The illegal pitch is only supposed to be called if the umpire determines she is gaining an advantage, which can vary SO much from one to the other. I would like to see a more uniform interpretation of these kind of rules of course thats probably like asking to win the lottery.
The requirement about the pitcher "gaining an advantage" actually isn't part of the playing rules, nor is it a guideline taught to umpires when determining illegal pitches. In fact, I have been to classes and clinics where we are specifically told to NOT use that phrase when discussing IP's with a coach. But, it is a line that has been around forever and has been frequently invoked by umpires who are
unwilling to call illegal pitches when they see them.
The whole "gaining an advantage" thing has been around long enough and been repeated often enough, despite having no real bearing on how IP's are defined or interpreted, that I would be inclined to brand it as a
RULE MYTH.
I do agree that more "uniform" or perhaps even "modified" pitching rules could clear up some of the problems with IP's. After all the fits that NCAA went through this year regarding IP's, it would not surprise me one bit to see them make some changes to their pitching rules next year.
The men's fastpitch rules allow the leap- so long as the pitcher does not replant the pivot foot and push off from that point. I could easily live with adopting that rule to the women's game.
I'm not sure which "ASA Umpire School" the umpires in question were supposed to have attended. I do know that the National School, which holds about a dozen clinics throughout the country and made a stop in Columbus last winter, seemed to be attended by mostly newer (ie: inexperienced) officials. And while they did go into a lot of depth about plate mechanics, I do not recall any specific instruction about interpreting the strike zone.
There was a State School (which I did not attend, since I had already gone to the National School) and I'm not sure what they taught at that one. Usually, the State schools follow the same format and clinic guide as the National school does.
Calling balls and strikes is one area where each individual umpire needs to develop on his own. There are rough guidelines in the umpire manuals and instructional materials, but there is no substitute for "real world" game experience in developing accuracy and consistency.
