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By the book Umpires, players adjusting to rule book strike zone
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) -- There was a time when Sandy Alderson was general manager of the Oakland Athletics that he didn't mind a little inconsistency of the strike zone. "When you're with a club, your biases are a little more obvious," he said. "So when Dennis Eckersley is getting pitches two inches off the plate, I'm not arguing. When one of our rookie pitchers in the early '90s wasn't getting any help, now I'm unhappy." Alderson's goal this year to make sure that Cy Young Award winners and rookies are treated equally by umpires. Alderson, executive vice president of baseball operations in the commissioner's office, is touring spring training camps to make sure umpires and players know what's expected this year. "There was first skepticism, then I think general surprise at the degree of preparation we had put into this," Alderson said. "We'll see. It's a work in progress. Every day's a different day." Players will have to prepare for changes. "I still think you're going to have pitchers who are going to adjust," he said. "Instead of adjusting in or out, they'll be adjusting maybe a little more up and down. I don't think it's going to radically change the game. That's certainly not our intent." Former umpire Steve Palermo, currently a supervisor of umpires, says the change is good for umpires. "I've seen guys with 20, 25 years experience, and they're running around a field in Arizona like they're fighting for a job," Palermo said. "That's nice. That sends a message to the young guys that's good. I think it's good because it challenges their ability, and I think every now and then they need their ability challenged."
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