What is a Strike? Umpire Coaching Podcast #1
Erik: I've always believed that your job as a hitter is to hit the ball, and one of the years I was coaching, we had a "swing the bat or don't pick it up" rule. If you get called out for watching an outside corner pitch and you're like, "But it was a ball," your job up there is to hit that ball and hit it in the opposite field. So I always teach the kids to be aggressive.
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James: Umpire Coaching is a free podcast for youth baseball and softball umpires and coaches. I'm James, and with me here is Roger. How's it going, Roger?
Roger: I’m well.
James: Good. I appreciate you being with me on this journey. Tell us a little about yourself so people can get some idea of what you have to offer.
Roger: In baseball, I've played a variety of lower-level positions. I'm a parent. I've umpired since around 2013. Coached some. Sometimes I've been good at any of those things, and sometimes I've been bad. Probably, especially as a parent. It's just been a learning experience and something that I've really grown into in the last five years.
James: Awesome! If you're a volunteer coach or umpire and you're looking for help, maybe you're going to go behind the plate for the first time tomorrow. Maybe you've got some kids that you're trying to teach a technique to. This is the place. We're here for rule questions. We're here to clear up things that may not make any sense. You've come to the right place if you're interested in coaching and umpiring. Each episode, what we're going to do is pick a specific topic, a specific rule, or a group of rules, and then discuss how the interpretations of those rules can help us as umpires to enforce them in a game, and then on the other side, the coaching side... Just about every rule in the book has a strategic advantage if used correctly. So we're going to talk about that stuff and how to help these kids get the most out of their baseball games. I'm James. I'm a volunteer coach and umpire and have been doing it since 2002. You know it's interesting if you've been an umpire in chief, or UIC, since you were in little league. Every year I get the same six-eight-ten questions, every year. never fails. I always get the same questions, and like I said before, in the last 20 years, I've met some outstanding coaches and umpires who have greatly influenced me in my career. Before we get started here, I need to remind everyone that this podcast is for entertainment and educational purposes only. Please check out the disclaimer in the transcript of this blog or just wait for us to read it at the end of the podcast. but we're here to have a good time. So the first topic we'll cover is one that's particularly close to my heart. This is something that a lot of people don't understand. You would think they would. but many don't. So the first topic for our first podcast is "What is a strike?"
Roger: "Well, that should be easy."
James: Yeah, well, trust me, it's not. So many people don't understand what a strike is. There's so much information out there that just isn't accurate, and a lot of times it comes from watching Major League Baseball on TV, where they show a two-dimensional plane to represent a three-dimensional plane, and that isn't accurate. So yeah. There's confusing information out there, and "Let's go straight to the source," I reasoned in this podcast. Let's talk to some umpires who might know a thing or two about what a strike is. Then we'll talk to some coaches and hear what they have to say, as well as possibly some strategies or things that can help a kid or a team succeed in baseball. So we're talking to what I would consider quite a distinguished group of umpires today. And what's interesting about them is that we have a couple who are at the professor level, who have decades of experience across thousands of games, and they're going to share some of their thoughts with us today. Then we have another umpire who is a mentor level with 20 or more years of experience. He has definitely mentored me in my career, and then we have myself, Roger, and someone else who will introduce himself. He’s a journeyman-level umpire. So we'll go ahead and get started. and we'll start with Nick. What can you tell us about yourself, Nick?
Nick: The coming Little League season will be my 37th as an umpire and also as a manager or coach. As far as any training that I've attended, I've been to the week-long academy in the western region four different times. I've attended and presented at numerous local clinics. I've been selected to work regional tournaments three different times, and I was selected to work two different world series: big league softball and senior softball.
James: Brent.
Brent: I’ve been umpiring for a long time. I began umpiring in high school, took a break during college, and then returned to it when my son became involved with the league.
Greg: I've been a little league volunteer for about 15 years, and I've been umpiring for about the last 10 or so. I was able to participate in a few tournaments as well as many district all-star games. That's probably the best training you can have. I'm planning on going to the Little League umpire academy next month, which I'm looking forward to.
James: …and Darrin.
Darrin: I've been umping for about 21–22 years. I always lose track. Skill levels all the way down to eight-year-olds and up as high as 18-year-olds for high school softball.
James: Our first question is: "What is the exact definition of a strike in the book?
Brent: Well, as you said, you basically go down through the book definition.
It's a strike when :
- is struck by the batter.
- if any part of the ball passes through the strike zone.
- is fouled by the batter when there are fewer than two strikes, and that's a unique one to think about because after two strikes, it's not a strike, it's a foul ball. So anyway,
- the ball is bunted foul on the third strike. If they bunt foul, they are out.
- touches the batter's body as the batter strikes the ball, and in fact, whenever a pitched ball hits a batter or runner, you must go to the upper deck near home plate; it's a dead ball. In any case, it makes contact with the batter while in flight in the strike zone. and also becomes a foul tip.
James: "Okay, excellent." Where can people find that in the book?
Brent: It's basically under Rule 2's definition in the rule book.
Greg: In my mind, a pitch is one that flies through a magic five-sided box over home plate that is situated between the batter's knees and armpits when they take their natural batting stance.
Darrin: My personal definition of a strike is a pitch that leaves a pitcher's hand and is, basically, a strike until proven otherwise.
Nick: There are a couple of things that I want to highlight. It's a short definition in the rule book, and it says that the strike zone is that space over home plate. That's a key part right there. It's always over home plate. It doesn't matter if the batter moves up in the batter's box or moves back in the batter's box, the strike zone is always over home plate. And now that tells us that it takes the shape of a home plate. Now the height of the strike zone, if we go on further in the definition, says that it's between the batter's armpits and the top of their knees when the batter assumes a natural stance. We're talking about a three-dimensional space that is magically suspended in the air and is as tall as the batter's armpits to the top of their knees. The definition finishes up by saying that the umpire shall determine the strike zone according to the batter's usual stance when the batter swings at a pitch. The batter will then flex their knees slightly and possibly bend at the waist, bringing their armpits down slightly. And then, when they actually swing at a pitch, they may take a short stride. They may flex their knees a little more, which is going to drop their armpits even more. And that is where we set the top limit of the strike zone. Sometimes a kid will come up to the plate and try to erase his strike zone by squatting down and almost sitting on his knees. Well, you should not call that a strike zone. If you're quick-acting enough, you might even ask the kid, "Hey, Jimmy. Why don't you step back and show me your home-run swing?" Well, once they do that, now you know where their strike zone is.
James: Could we maybe discuss a little bit about what is not a strike, so people understand the difference and it helps them understand what that is? I realize this is a really simple question, but it is amazing to me how many people don't really get it. They don't, and so if you could just expand a little bit on maybe some things you've heard or some misconceptions about what a strike is and is not.
Brent: A lot of the time, the misconception is one that coaches and managers struggle with, particularly in the lower divisions, though it can be even worse in the majors and above divisions. The catcher sets up deep in the back of the box, and the ball ends up on the ground. That isn't necessarily a ball. It is not the only one involved. It's simply because the ball touched the ground right in front of the catcher's mitt. It's where it was when it crossed over the plate.
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James: Hey there. You're listening to the Umpire Coaching podcast on umpirecoaching.com. I'm James. I've got Roger with me and a bunch of umpires, and we're debating what constitutes a strike.
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Roger: But, for example, if we were playing a nine-year-old game or a very novice game, such as a junior's game, how much would you expand or change your strike zone if you could? If, for example, the skill level was lacking,
Darrin: That's a great question, and I'll answer it like this: At the start of a game, I like to think of Pitchers as being seen as doing nothing wrong. I like to think "strike, strike, strike" as it leaves their hand, even if it's close to crossing the plate. The reason I believe that is because pitchers are psychological, and whatever the skill level, whatever the age level, if I can come out with what would be considered probably a big zone, and they can throw strikes. Throughout the game, they may throw wide or higher low strikes at first, but as their confidence grows, they tend to throw more strikes naturally after that as opposed to being an umpire who comes out and whose strike zone is as big as a 1970s ashtray.
Nick: The goal is to try to get a message to the offense that "I'm calling strikes." You better swing the bat. Once they start swinging the bat, there's going to be contact, and now kids are playing ball. If all we're doing is calling balls back there, there are only two players involved in the game: the pitcher and the catcher. Those other seven players out there on defense may as well go sit in the dugout. If we're calling more strikes, the pitcher is going to gain confidence and relax, and they're going to start just pitching the ball and not trying to aim it. The batters are swinging the bat, and like I said, now we're playing ball. Everybody's having fun. Fans are cheering. The plate umpire is out of the game, and you're not getting moaned and groaned at.
Roger: I really like what you said about taking the umpire into the game. That's the first thing I've told both of my boys, especially when they've complained about an umpire's strike zone. It's like your job as a hitter is to take the umpire out of the game. Hit the ball, and it doesn't matter how bad or good the strike zone is because you're doing your job. Now that they've gotten older, they're pitching more. I go back to that same thing where they're talking about, "Hey, I'm getting the strikes." I'm like, "Hit the bat with the pitch." I mean, give the hitter something to hit. Just make sure they're hitting it off the end of the bat or off their hands.
Brent: If anybody ever asks you, you tell them it's what's in the book. However, the kids really aren't getting anything out of it, and the players aren't getting anything out of it by setting the bat on their shoulder and not swinging at anything. So, in the lower divisions, managers and coaches must teach their batters what type of pitch they prefer to hit and, if it's there, swing at it. Don't be looking for a walk; be looking to hit the ball.
Darrin: Yes, I have to adjust my zone to the level of pitchers that I'm seeing on a particular day, as well as for a particular age group and where we are in the regular season versus tournament play. My district zone is probably going to be different from my state zone. My state zone is probably going to be different from my regional zone. and so on. Some people say, "How do you do that?" How do you gain consistency? I don't know. I don't get a lot of catcalls when I'm umpiring. So I believe whatever I'm doing is beneficial to pitchers.
Greg: The pitcher's mother thinks that the strike zone is as big as a Kenworth. The batter's mother thinks the strike zone is a tuna can. I think anybody that's umpiring in Little League has to realize the skill level of the players that they're working with and adjust their style accordingly. if somebody twists my arm and makes me do a regular-season Miners game, for example, in all likelihood, most pitches that, in my judgment the batter can hit, are probably going to be called strikes.
James: Exactly. So, let's talk about the slot position. We can discuss a little bit about foot position and things like that, but I think a lot of people who are just starting out in umpiring haven't been to any sort of clinic. A lot of people don't really understand why we don't stand directly behind the catcher with our heads above his head.
Brent: Well, one of the main reasons we don't position ourselves above the catcher is that... we don't have the big leagues...But in the Big Leagues, you don't want to be there when a fastball approaching 100 mph barely tips off the batter's bat and goes directly over the catcher's head. and that's where most foul balls go: somewhere over the catcher's head or to the right on a right-handed batter. That's why you get your head and your body in the position between the batter's feet and the plate. That is basically where your head sits.
Darrin: I've been taught two ways about the slot, and trust me, the slot is the only way to go. I've been taught the deeper the slot, the better, and I've also heard from the words of Gerry Davis himself that he likes to set his nose up on the inside edge, and if it's a right-handed batter in his left eye, he would call anything that hits his nose or his right eye on the inside is always a strike. He likes to keep his eyes set at about the upper limit of his strike zone, so he's got half the strike zone figured out as the pitch is coming in. The difference Between Gerry Davis and myself, Gerry is looking at the best pitchers in the world. I'm looking at the kids that are coming out, and this Saturday's game might be their World Series. I'm doing my best to work with them while avoiding being hit or beaten up. So I still tend to cheat and keep my nose on the inside, but if I've got a catcher that's questionable, I will tend to move more towards the batter and kind of use the batter's back, which is one more element of protection. Well, that's a good concept. I try to keep my chin no lower than the top of the catcher's helmet. Softball's a little different. I can set up a little lower in softball as long as I can still see that outside corner because softballs tend to rise and baseballs tend to fall. So that's the main reason why I can get away with a little bit lower head height between softball and baseball and then set my nose up across the plate. My nose goes across the far corner at the front of the plate yet my eyes are focused on the pitcher, and I always see the release of the ball all the way to where it meets the plate or the batter's bat, whichever takes place.
Nick: The "slot" is that area between the batter and the catcher. You want your head to be in the slot so that you have an unobstructed view of the outside corner. That pretty much gives you a view of the whole plate. You’ll see that outside corner where pitchers make their money. So in order to get there, there are three heel-toe relationships to get you started on some guidelines. Number one is your slot foot; that's the foot that's closest to the batter. Try to get it out to where it lines up with the heels of the batter when he's in the box. With that same slot foot, you want to line up your toes with the catcher's heels and then your other foot. You want that toe to line up with your slot foot heel, and your other foot that's behind the catcher should be turned out a little bit, maybe pointing towards the second baseman. that will turn your hips just a little bit so that you're more squared up to the plate than squared up to the pitcher. Your chin should be no lower than the top of the catcher's helmet. If you get any lower, you run the risk of the catcher's head blocking your view of the pitch and the plate. The last point is to point your nose at the outside corner of the plate. You want to move your head as little as possible, but when that pitch is coming through the strike zone, you want to see it with both of your eyes. with binocular vision. If you're squared up to the pitcher, chances are pretty good you're going to be trying to look across the bridge of your nose, and you're going to see that pitch with only one eye, and that's going to affect your depth perception. So now that you have a batter that crowds to the plate and the catcher moves a little bit inside, how do you adjust? Well, it seems like what you want to do is get even closer, but if you get closer, you start to close down your field of view, and you're going to lose things. The proper way to adjust is to take a half step back and set up a little higher to open up your field of view. You're not going to get a perfect view of the outside corner or anything, but you've got to get the best you can.
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James: All right time. Check it out. You're listening to the world's first umpire coaching podcast to ever exist in your entire life. We're talking about what a strike is, the strike zone, and how to get the best angle on a strike as it goes over the plate. We're talking about the slot. Back to Nick
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Nick: Don’t go to the other side of the catcher. That's a danger zone for foul balls. They're going to find you out there. If you stay in the slot, it's unlikely that a fall ball will find you there. I won't say it's impossible, but it's unlikely. They're going to zip past your ear, and I love it when that happens because it didn't hit me. I'm in a good spot.
James: I heard somebody say this last season, and it was the first time an umpire ever said anything to me. It kind of raised an eyebrow. But what are your thoughts on makeup strikes and outs? You've probably seen those.
Brent: You missed it. You overlook it. and trust me. I've missed them. In fact, the one that always comes to mind is the district uh championship for major league baseball during the international tournament, i.e., the All-Stars. The kid was left-handed. I'm in the slot. As an umpire, you track the ball out of the hand all the way to the glove before making a call. So I see the pitcher start to release the ball, and then the ball disappears. I don't see it. It literally disappears. There's a spot in your retina that, basically, you can't see. and it went into that spot in my retina, and the ball disappeared. and so I should have done the smart thing, which is that the catcher's glove didn't move. I should have called a strike at that point. However, I froze and went ballistic. As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I had totally missed that pitch because it couldn't have been more of a strike. And so I immediately called time, went out, and brushed the plate. And the catcher's sitting there, so I go. I totally missed that, and the kid goes, "Yeah, I don't see it sometimes either."
Darrin: When I miss something or something takes place, my natural instinct is to try to set the universe back in proper order. But I had somebody say something sometime early in my umpiring career, and what they said was, "Okay, Darrin, you've made a mistake." Why would you want to make a second mistake? now to make up for it, and those words have always stuck with me. So if I miss a strike or I'm missing, my goal is to not continue to make mistakes. so no. I do not believe in making up a pitch.
Greg: Well, there was a time when I was a spectator that I thought that was primarily what the officials of the sport were doing. You say, "Well, it's a makeup call." Well, let's face it. One thing that you learn as you do this is that we're all volunteers, and the best thing about being a volunteer is when somebody's mother starts yelling at you. I always tend to turn and smile and say, "You know, ma'am, I'm a volunteer, and you get what you pay." In this case, you make a mistake and you think, "Gosh, you know that should have been a strike." I called that a strike, and it should have been a ball. Well, you know, every pitch is a new day. I once knew a guy who said that if you try to do that, you'll never even the score because if you call something on the borderline to try to even things up, you're not, you're just making things worse; you need to be satisfied that you've done your best. We all make mistakes, and you make a mistake. It's like, okay. The mistakes are in the past; move forward.
Nick: There's another way to look at it. We want the umpire to be accurate. If we just say we want you to be consistent, you're having a bad day. You know your strike zone is junk, and it's junk for both teams, but that doesn't give you any internal motivation to try to do a better job on that next pitch. So if every pitch we're trying to make is accurate, that's going to lead to consistency. Now, as far as calling strikes when a pitch is thrown, the plate umpire is the only person in the ballpark whose 100 percent undivided focus is on the path of that baseball. You've got to think to yourself—boy, that was close. or you're thinking, "Hmm, I'm not sure if that's a strike." If it's that close, call it a strike. That's using a full strike zone, or call it an "aggressive strike zone," if you will. If you find yourself in a game feeling like you're missing pitches, the thing to do is to bear down and focus. work on being accurate. Go back to the basics. Am I in the right position? Is my head in the right spot? Am I seeing the ball all the way to the catcher's glove? those kinds of things, but never, never do a makeup call.
Roger: I think that concept comes from watching games on TV sometimes because it feels like it, maybe in an NBA game or an NFL game or something like that where they missed a holding or a foul or something, and then the next time down that road it seems like they were a little more liberal or they wanted to right the ship a little bit. then the announcers will say something. You'll hear them talk about things like "that seems like a makeup call" or "you'll have fans go that seemed like a makeup call," and I think that's where that kind of stuff starts.
Nick: Yeah, I agree with you. The analysts or play-by-play guys that are on TV are not necessarily experts on the rules, and, especially if they're ex-players, they've played with an emotional attachment to what's going on on the court or on the field. and so that kind of carries over with them. Another thing to try to consider, and I think this is a difficult one for fans to consider, is that what you're seeing from the stands or what you're seeing from the camera angle is a different view than what the officials are seeing on the court or on the field. It might be perfectly obvious from that camera angle. Yeah, you saw a violation, but the official down on the court was blocked by another player, or whatever occurred on the other side of the player's body that the official couldn't see. So that's a tough one for people to accept and understand. Give a little benefit of the doubt, but there's no official that I ever knew or ran into that goes out there on the field with the intent of making calls for one team and against another.
James: On a check swing, what should umpires look for? I know what I look for personally, but I’m curious to know, from a training standpoint, what should we be watching for?
Brent: It is an appeal by the home plate umpire. but this is why a lot of times the home plate umpire won't necessarily see the batter attempt to strike at the ball with the bat, which is in the definition of a strike. They'll be tracking the ball all the way to the glove, and they might see some movement but not enough to convince them. The catcher should be taught, and the umpire should understand, just point down to the first base umpire. But anytime you're on the left side of the diamond, unless it's a left-handed batter, you don't really have the best view of the pitch.
Darrin: I love that question because you could probably get seven answers from seven different umpires. Some will talk about the barrel of the bat crossing the foul line. Others will mention breaking the wrist. The rule book gives me a very liberal interpretation. did the batter attempt to hit the ball. So for me, what I'm looking for could be as little as a wave of the bat. Depending on how focused I am and how much I'm paying attention, I have a millisecond to determine whether I thought that batter was attempting to hit the ball. It doesn't say anything about pulling the bat back or retracting the bat. It talks specifically about whether the batter was trying to hit the ball. So you might be a little bit more conservative on that approach. I might be a little bit more liberal on that approach.
Greg: It's one of those things. I can't define it, but I know what it is when I see it.
James: So let's talk about a scenario where a batter is hit by a pitch. Can you expand on that and tell us when that's a strike and when it is not?
Nick: Well, I did say that if the batter is swinging at a pitch and the pitch touches their body, that's going to be a strike. There's another scenario. If the batter doesn't swing at the pitch but the ball is in the strike zone and it strikes the batter, that's going to be a strike. That can be a situation where the batter is crowding the plate and maybe leaning out over the plate. The pitch is actually in the strike zone, and it hits the batter. Again, that's going to take time. That's a strike. You're staying here, batter.
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James: You're listening to the umpire coaching podcast. I'm James, and with Roger we're talking to a number of umpires and coaches about baseball, and in this episode we're talking about what is a strike? We're discussing foul tips. So thank you for listening, and back to Nick.
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There's a lot of confusion if it's a foul. If the pitch becomes a foul tip, that's going to be a strike. If it's strike three, that's going to be an out. The ball is still alive. Now, a lot of people confuse "foul tip" and "foul ball." but there's a very distinct difference between the two. and it's very important as far as playing action because a foul ball stays in play. The ball stays live; we can get outs, you know. Lots of things can happen. So what is a "foul tip"? A "foul tip" is when a batted ball goes sharp and direct from the bat and first touches the catcher's glove or bare hand and is legally caught. so that it can tip the catcher's mitt, bounce off his chest protector, and fall into his lap, where the catcher catches and controls it before it hits the ground. That's going to be a foul tip. But if the ball first strikes the catcher's chest protector and then falls in his lap, that's not a foul tip because it did not first touch his glove or hands. That's a foul ball, and it's a foul ball because while the ball was in or over foul territory, it was touched by a player. So that's going to be a foul. nothing happens. The runner cannot advance, and if there are fewer than two strikes, it is a strike.
James: How would one convey to a plate umpire that they don't like the strike zone without being obviously tossed out of the game? Is it even appropriate to convey this to an umpire? Do you just absolutely forbid it, or what are your thoughts?
Brent: I umpired high school and varsity baseball in my younger years, and now that I'm older, it's a little farther between the bases. I do varsity girls softball, but the main way it is
is conveyed, and you pretty much know, is that the base coach or the manager will say, "Not your pitch. I know what they're saying." They know what they're saying. That's pretty much all I'm going to take. If they're going to say that was low, we're in trouble. and what I normally say when they say something like that was low, I will say we're not talking about balls and strikes. and that's as much as I'll say because the next time they say that was low or something like that wasn't a strike, they will remove themselves from the game. I don't evict coaches or manage players. They eject themselves.
James: exactly. So that our listeners understand, there is actually a rule in the book about that.
Brent: That's rule nine, 9.02a. An umpire's decision, which involves judgment, such as but not limited to whether a batted ball is fair or foul, whether a pitch is a strike or a ball, or whether a runner is safe out, is final. No manager, coach, or player shall object to any judgment calls or judgment decisions. That's pretty much what most people eject themselves with. Another thing is that the catcher thinks the ball was a strike. If I hear someone say, "Hey, I thought that caught the corner," or "you know, they're basically expressing their opinion," Where they get into trouble is if they stand up, turn around, and look at you. Even if they have the appearance of objecting to your call, you say, "Hey, stay forward."
James: I'm always able to judge who's going to do that, and almost always it's the guy pregame who comes up to me and asks me what my strike zone is today. That's usually the guy who's going to say something later in the game.
Brent: I have trouble controlling my family humor because my older brother, who also umpired, always had the same basic response to that question: "For your team or for the other team?"
Greg: The other thing that is often said during the game is they'll say, "Hey, where was that pitch?" and again, I'll turn to him and say we're not talking about balls and strikes? Ultimately, we're out there because we want to get the calls right. Ideally, if you do good, you should be as invisible as possible. You're not drawing attention to yourself.
Darrin: I have a feeling that consistency is really key. I think if you're missing, let's say, two balls consistently that day for whatever reason, it's going both ways, and it's going that way through the whole game. The first inning, the second inning, the fourth inning, the sixth inning, whatever. If there is a strike and then there isn't, I get fewer complaints. as long as they're keeping it positive, and I'm not going to take offense to either one of the comments about a good miss or a good take. things like that. I think it's a manager's job to keep his batters in the game. He's got one of the worst angles on the field. Other than high and low, he's got a good look at high and low, but he doesn't have a good look at what I call east and west. So as long as they keep those comments non-critical, I'm going to let them do that. Every once in a while, maybe under my breath, if he says "good, good take," but it's right over the heart of the plate, I'm going to kind of mumble under my breath, "What are they swinging at if they're not swinging at that one?" That was just tubed, you know? but I'm not going to say that out loud where anybody can hear me. It's like I'm going to let them do their job as long as they're respectful. I'm not going to stir the pot, I guess. Then I try not to listen to too much of what's going on around me. I've got a game to focus on. I don't work for managers and coaches. I work for the players on the field, so you know the coach or the manager may not be happy with what I'm doing, but as long as the attitude on the field stays loose and the kids are having fun,
Nick: First of all. If you talk to an umpire and you want to use whichever method you want to think about, just the act of telling the umpire that a strike zone isn't good is questioning the umpire's judgment. You're going to rule nine, and it says that you can't talk about or complain about calls that involve umpire judgment. One of the two things that'll get you tossed out of a game is making your comment personal by using the word "you" or questioning the umpire's judgment. We had a friend who umpired this many years ago. He was in a situation where he had to step up to the plate. Coach came out of the dugout and made a comment about the strike zone. This guy asked the coach, "Are you questioning my judgment?" and Einstein said, "Yeah, I am." Well, guess where he ended up. So now some of it will depend on your personal relationship with the individuals. If it's during the regular season and you know each other, I wouldn't mind if you quietly came up between innings and said something. I would probably not take offense to that. But if you've been bitching about Every pitch from the dugout, you're going to get no mercy from me. If you're constantly asking your catcher, "Uh, Billy, where was that pitch?" That's the same thing. You're questioning my judgment. You can sometimes get the catcher's attention just by standing there without speaking to him. Billy You better tell them it was outside the zone.
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Roger: So, Nick, I've got to follow up on that. Maybe it was something I did wrong or something. But what are your thoughts on where you have Maybe it’s a third base coach or a coach in the dugout, and a pitch comes in, and let's say it's for the pitcher; they're like, "We thought it was a strike, but it was a ball." They say good things take time. Good take, Jimmy. good take. What are your thoughts on comments like these?
Nick: Those don't bother me. Let's use a situation where the pitch comes in, you've got an 0-2 count, and you don't want to throw the ball down the middle of the plate. You actually want to throw the ball a little outside of the strike zone and maybe try to get the batter to go fishing. So you hear someone say something like, "Hey, great pitch! "Way to go, Susie!" great pitch. Well, that's not a comment on you or your call, or me trying to tell you, Hey, that was a strike from the defensive perspective. That was a great pitch. You didn't want the ball in the strike zone. You wanted the pitcher to throw something to try to get the batter to go fishing after a bad pitch. So that's why those kinds of comments don't bother me, unless they start to get excessive. You can kind of tell a change in tone of voice, or if it happens after every pitch you know? Then that would be enough to bother me, and I might issue some warnings or something.
Roger: So I've been going to a lot of games because my son's playing high school baseball, and then we've done some other baseball, and I've noticed that sometimes when umpires have had problems, it's because of a lack of communication, either communicating to the community or indicating to the field what's going on, whether it's a ball, a strike, a foul ball, or what have you. or communicating with their other umpire, their partner, and so I was hoping maybe you could expand or at least give us your thoughts on the importance of the umpire communicating the game to those around them.
Darrin: I absolutely love that question, and here's why: I was taught from day one that when you go back to the fence, you ignore the spectators, but one thing I've found throughout my career, especially at the high school level, is that fans want answers. Coaches want answers. Roger, you nailed it when you said communication is key. But oftentimes if I go back and I pull my water bottle out of the fence, somebody approaches me in a respectful manner and says, "Hey, blue, I've got a question." Can I ask you a question? If I've got time and I'm not delaying the game, I’ll say, "Yeah, fire away." They'll ask me, "Well, I've never seen that call before." "Can you explain that to me in 30 seconds or less?" and it's like, absolutely, I will. and by that, I say it loud enough to where I'm not just answering that individual, but anybody on that side of the field can hear me, and occasionally you'll get this: "Wow, all these years I've been watching softball, I've never heard that," but now that he's explained it, it kind of brings the tone back into a manageable situation, especially if people haven't heard it and you're getting the cat calls, and it's not our job to put out that fire." " It's not our job to put out that fire. But I personally believe that there's nothing wrong with sharing information when you know how to convey it properly, and the same thing applies to managers. If I have a pitcher. I'm struggling a little bit with the catcher. We all know that in Little League they like to frame the pitch, and by framing it, they'll take a ball that clearly doesn't come close to meeting the definition of a strike, and I'll pull it back over anywhere near the plate hoping that you're going to call it a strike. If I have a catcher that's doing that on borderline pitches, I will come up between innings, walk down that side where it is affected by that team, and pull the manager or coach if necessary and say, "I want you to know something." If you could just get that catcher to catch the ball and not move it, it's more believable for me to call that a strike than it is to wait for him to pull it back over to the middle of the plate and call it a strike. So you're doing me a disservice when you teach him or her to yank everything back to the plate. You've told the whole world by teaching your catcher that when they catch it out there, it's a ball. So whose mind are you trying to change? What are you teaching them to bring it back over the plate and I show them how to keep the elbow tight and just move the wrist. I show them little nuances and stuff to benefit them in the future, and hopefully their pitchers and catchers can grab more strikes because of that.
James: This is our transition question, because we're going to bring in some coaches. Do you have any training ideas or thoughts that we can share with the coaches? Obviously, I'll show them the visual you provided, but do you have any ideas, thoughts, questions, or other things you'd like to share with coaches so they can better teach and train these kids to have more successful games?
Brent: Well, let's start with the batter. one of the individuals with whom I have collaborated over the years in the In the little league program, he used to teach his kids: What pitch do you like to hit? Do you like it low? Do you prefer it high? Do you like it on the inside of the plate? Do you like it on the outside of the plate? You know where you like to throw that pitch? Basically, before two strikes, he would teach his kids: "You're always swinging." If you're not up there giving the signal to hit and run or something, basically, you're only swinging at the pitch you like. If it’s low and outside, look for a low and outside pitch. It's there; swing the bat! with two strikes, anything around the plate. and one of the things he used to do was have the kids get up to the plate. He'd take the ball and start with it so that it was basically over the center of Home Plate, and he'd basically have the kids stand there, and he'd take that ball and he'd move it out, and he'd ask the kids to tell him when they thought the ball was no longer a strike, and it was normally for almost all the kids that When they could no longer hit it, it was normally two balls off the plate before the kids would say, "Hey, they could no longer hit." So that's the best way to teach the kids how to swing the bat. Don't be looking for a walk. You've got to work with your catchers to say, "Hey, move a little bit to the outside corner." Move the glove over, and pitchers, as long as they're not just throwing it anywhere, if they're attempting to throw it towards the glove, the fact that the catcher moves it over one ball, the ball typically moves over one ball, And if that's all they're missing, you know that's going to make it a strike. Pay attention to what's happening, and teach the catchers not to move the glove.
Here's a great MLB video for training catchers
Greg: I really like the comment that you made about how you will eliminate the umpire from the game if you're hitting the ball into play, and I mean that, or like, you know, you're eliminating the balls and strikes aspect of umpiring because you're actually hitting the ball, which is, you know, the object of the game. I'd like to believe that these eight-year-olds aren't watching Moneyball and pretending to be David Justice, taking everyone for a walk. I truly think that we're really fortunate with baseball in that, generally speaking, the stuff that we have to judge usually happens in fairly well-defined areas at fairly well-defined times. There's a certain That's what we'll have to decide in terms of advanced warning. I was at a high school basketball game the other night, and I was watching those guys, and I thought, "Man, you've got the three guys trying to rule over semi-mayhem, and I just marvel at what those guys do," and I thought, "Wow, as a baseball umpire, we've got it so good, especially as the skill levels increase." I was really concerned when I first started umpiring majors because the action is faster. and the players are more skilled. But I discovered that the major league games are probably—I don't want to say better to umpire—because the players have a better skill level. Things that you generally expect to happen during a baseball game actually happen in a major league game. a game with a bunch of 10-year-olds.
Nick: "Don't teach your batters the strike zone." The strike zone is going to change from umpire to umpire. It might change for me from today to tomorrow. Maybe my wife yelled at me for saying, "Hey, this is the sixth night this week that you're out there on the ball field." When are you going to take me to dinner? So what I suggest is to teach players to select pitches that they can hit that may not necessarily be in the strike zone. but if they can hit it, well, just swing at it and don't worry about what the umpire is going to call.
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James: awesome, just awesome. Gentlemen, thank you so much for coming by today. Thanks, Nick. thanks Brent. Thanks Greg. and thank you, Darrin, for your input as we discuss what is a strike. The name of the podcast is Umpire Coaching. The name of the website is umpirecoaching.com. Let's talk about the coaching side a little bit. I've got a couple of gentlemen here who are active coaches. They coach 12U youth baseball, and we're going to ask them what their thoughts are, not only in terms of what constitutes a strike with their players but also in terms of how one coaches children so they can take advantage of the rules. We'll start with introductions. Rich, would you please introduce yourself?
Rich: I'm in my seventh year of coaching Little League. That's following my oldest son from t-ball to his 12th year in the majors, which we all know is the pinnacle of a little leaguer's career.
James: Erik, if you could please introduce yourself.
Erik: Yeah, hi guys. I too started coaching my oldest when he started t-ball about six or seven years ago. I'm also now coaching in the majors, and I coached high school baseball for, I don't know, four or five years before that.
James: So, what exactly is a strike, especially for coaches? We're going to talk about the strike zone. How do you guys teach the strike zone to your players? I mean both younger and older kids.
Erik: It was probably only for me from my knees to my armpits until recently. I didn't really think of it as I do now, but it was always just knees to armpits for a strike. anything over the plate.
James: Your thoughts, rich?
Rich: Yeah, as the kids have gotten older, they've been around the block a few times, and I believe Erik and I have coached together for many of the years we've mentioned. I think that's helpful in starting with your stance. It's really hard to hit a ball when you're bent over at the waist and you think your strike zone is now foot by foot. The best hitting stance that we teach obviously is not that, so you have the opportunity to hit the ball a little higher, hit the ball a little lower, and control it as a batter as best you can.
James: So what are some good hitting drills that you guys do? different methods and techniques that you teach for hitting the inside, outside, low, and high pitches successfully?
Eri: Yeah, I think soft toss is one that we've both used over the last couple years. to try to teach kids to hit those inside and outside pitches, and I think just those soft tosses are the place that we've taught inside and outside pitches, but a lot of the time when the kids don't see it coming right over the head, heart of the plate, they let that ball go, so this year that's something I've been thinking about. Specifically, as the kids are getting into that 12-year-old age bracket, we’re really teaching our pitchers to hit that outside corner. At least with our hitters these last couple years, I see them just watching those pitches because they're being selective.
Rich: yeah. The outside pitch is the hardest, and I think that from a coaching perspective, a hitting perspective, and an umpire perspective. I've learned and observed how umpires refer to it, but I'm more interested in what you're asking about, specifically the drills you've used as I've reflected over the years, and we really started doing it last year. a lot more; it doesn't matter what age. I think one of the most underrated tools as a team is putting a tee out front and inside. So you're going to pull that ball. You can put a tee outside and down and away, and you're going to hit it the other way. put in the middle. It's just so versatile in getting you to, say, where that ball is. get my hands through quickly and pull the inside pitch instead of trying to pull an outside pitch. go with it because if you pull it, it's going to the shortstop. ground ball every time.
James: I coached for 15 years myself, and I completely agree with what you guys are talking about. You're aware that the majors use the tee. I had a dad yell at me one year. What are you having these kids play t-ball for? they're 12. and I said exactly that. We can control where that tee is, and my hope is that coaches today are teaching the kids to hit the ball while it's out front and not wait until it crosses the plate. You're looking for that ball so you can pull your hips onto it. You want that thing out front. That's where you're going to teach them that and really get them focused on getting that hip turn as they're meeting that ball out front.
Erik: I agree with Rich. We have done them all because they're all valuable. Without the weight distribution, I think the shirt is fine. If they're not getting the weight back on the back foot and then driving through to hit it out front, they don't have any power. It kind of all works together. That balance is really important when teaching kids. teaching kids not to squish the bug. God, I hate that one. However, if they transfer the weight from the back to the front at precisely the right time, they will be able to see when they are not doing anything. for them to do that when a strike is approaching, or even you.
Rich. I mean, you're not going to get anybody to turn on a ball that's super outside or super inside. So we've always believed the guys I've coached: that's just not your pitch, and pitch selection is extremely important, which is where soft toss comes in.
James: So on defense, and I'm talking mostly about catchers. What techniques are you guys teaching? Are you interested in teaching catchers to work with the umpire to get the best strike zone possible? Do you guys have any thoughts on that, or have you come across anything like that? This is, of course, on the defense side.
Rich: I believe that there are two sides to this, at least that is what I see. I think there's a personality factor. We have one catcher; he's just a jokester. He talks to the batters. He talks to the umpire. He won't stop talking, which is strange because he's the one Erik and I have coached the most because he really listens to what you try to teach him and then does it. He implements it. It's the hardest thing for catchers at a young age to be able to frame a ball, hold it there, and give the umpire an opportunity, especially little league umpires. They want to make a quick decision. And if you get that ball, it's in the zone, and you move your hand, it's like, "Wait a minute, that was close. "Was it there, or was it not? old it there and frame it even if it's not over the plate, even if it's an inch or two or three balls outside. Give them an opportunity to make a call on it, and it may go your way.
James: Erik, anything to add to that?
Erik: I think the way Rich and I coach, every kid plays every position. so we move them around. There's no reason to label a child when they're 10, 11, or 12 years old. That, oh, you're a pitcher only, or an infielder only, or a kid who wants to catch. We'll have that kid catch, and then you'll go to the All-Star game. I recognize that when we arrived at the all-star game this year, we hadn't been, you know, when the pitcher gets 0-2 on a batter and our catcher has the glove dead center over the heart of the plate, which is exactly where he shouldn't be. "Oh my God, you know we didn't," we say. oh no. Oh, wait, this is a new catcher. They make it to the All-Star Game. We're like, "No, it's not a new catcher." This is one of our All-Star catchers, and he's either climbing the ladder or just teaching them where to set up so that he's not just giving them a can of corn on an 0-2 pitch. I think that's going to be a big one this year for all of our kids because, I mean, every kid wants to pitch. Every kid wants to catch, but not every kid wants to catch; I think every kid should catch, and we can teach them those things. If you're behind by two balls and no strikes, maybe you do have the pitcher right here. just hit my glove, but if we're teaching them to hit the glove every time and having that catcher set up in different locations, I think we're going to be really successful with it in the all-star game this year. Once we made that adjustment and talked to our catchers about it, I think going forward, it's just going to be something that I recognized last year that we'll be better at. I think defensively is where you're strong. You can get your catcher here. I mean, he's the chief of the infield, and if he realizes that rather than just being the one catching the pitches, I'm also the one telling the pitcher where to pitch it, then your pitcher has more to say than, "Oh, I'm just trying to throw a strike." No, I'm trying to hit that glove.
Rich: Yeah, that's a good summary. Working with them on the counts is important, and as Erik mentioned, we focused on that from late in the regular season until the All-Star break, and it helped. It was extremely beneficial. We were missing one of our starters, our major league catcher, due to injury this year, but we did some good things with the kids who had done it during the season. I think they're communicating with the umpire; I kind of touched on it. Things get more serious in all-star times. They can either be on your side or not. meaning they'll work with you more. They'll teach you more during the games and the regular seasons if you can open that communication with them, which is hard for kids. They are, after all, 10-, 11-, and 12-year-olds. They will not engage in conversations with adults or other coaches. and the umpiring that I've done, it's interesting to hear what those young kids say and what they're doing when their buddy comes up to the plate and they're chatting back and forth while playing against each other. and that's exactly what Erik said. You control the infield, but it's more than that, I think, for me. As a person who has never played catcher, umpiring behind the plate has brought out even more how important that position is. Coach put me in there. I think I was 13 when, in a practice that lasted about five pitches, I was out.
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James: So this is a note that was passed overwhelmingly. All four umpires that I interviewed wished for me to communicate this to you and all coaches. They are saying if a catcher frames a pitch, it is telling everybody on the field and many people in the stands what they think the pitch was. Which is fine, but these umpires with whom I spoke, and whom I would recommend This is something to just consider and think about. Sometimes a ball comes in and is a strike, and the umpire sees it as a strike, but the catcher frames it. Did the catcher not believe it was a strike? What they're recommending is that you let the glove stay where it is. They all agreed: "Let's set up the catcher in different slots each time."
Erik: I believe you're framing the term as if a ball is on the outside corner. I'm teaching that kid to catch it and hold it. We're not trying to teach him to swing it and move it a foot or something like that. But the kid that catches one right over the heart of the plate and then drops it down between their legs isn't even holding it there or framing it for the umpire to see that it was a strike. the kid who is falling away as he catches that pitch on the outside corner, but he's leaning and he's still going. We're teaching them to hold it there. not teaching them to bring it in. We're just trying to teach them not to fall, so again, it's that balance thing. If they could improve their balancing so that they could move half of their body out to the pitch because their body fell over. Like Rich said, they're 10- to 12-year-old kids, and they don't think that they should be doing balance drills at baseball practice. They don't take those very seriously. They get to high school, and their high school coach is going to tell me about those balance drills.
James: So what we're addressing here is something you just nailed, Erik. It's one thing to hold the glove in one position. It's another thing to move at a steady pace, turn around, and look at the umpire's framing. What they're recommending is that
Erik: Is there a true definition of a frame, such as where framing originated? It's the frame of a picture. So if you're catching a ball on a corner, your glove is up wide, and it's in that top corner. All you're doing is snapping and holding it there and bringing it in, like keeping it inside the frame. So I think we have the little league definition of a bad coach, or a coach that doesn't know who's catching the ball three feet outside, and the kid is being taught to bring it inside the zone. That's not what We're teaching our kids.
Rich: I think that we're loosely using this definition of framing. I agree with The other umpires that are saying don't do that, have the kid move it from the dirt up to hold it like it looked like a strike when it bounced in, but that's where Erik and I are aligned in our coaching in many ways, and that's exactly what he just said.
James: Who on the field is supposed to appeal to the umpire for the check swing?
Erik: Typically, we want the catcher to appeal to the plate umpire and ask, "Did he go?"
James: Most umpires who are behind the plate and who are paying attention will appeal that anyway. Though with all the things that we're supposed to do back there, catching a check swing out front may not be something we can get to. but our partners can. We want to get it right. What we used to do as coaches and managers was shout out to the catcher and say, "Hey, you appeal that" or whatever.
Rich: Yeah, I'm kind of hearing two different things there. I mean, operationally, I go to my catcher because my catcher, most of the time, being 10-11-12, doesn't think to go there and ask about or appeal that. And so yeah, you can coach or shout out to your catcher and ask him to appeal it.
James: agreed. It should come from the catcher. Some kids who are on the ball and have caught more balls than others will figure it out. So, the last question, and then I've got a wrap-up. Whether you're on defense or offense, how would you go about indicating to an umpire that you do not like their strike zone without getting thrown out of a game? What has worked for you guys in the past?
Rich: Don't talk about it. I don't feel that on the field is a place to discuss an umpire's strike zone. I think we in our little league are in a special place because we have representation on our board, coaches, and umpires. I think we are also adults and can have a conversation about it, and as an umpire, James and I have had a conversation about a certain pitch, and it worked. It's not a matter of liking it or not. It all comes back to your title, right? What is a strike? Yeah, in my opinion. You're not going to get anywhere during the game talking about a strike zone.
James: I like that, and there are some suggestions that I'll share as soon as we hear from Erik on this, because there are some really positive things that we can do.
Erik: I've always had the philosophy that your job as a hitter is to hit the ball. In one of the years I coached, we had a "swing the bat or don't pick it up" rule one of the years I coached. If you get called out to watch an outside corner pitch and you're like, "But it was a ball," your job as a batter is to hit that ball and hit it in the opposite field. So if it's outside, especially if it's very far outside, or if it almost hits you in the head, it's called a strike. I mean, that doesn't happen. So I always teach the kids to be aggressive. that if it's close enough, don't watch that pitch next time. Practice hitting that outside corner. swing the bat. Hit the ball, and hit it hard and far. If you're aggressive and have that attitude, good things will happen. If you're looking for the walk, then kids get disappointed, but again, like we've all said, they're 9- to 11-year-old kids. It's hard to teach them, and I honestly think this year at the beginning of the year I'm going to go through and have a conversation around home plate and talk about the strike zone. A ball can come in with a right-handed pitcher at an angle and barely touch the front corner of that cubic space, and the catcher can catch it a foot outside. If the umpire is watching this space and it comes across as such, it sure might have been a strike. The kids are watching this. If they're watching Major League Baseball, they're seeing it on TV on ESPN or ABC, where they're showing the ball coming across the zone, and our balls are coming a lot slower and from a pitcher that's closer. So it's hard for me as an umpire to make that call and try to make that call consistently. So if we're talking about what a strike is, as an umpire, all you can do is be consistent. If you're always calling that outside pitch a strike, then both teams have to adjust. If it's right on the corner and there's never a strike, then kids might sit there and watch it. But I hope that the kids that Rich and I are coaching are being aggressive and working on hitting that outside pitch so that they're successful at the plate.
Rich: Here's the reality, too. At this age group, you've got half your team that can take that outside pitch and do something. On the other half of the team, the skills and abilities across the board are so varied and so different that, like Erik said, be aggressive.
Erik: If it's close, do something with it; don't leave any doubt. As we're having this conversation, it's like if you had a picture that could just hit the goal. If he's not swinging at it, hang out in that outside corner when you get two strikes on him. Don't have any catchers; just sit there and give him a can of corn. Give them something to hit.
James: So this is when I was running it as a manager. I'd get calls from my coaches or parents in the morning, like at 10 o'clock in the morning on game day, and they're like, "Well, who are you throwing today?" I'd bring three kids, but who knows who you'll bring? You can't decide who to throw until you get to the field and see who's awake. And the kid you were starting—maybe he had a bad day at school and his head isn't in the right place. You can't know if everyone is there, and another thing that's useful is knowing if I'm coming or if someone else is coming. You know that I like the outside strike, and you know that Johnny can camp on that outside strike all day long. Well, you know what a valuable strategy that is—to simply determine who the umpire is. The other thing I wanted to mention is that the Hall of Famers failed two-thirds of the time. Could you imagine a baseball game with an umpire failing two-thirds of the time? That'd be no fun at all. We see two, three, or four hundred pitches in a game, and we're human beings too. We might blow five or ten. That still puts you at a 95 percent or higher game. To me, that sounds like a pretty good baseball game, don't you guys think?
Rich: "Sure, yeah."
Erik: Totally.
James: So this is what the umpires asked me to let you know. What they're okay with is if you're keeping it positive, so long as you're not coming up to an umpire and saying, "Hey, I really don't like your zone today" or anything like that. That makes it personal. "Hey, Good miss Johnny! "Good job!" you can say to him. That's okay; you didn't want that one or a good take. Some umpires may not appreciate it, but most of the ones I've spoken with have said, "Hey, you know what? That's a positive thing to say to that youngster, and it also is a code to the umpire that, you know, maybe he or she needs to go back to the basics and make sure that they're in position correctly. but we're going to miss some. not a lot. but we will. That's just the nature of the game. Most of them wanted me to pass down and say, "Hey, look, uh, it's okay to say to the batter, "Good mess, John." That wasn't your pitch.
Rich: Absolutely. Every day since I learned this one from Erik. It's not yours. next pitch. Drop a fly ball, next pitch. Muffed a ground ball; next pitch You've got another opportunity to turn around that muddle that you just made into a stellar play.
James: Umpires do that too. One of the questions I asked the guys was, "What are your thoughts on makeup balls and strikes?" In other words, "Oh, I blew that one, so I better call this next one a strike." I got some very interesting replies. I'm sure you've wondered that in some of your games. "Wow, is that makeup?" says one. The answer across the board is "never." We don't do that. What we do is listen to what people are saying, and we're taught some basics. I think we're all human too.
Erik: You called it one thing and then another. One is approaching, and you're wondering if you made a mistake on the previous one or if you're second-guessing yourself. I think it's only natural that we've tagged it as a "makeup call" or whatever, but I think it's human nature. There are no umpires out there attempting to favor one team over another. So I think as long as we have that mentality that I feel like Rich and I have had that conversation before too. It's not like it's a makeup call; it's like we're not talking about you but about some other umpire. That you think he may be second-guessing that last call that he made. We're all humans, so we do things to try to even things out when we're in a position of power and authority over a little kid's games. so I don't name it. Call it what we want, but I think we're all just trying to have a fair game where the kids have fun and
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James: That's what it's about. It’s the fun, and the people who aren't having fun at a little league game, as you guys know, get invited to leave, and that's probably a good idea. Rich nailed it. "Okay, next pitch, that's the best we can do," even the umpires think. So before we wrap up, I've just got one more thing, and I was curious: do you think that, given the questions we've discussed, there's anything that was missed or anything you'd like to add with regard to the strike zone?
Erik: Yeah, keep the parents quiet. Tell them to shut up; they're not helping when they're in an umpire's ear, and that's hard because when you're a parent and you're standing there, you've got an opinion too. However, parents must be told this, not the umpire, because at that point, things have most likely gotten so out of hand that the umpire is forced to tell his parents to stop. Anyway, Rich, what were you going to say?
Rich: Yeah, to the makeup call. It's interesting, and I don't think there's an umpire out there who wants to visibly affect the outcomes of calls. I'm 100 percent guilty of it. You know, a call went against us, and then the next call went for us. I turn to my coaches and tell them we didn't deserve it. It stimulates your mind. It really does. It's human nature. It's hard not to. That's good stuff, and then we are all coaches and stand in that position as umpires also in our volunteer time, and the impact of the call sometimes is that outside pitch that, if I were a pitcher, I would want that pitch. That's strike three, but man, those are hard to swallow as coaches. So then they become personal or come across as such, like how our season ended this past year. Our All-Star season ended on a dubious call that had an impact, and so unless you're absolutely 100, you know, and it was like, well, it could have gone either way. Unless you really know, sometimes you've got to let it go the other way if you're not 100 percent confident or something. That's hard too. so it's easy to say as a coach when you're not the one making that call. Yeah, until you're the one in those shoes, and then you're like, "I don't know, it wasn't me," that's a hard call to make. I'm glad I didn't have to make it. would have liked to play one more game of baseball, though.
James: That's tough. I've been there. I've been there with the tears. We worked so hard to get there and then things just didn't go our way, and you know I've been there. I've been there with the hugs and the mad parents and the crying kids and all of that. It's not fun.
Erik: When you have those conversations later, it's sometimes like, "Well, you really need to teach your kids this." and I'm like, "Well, actually no." Please don't use an umpire call. I think you should be teaching your kids this. What I mean is, from a coaching standpoint, it's like, "Let's make sure that we are just sticking to the rules here." So that's where things stand for me this year, as Rich and I have talked a lot about this upcoming year. I'm all about that cubic airspace. like the ball crosses into that cube, getting all the way back to your point in this conversation was not just, "Hey, that was a ball outside, inside, or up." But, just to be sure, this is the zone for this kid, and it runs from front to back, left to right. It's got to touch something. even if it's just a little bit of the ball and most of the balls are outside. but I think about that at least in my own umpiring. You do a really good job, James, when you do our umpire clinic, of teaching us new things, and I think that's one that I would add this year. As far as this cubic space here goes, the ball's got to touch some of that somewhere, some portion of it as it comes across. It's made things like, you know, super clear for me about what I'll accept from a ball or a strike, maybe a little different in minors. That is the larger bubble. bigger cubic space.
Rich. Yeah, I don't know if I'd add anything, but as a coach and parent of a pretty good baseball player, I'm talking about that pitch. talking about that strike zone and knowing that he can take an outside pitch and two-hop to the fence if he wants to. He's got a tendency to not swing at that outside pitch. a good eye, a good player. They know the zone. They really do, and it's hard not to listen to them. Then you have to shake them out of their funk because they didn't swing at the outside pitch. It was called a strike.
James: One of the things that we always did. We had some signals that I'd give our batters to either move up in the box, move back in the box, or move closer to the plate. It's amazing what a few minor adjustments can do for a child's ability to hit the ball. It changes the perspective if they're up in the box a bit and that ball really is scooting on that outside corner. They'll see it differently up in the box than when they are camping out by the catcher. We've always taught There are other things you can do. When they get a little older, not necessarily Jay Buhner style, there are things they can do to adjust. Maybe when they get into junior high or higher or high school, that's when they get a little bit more command of their motor skills. There are some adjustments that can be made just by where they're standing as far as getting to that outside pitch or the inside pitch, for that matter.
Rich & Erik: Yeah, for sure. for sure.
James: So I just wanted to hit on that aspect...
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James: Well, first of all, I want to thank all of the umpires that participated with us today for taking the time out of their busy lives and schedules to help me with this podcast, so we can really help educate the masses out there and get them to understand. What do you think, Roger? Isn't it awesome that they showed up and helped out?
Roger: Oh, yeah, this has been a fantastic learning experience for both myself and any guests, so yeah, yeah, no.
James: It's been super cool to have everybody here and then be able to pull in some coaches and get their take on some of these situations. just awesome. so I want to be sure that Brent, Darrin, Greg, and Nick are thanked for their time. Thank you, gentlemen. and then I want to thank Erik and Rich for their contributions too. and then, of course, Roger. You know, even when I came to you with this idea six months ago, you've always supported me and helped me make it the best it can be. So, Roger, thank you very much.
Roger: Oh, you're welcome; this is a fun experience.
James: So we've got more podcasts coming. Please stay tuned. They'll be out soon. Our hope is to get at least six or ten out by the end of this year's spring baseball season. That's the goal. Hopefully, we get there. So here's your disclaimer. The rules and opinions discussed here are personal interpretations from seasoned umpires and coaches. The podcast is neither directly endorsed nor are we compensated by any youth sports body, including Little League Baseball. Actual applications of these rules and coaching ideas may vary depending on your location or your league's official rules, so please discuss those with your local umpire chiefs and league presidents. That's always a good idea. You might want to talk to the people who know about the rules before You begin to do them yourself. That's why we're doing this. So anyway, thank you so much again, Roger, for your help, and we'll see you next time.
Roger: See you!
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