MLB: Hitters beware! Pitchers finally get a break
New rules for the strike zone finally bring the game of baseball back into perspective. But, will pitchers benefit too much from the high strike?
Hey, baseball fans! Have you heard the news? This might be the biggest story to hit baseball since A-Rod signed the contract that will make his great-great-grandchildren billionaires.
The funny thing is that nobody has really talked about it yet. But trust me, in a couple of months, every baseball rag, every baseball columnist and every sports talk show host will be talking about it. I'm talking about the new strike zone.
The strike zone is expanding (kind of like the waistband on my Farrah Slacks). For the last five or ten years, the top of the strike zone has been cup high (for those of you who don't know where the cup is, ask your father).
This year, Major League Baseball will enforce the new strike zone, which is really the old strike zone your grandpa knew, that extends to three ball-widths above the belt. That's an extra 10 inches the pitchers will get to work with.
Can you imagine what a guy like Randy Johnson will do with that? Has anyone ever threw 10 no-hitters in a season? There is a consensus among most players that the high heat is one of the most difficult pitches to hit. Hitters will no longer enjoy the luxury of sitting on belt-high fastballs.
Up until now, the strike zone has been about the same size as the Grinch's heart before he was born again. The old strike zone was so small (how small was it?) it could fit inside the pocket of a Barbie outfit (not that I play with Barbies, mind you.)
So, look out hitters, the playing field is a little more level today. We fans will know which of you is affected most. You'll be the ones Walking around at a 45-degree angle like the people in those V-8 commercials.
The funny thing is that nobody has really talked about it yet. But trust me, in a couple of months, every baseball rag, every baseball columnist and every sports talk show host will be talking about it. I'm talking about the new strike zone.
The strike zone is expanding (kind of like the waistband on my Farrah Slacks). For the last five or ten years, the top of the strike zone has been cup high (for those of you who don't know where the cup is, ask your father).
This year, Major League Baseball will enforce the new strike zone, which is really the old strike zone your grandpa knew, that extends to three ball-widths above the belt. That's an extra 10 inches the pitchers will get to work with.
Can you imagine what a guy like Randy Johnson will do with that? Has anyone ever threw 10 no-hitters in a season? There is a consensus among most players that the high heat is one of the most difficult pitches to hit. Hitters will no longer enjoy the luxury of sitting on belt-high fastballs.
Up until now, the strike zone has been about the same size as the Grinch's heart before he was born again. The old strike zone was so small (how small was it?) it could fit inside the pocket of a Barbie outfit (not that I play with Barbies, mind you.)
So, look out hitters, the playing field is a little more level today. We fans will know which of you is affected most. You'll be the ones Walking around at a 45-degree angle like the people in those V-8 commercials.
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