Strike zone

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Jun 29, 2013
589
18
Watching grown men and women argue with an ump over strike zones always makes me scratch my head. When the same grown men and women insist the strike zone includes “at the knee,” (NOT from the top of the knee. . . )I just thank the Men and Women In Blue on Discuss Fastpitch for helping me avoid looking like an idiot. I’ll never meet most if not all of you umps, but I appreciate your spreading the knowledge
 
Last edited:
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
Watching grown men and women argue with an ump over strike zones always makes me scratch my head. When the same grown men and women insist the strike zone includes “at the knee,” (NOT from the top of the knee. . . )I just thank the Men and Women In Blue on Discuss Fastpitch for helping me avoid looking like an idiot. I’ll never meet most if not all of you umps, but I appreciate your spreading the knowledge

Not sure what this arguing over the strike zone thing is you talk about. If you mean the coach yelling from the dugout that's high or that's low OK. But as a coach or as an ump one thing everyone knows is if you really like the parking lot view the quickest way there is to argue about the strike zone to the umpire directly, in other word stopping the game to talk complain about it. As an ump I would always give any coach one freebie OK you think I'm calling things low or high, the conversation usually ends with OK coach but we are not having this conversation again I don't want to hear it. I always had a pretty think skin (you have too) and I was always very forgiving because I'd been a coach too but whenever I had reached my limit I plainly and simply let the coach know..."we are done go back to the dugout and we are not discussing THIS issue again"...in three years I only ever had one taker and I even gave him one more chance after the warning but he simply could not help himself.
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
There needs to be a virtual reality helmet at every game that just runs through umpiring sessions. "You make the call!" It should come complete with booing and taunting if you get it wrong.
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
There needs to be a virtual reality helmet at every game that just runs through umpiring sessions. "You make the call!" It should come complete with booing and taunting if you get it wrong.

MLB umps actually do use the "strike zone" technology as a tool during evaluations. It's not the only thing and is not considered full proof but is is a tool they use to help improve and learn.
 
Feb 19, 2016
280
28
Texas
MLB umps actually do use the "strike zone" technology as a tool during evaluations. It's not the only thing and is not considered full proof but is is a tool they use to help improve and learn.
I was actually thinking for fans and coaches that have never tried to call a live game.

Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
 

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Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
I was amazed the last tournament when the other pitcher would pitch in the dirt or over the hands. Anything close to the zone and not in the dirt, strike. Our pitcher, nibbling at the corners, always down in the zone. The umpire would motion just a little up like "gimme some money". Or the umpire would motion with his hand, "move it just a little bit over." Catch just a little more over the plate, would you? I was like, WTF? Call it even at least. Ridiculous that you squeeze our pitcher just because she has better control. I thought that was totally unfair to our team, and specifically the pitcher. As a spectator, I didn't say anything. But our coaching staff sure had plenty to say about it!
 
Sep 29, 2014
2,421
113
I was amazed the last tournament when the other pitcher would pitch in the dirt or over the hands. Anything close to the zone and not in the dirt, strike. Our pitcher, nibbling at the corners, always down in the zone. The umpire would motion just a little up like "gimme some money". Or the umpire would motion with his hand, "move it just a little bit over." Catch just a little more over the plate, would you? I was like, WTF? Call it even at least. Ridiculous that you squeeze our pitcher just because she has better control. I thought that was totally unfair to our team, and specifically the pitcher. As a spectator, I didn't say anything. But our coaching staff sure had plenty to say about it!

Well did your team walk 10 times and win 15-2 by ten run ruling them after 4 innings? just an honest question. It's not right or fair but I've seen it done before...maybe the umpire was afraid without calling strikes the other team would just have walked your whole team and would have never gotten out of the first inning or five run limit if its a local rule.

You want to get really mad watch you DD JV team get this treatment from an umpire letting the other side stay in the game...then the Varsity game lets out early and you guessed it the new pitcher they bring in is throwing a lot faster with great control and a couple really big sticks appear in the line up and we went from being up 7 or 8 runs to down 1; the girls really had heart and came back and won by getting a couple runs in the last inning but you wanna talk about some pissed off parents they would have had them run ruled by the time the varsity game let out if the ump called it straight
 
Last edited:
Nov 18, 2015
1,585
113
DJ -

1. As you described it, I'm kind of surprised a team would try to do this. Seems pretty bush league.
2. Thinking about it more, and even though I still have barely gotten my feet wet into the craziness of HS/TB, I think I'm now more surprised I haven't read on DFP about MORE instances of this occurring (maybe b/c it's rare for JV and Varsity to be playing at the same time and/or location?)
3. Correcting myself again - probably most surprised that there aren't already eligibility rules in place addressing this situation. Again - I'm blissfully ignorant of the nuances of HS athletics, but it doesn't seem very sportsmanlike to play at both the Varsity and JV levels in the same day. And I'm sure I'd feel differently if it was my daughter involved, but I'm not sure how fair it would be even if they only "dressed" for (but didn't play in) the Varsity game.

Glad to hear they still pulled out the win, though.
 

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Screwball
Dec 18, 2014
512
63
Well did your team walk 10 times and win 15-2 by ten run ruling them after 4 innings? just an honest question.

I see your point. Honestly, I don't recall the final score. I do recall the game was close. And if not mistaken, we ended up losing.
 

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