I would be very interested to read the reaction of umpires to his statements!
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Well, I agree with a little bit of what Roman Ump is saying, and disagree with some of it too! (we do this often in discussions!).
I use a Red Cross symbol as the basis of my zone. Belly button to mid thigh, I will go up to maybe two balls width outside (if the batter is crowding the plate), and possibly up to a ball width inside (if the batter is back from the plate a bit). But, and the pitch get higher/lower, the zone gets narrower.
I go with "hittable pitch"
I am also VERY willing to call high pitches! Batter complain UNTIL they hit that high curve ball to the fence. After that, the whining about calling the high pitch stops. LOLI inform catches before their pitcher throws their first pitch that if they have a pitch on the edges of the zone and they "pull it in" to try to make it looks better, I will call it a ball every time. If they stick it, they will probably get the strike.
I also WILL NOT call a pitch a strike if the catcher cannot "stick it" in the zone. That trailing away slider, while maybe catching the zone, if the catcher cannot stick it, and their glove darts off outside, that is a ball every time!
Same with the low pitch. I don't care where it was when it was at the front of the plate. If the catcher cannot stick it, it is a ball. It is ONLY the defense that complains about not getting this pitch. But when they are at bat, I NEVER hear them complaining that I called it a ball on them, and, if in fact I happened to call it a strike, they would immediately start complaining about it being too low!
In a college game, if the catcher drops the ball, I don't care if it is right down the *ock, it is a ball! In a HS Varsity game, depending upon how the game is going and skill level of the teams involved, I may ball a drop pitch by the catcher, but tend to call these strikes in HS because generally speaking, the pitching is not nearly as good.
I agree that you all should be far more concerned with consistency. That is the mark of a good umpire. I do not necessarily agree that the zone must be the same at the beginning of the game as it is at the end. The zone might have to adjust during the game depending upon many factors....the skill level of pitching/catching...the score...etc...But, when that adjustment is made, it HAS to be made for both teams. So, I may have a game where the score is 20-0. I WILL NOT call a tight strike zone in a game like this! I will call them wider, higher, and lower! BUT, I will call it like that on both teams. That is the way it is!
I could talk on and on about how to call a good game. But at the end of the day, if the umpire was consistent that is all that really matters. He made it the same for both teams. The rest is up to the pitchers and batters.
