No offense intended hector, but an umpire with this mentality should be sanctioned by the KHSAA.

ALL PLAYERS deserve the same strike zone.

 

And what is "Also My strike zone is not a square"???? It's not YOUR strike zone, it's what is written in the rule book and not subject to your interpretation.

BTW, No strike zone is square but BY RULE, It is rectangular.

 

Good umpires are good umpires regardless of the quality of pitcher!

 

 

Then you have to sanction every umpire in the state......I umpired for 8 years and I don't recall umpiring with anybody that doesn't do this.....

 

Some of the best umpires(that have called state tournaments) I called with went from knees to the belt and would give you a little on the corners.....thats a square zone.....

Then you have to sanction every umpire in the state......I umpired for 8 years and I don't recall umpiring with anybody that doesn't do this.....

 

Some of the best umpires(that have called state tournaments) I called with went from knees to the belt and would give you a little on the corners.....thats a square zone.....

Maybe if more umpires were sanctioned, fewer coaches would be complaining . lol

I have spoken to coaches from different areas across the state many say consistancy is the biggest gripe.

 

I umpired 14 years on various levels, and handled some big games in my day.......a little on the corners is fine...my point is an umpire should not change the strike zone at his own whim or based on the score(or weather)....it's not fair to kids(usually subs) hitting or pitching when the score is lopsided, rain is threatening, or whether he has a tee time.

 

BTW, the rule book does not say belt to knees...even the major leagues are calling the high strike these days.

 

Attention Umpires: The game is not about you or your interpretation, The game is about fairness to the players.

These are HS games, regarding our discussion. Youth development games, should not be about winning but development. I too have stopped updating a scoreboard, in both Baseball and Basketball, due to an overwhelming margin.

 

I'm still not in favor, of increasing a strike zone but can understand, when pitches off the plate are given, in youth games like you describe. Better yet, would be to institute a 3 inning rule, if down by 15 than to continue to allow one team get slaughtered.

 

Scoring 30+ runs, doesn't need to happen and if a team allows that many, in a youth game....It's a combination of being over-matched and not the norm.

 

If your son played a team like this each game, of what benefit would there be for him offensively....None.

This is definately the exception and not the norm, my son's team plays a very competitive 70-80 game schedule. These kids are essentially "high school age", and IMO their team/games are played at a higher level than the vast majority of H.S. games. I think the team they were playing in this particular instance was in a little over their heads.

 

I guess my point is that there are a few "unspoken rules" in baseball, one of those being that in a blowout situation, the zone will expand. I was once told by an umpire, "It's just like physics, as the umpire gets warmer things tend to expand" :lol: . I've heard a similar comment about the called ball on dropped strike as the umpire said, "I've never seen a strike that was rolling around on the ground." :lol:

 

IMO the rules of baseball are somewhat subjective in nature, and lend themselves to the "judgement" of the umpire.

Maybe if more umpires were sanctioned, fewer coaches would be complaining . lol

I have spoken to coaches from different areas across the state many say consistancy is the biggest gripe.

 

I umpired 14 years on various levels, and handled some big games in my day.......a little on the corners is fine...my point is an umpire should not change the strike zone at his own whim or based on the score(or weather)....it's not fair to kids(usually subs) hitting or pitching when the score is lopsided, rain is threatening, or whether he has a tee time.

 

BTW, the rule book does not say belt to knees...even the major leagues are calling the high strike these days.

 

Attention Umpires: The game is not about you or your interpretation, The game is about fairness to the players.

If more umpires were sanctioned, we simply wouldn't have any umpires to officiate the games. The single largest problem facing the KHSAA is membership, there simply aren't that many people that want to umpire anymore.

 

I do want to point out something to everyone. Having umpired before, I can tell you that this is a hobby for 95% of the men in blue. This is not their job, they don't spend their entire day studying the rules, practicing their strike zone, etc, etc. Usually it is something they do because they enjoy the game and like being around it. Now that being said many of them DO spend quite a bit of time studying the rules (maybe even at their real job ). But it isn't a life or death proposition for them, and it shouldn't be for you(the fan) either.

But it isn't a life or death proposition for them, and it shouldn't be for you(the fan) either.

No, it's not life or death but it is about fairness...the most important role of any official is to insure that teams play under the same rules under the most fair situation possible...whether it's a hobby or a job.

No, it's not life or death but it is about fairness...the most important role of any official is to insure that teams play under the same rules under the most fair situation possible...whether it's a hobby or a job.

I understand that it is about fairness. What I am trying to get across is that I think that the vast majority of the umpires out there try to be "fair". I think a lot of us lose sight of the fact that these aren't major league umpires, and they shouldn't be treated as such.

 

As far as the strike zone goes, even the guys in MLB have distinctive strike zones. And they get evaluated by a computer! :scared: Now its not as bad as Eric Gregg's zone to Maddux where he gets 2 balls off the outside corner back in the late 80's early 90's, but there is still quite a bit of variance among the individual umpires. IMO umpires are as much a part of the game as bunting, pitching, and hitting. They are there to administer the rules and interpret them (hopefully correctly, but hey they're learning too). One man's ball may be another man's strike. However, I do agree that the game shouldn't be about the umpires, the best usually aren't even noticed.

I agree umpire have hard job and most try their best to call consistantly but when umpires come on here and say they make adjustments due to game situations they are doing themselves , other umpires and players an injustice.

I agree umpire have hard job and most try their best to call consistantly but when umpires come on here and say they make adjustments due to game situations they are doing themselves , other umpires and players an injustice.

:thumb:

This has been an enjoyable thread to read :ylsuper: but lets also look at several other factors. Hector said when he is told he had a good game he had two good pitchers. Boy is that true. In an average high school game an umpire will see 200 pitches. If he/she misses 8 then is 96% for the game.

 

It is sometimes difficult to have a consistant zone when the pitchers are not consistant. When a pitcher successfully hits spots and even if that spot moves an inch or two throughout the night he is going to get strikes. If you can't hit spots and the game gets long, the umpire may begin to reach for strikes therefore changing the zone. Coaches, players and umpires want the bats to be swinging. Remember that 80% of the games are played on school nights.

 

Most umpires will agree that the bottom of the strike zone is the most difficult place to be consistent.

 

Catchers play a role in this too. They sometimes position themselves in the line of view - what the umpire can't see is going to be a ball. If a catcher is framing pitches and jerks it in or down or up then he just told you that he didn't think the pitch was a strike.

 

It is difficult to find a batters box any more. There are a number of fields that don't even put one down at all. The catcher may never move his glove but he may be 6-8 or more inches off the plate. Everyone but the catcher, umpire and batter have lost any perspective to the pitch. There is a reason the umpire is behind the catcher and not in a dugout or in the stands. Most umpires line up their nose on the inside corner of the plate.

 

A major league umpire tells the story of a game when he was calling balls and strikes. The game rolled along, no complaining about any pitch by either team, and he thought he called a good game. The supervisor of umpires called him either that night or the next day and said the computer said he missed 38 pitches.

 

Anyone is more than welcome to send KHSAA their $50 and get the manuals for the initial open book test to receive their license, attend training camps, join an association, invest in $400 worth of equipment and uniforms and practice this trade of umpiring. The sport needs more willing umpires and not just the ones in the stands.

I have watched alot of Varsity and JV games this season and thought that the umps have been overall pretty good. The only thing I have noticed is they don't give the low strike with any consistency. I have had the opportunity over the years to coach alot of pitchers and that is where I preach for them to be, low in the strike zone, if that is taken away and they have to come up they get hit hard. Most of the time at this age level if the ball is up its going to get moved hard somewhere, even if it breaking!

 

I have also noticed more and more kids taking alot of pitches. Is this because of inconsistent strike zones or today's new coaching philosophy?