implying that the SUP instructed us to not call any pitches in the river a strike....that would not be accurate.

I can see how it might read that way and that was not my intention. I was alluding to being instructed in the past to call pitches inside the chalk a strike even if it was off the plate. As long as it was in the river. A pitch can be in the river without catching the plate or the chalk, that is if the box is painted correctly, 6 inches from the plate. And no the SUP would not have stated that officially. And maybe that was not taught at all clinics and camps.

 

[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?

Alright - bumping this one myself - watching recording of the PGF playoffs and some knucklehead is AGAIN calling an inside pitch a "back-door" curve.

Could somebody PLEASE send ESPN & CBS Sports a memo to send their zero-game-savvy talking heads out to pasture and replace them with ANYBODY who knows the stick and ball game....

Rant over for now..... Maybe it's the scotch.....