He was 2-2 on Fitzgerald, and two close pitches were called balls.

That didn't seem to be a problem at first, since a few parents volunteered to call balls and strikes.

I just reminded him to call balls and strikes the same for both teams.

"They've been calling balls and strikes in a certain way for a long time," he said.

"Our role isn't to be an umpire calling balls and strikes," one official said.

For many years, pitches above the waist had been called balls.

Pitches just above the belt buckle are called balls pretty much all the time.

He's calling balls and strikes in a game with no rules.

When my son took the mound, I continued to call balls on him like everyone else.

Baseball should be running these schools, teaching the correct way to call balls and strikes from the first day.