You're crazy if you don't watch the College World Series

[bolivar]

No one is going to agree with me but I am very sure Baylor if the best team in the tournament. Texas will win it and I see Baylor and Texas every time they play and I think I know a little about baseball and I am convinced Baylor was the best. I never never think an umpire beats anyone but that third strike call and throw out at second base completely changed the flow of the game. Give you this Texas has good players and play hard but get more breaks than any team I know of.

 

[royalfan]

Nope, too much money to be made doing this. Probably would have suited me well though.

 

[royalfan]

No one is going to agree with me but I am very sure Baylor if the best team in the tournament. Texas will win it and I see Baylor and Texas every time they play and I think I know a little about baseball and I am convinced Baylor was the best. I never never think an umpire beats anyone but that third strike call and throw out at second base completely changed the flow of the game. Give you this Texas has good players and play hard but get more breaks than any team I know of.

To say that call was HUGE, would be an big understatement. That was way outside. I don't care for Texas but I think they are just a touch better than Baylor. Just a little better quality bats that Baylor throughout the lineups, IMO. Great year for Baylor and they have nothing to hang their heads about, that is for sure. Effort was never a problem with that bunch.

 

[Illini]

To say that call was HUGE, would be an big understatement. That was way outside. I don't care for Texas but I think they are just a touch better than Baylor. Just a little better quality bats that Baylor throughout the lineups, IMO. Great year for Baylor and they have nothing to hang their heads about, that is for sure. Effort was never a problem with that bunch.

It wasn't that bad of a call. It was a ball, sure. But the college zone is huge, and many balls are called strikes intentionally. That pitch was probably not good enough to be called a strike, but it was still close, and the umpire called a pretty good game. He shouldn't have been raked over the coals like he was over it.

 

[royalfan]

I politely disagree big time. A ball is a ball no matter one inch of the plate or 4 inches. Not the umps job to "widen" it at his discretion, it is his job to call balls over the plate a strike and those that aren't over the plate a ball and he botched that one big time. It was at least 3 inches off the plate.

 

[Illini]

I politely disagree big time. A ball is a ball no matter one inch of the plate or 4 inches. Not the umps job to "widen" it at his discretion, it is his job to call balls over the plate a strike and those that aren't over the plate a ball and he botched that one big time. It was at least 3 inches off the plate.

You're speaking from a fan's perspective. I'm speaking as one who used to umpire Div 1 baseball. I went to professional umpire school, and they taught, even for the major leagues, to give about an extra baseball width in addition to the outside corner. They can't really get away with that now, because of that damn pitch-track system that is used. But everyone wants strikes called, not balls. So they would no doubt be giving the outside pitch now, if they could get away with it. Nothing worse than an umpire back there calling balls. Now that I think about it, that umpire last night didn't call enough strikes in the later innings. But my point is this......as an umpire, especially at that level, your mentality is "anything I can get away with calling a strike is a strike." Just watch college baseball all year long if you have satellite tv, and you will see what I mean. Some ridiculous pitches called strikes, and nobody says a word. That's just reality in the college game.

 

[viking611]

many strikes called 3 inches off the plate...especially in college! Need to call more strikes with those bats they let them use. Things are dangerous!

 

[royalfan]

Correct me if I am wrong but I don't think there is anywhere in the college rulebook stating that the ump is supposed to use discretion and it is acceptable to call pitches three inches off the plate a strike. As for the bats, they are much safer than they used to be, no question about that.

 

[Illini]

Royalfan- it's the letter of the law vs. the spirit of the rule. Cops don't give out speeding tickets for 68 mph. Same type of thing here. You put the gear on and go back there and call a "rule book strike" at the Div 1 level, and I guarantee you will have an ejection or two. Everyone wants strikes called, period.

 

[viking611]

try playing past T-ball royal....strikezone is always changing at the umpires discretion.....and bats are no safer than they have ever been...worse now actually!!

 

[TTinCO]

Tonight---Arizona State +141\Florida -156 at Pinny

I have to like Florida here.

 

[royalfan]

try playing past T-ball royal....strikezone is always changing at the umpires discretion.....and bats are no safer than they have ever been...worse now actually!!

Why do you always have to bring up my ball ability into an argument. You have no idea how good or bad a player I am. Makes you look foolish. About as foolish as saying the bats are more dangerous than ever. I thought you said you played college ball. You of all folks should know they placed restrictions on the bats, but once again you get in an argument you cannot possibly win.

Illini does have a point about the strike zone deal. But it my opinion it is ludicrous calling some of those pitches strikes. That Baylor kid could not have possibly covered that pitch which was not even close but called a strike. Where do you draw the line? So was Eric Gregg okay in that Marlin/Brave playoff game also?

 

[Illini]

Why do you always have to bring up my ball ability into an argument. You have no idea how good or bad a player I am. Makes you look foolish. About as foolish as saying the bats are more dangerous than ever. I thought you said you played college ball. You of all folks should know they placed restrictions on the bats, but once again you get in an argument you cannot possibly win.

Illini does have a point about the strike zone deal. But it my opinion it is ludicrous calling some of those pitches strikes. That Baylor kid could not have possibly covered that pitch which was not even close but called a strike. Where do you draw the line? So was Eric Gregg okay in that Marlin/Brave playoff game also?

You're right about the Eric Gregg playoff game. I remember watching that game, as my jaw dropped when he called some of those strikes. And Maddux and Glavine got too many strikes called in their favor all the time. I tried to be as fair and consistent as possible when I umpired. You always want to be known as a pitcher's umpire, but within reasonable restraints. Some guys take it further, which I was not comfortable doing. But the "anything I can get away with" mentality is not bad advice for a young umpire. One of my mentors told me to "call strikes till they bitch." Simply because an umpire really will not get into much trouble by calling strikes. It's when they're back there calling balls all day is when the shit hits the fan. Sometimes, it's unavoidable, if a pitcher can't find the zone. Those days are not fun.

 

[HacheMan]

Florida's offense has gone kaput.........

 

[viking611]

Why do you always have to bring up my ball ability into an argument. You have no idea how good or bad a player I am. Makes you look foolish. About as foolish as saying the bats are more dangerous than ever. I thought you said you played college ball. You of all folks should know they placed restrictions on the bats, but once again you get in an argument you cannot possibly win.

Illini does have a point about the strike zone deal. But it my opinion it is ludicrous calling some of those pitches strikes. That Baylor kid could not have possibly covered that pitch which was not even close but called a strike. Where do you draw the line? So was Eric Gregg okay in that Marlin/Brave playoff game also?

Exactly why I know the bats are worse now then before. We all know you are a know it all though, T-baller. Strike zone has always been how the umpire wants to call it, not what some rule book says. Your comments show you know absolutely nothing about baseball.

 

[TTinCO]

OUCH.....that hamstring is toast

:CUSSING: :CUSSING: :CUSSING: :CUSSING:

 

[Wrigley]

Great action at the CWS this year. The only thing I cant stand is that ping sound of the bats would love it if they would go to the wood bats.

 

[HacheMan]

Florida pullsoff the comeback............

 

[royalfan]

You're right about the Eric Gregg playoff game. I remember watching that game, as my jaw dropped when he called some of those strikes. And Maddux and Glavine got too many strikes called in their favor all the time. I tried to be as fair and consistent as possible when I umpired. You always want to be known as a pitcher's umpire, but within reasonable restraints. Some guys take it further, which I was not comfortable doing. But the "anything I can get away with" mentality is not bad advice for a young umpire. One of my mentors told me to "call strikes till they bitch." Simply because an umpire really will not get into much trouble by calling strikes. It's when they're back there calling balls all day is when the shit hits the fan. Sometimes, it's unavoidable, if a pitcher can't find the zone. Those days are not fun.

Why would you want to be known as a "pitchers" umpire? I would want to be known as an umpire that calls a strike a strike and a ball a ball, or a "good" umpire. We must just disagree on the fact that you think it is okay to call a ball a strike and I don't think so.

 

[Illini]

Why would you want to be known as a "pitchers" umpire? I would want to be known as an umpire that calls a strike a strike and a ball a ball, or a "good" umpire. We must just disagree on the fact that you think it is okay to call a ball a strike and I don't think so.

Well, you've obviously never umpired before. You go out there and call balls all day, and you will have ejections. You call strikes, and people won't say shit. I'm saying it's okay to call a pitch that you think is a ball, because the rule book says it is. But in reality, a pitch a couple inches off the plate is a strike in practice. If you want to call it a ball, you will have a mess to clean up most nights. My point is very simple. Just my take from being down in the trenches. I know you mean well, and want to be right. But it's kind of like a college professor knowing all the academics, and "teaching" students about business, when they themselves really have no experience or idea what the real world is like. You can go out there, and be true to the letter of the law of the rule book. But you will neither have fun nor ever get to umpire anything beyond little league.