COLUMN
VIEW FROM THE GAME
It’s All We Need To Know:
Home Plate 17 Inches Wide
Editor’s Note: Tim Mead, incoming Baseball Hall of Fame president, cited John Scolinos, baseball coach at his alma mater, Cal Poly Pomona, as a lifelong inspiration, particularly Scolinos’ famous speech “17 Inches.” Chris Sperry, who published sperrybaseballlife.com, heard Scolinos deliver a version in 1996 at the American Baseball Coaches Association in Nashville, and wrote this reminiscence in 1916 in his “Baseball Thoughts” column.
By CHRIS SPERRY • from www.sperrybaseballlife.com
In 1996, Coach Scolinos was 78 years old and five years retired from a college coaching career that began in 1948. He shuffled to the stage to an impressive standing ovation, wearing dark polyester pants, a light blue shirt, and a string around his neck from which home plate hung — a full-sized, stark-white home plate.
After speaking for 25 minutes, he said:
“You’re probably all wondering why I’m wearing home plate around my neck. Or maybe you think I escaped from Camarillo State Hospital,” he said, his voice growing irascible. I laughed along with the others, acknowledging the possibility.
“No,” he continued, “I may be old, but I’m not crazy. The reason I stand before you today is to share with you baseball people what I’ve learned in my life, what I’ve learned about home plate in my 78 years.”
Several hands went up when Scolinos asked how many Little League coaches were in the room. “Do you know how wide home plate is in Little League?” After a pause, someone offered, “Seventeen inches,” more question than answer.
“That’s right,” he said. “How about in Babe Ruth? Any Babe Ruth coaches in the house?”
Another long pause.
“Seventeen inches?” came a guess from another reluctant coach.
“That’s right,” said Scolinos. “Now, how many high school coaches do we have in the room?” Hundreds of hands shot up, as the pattern began to appear. “How wide is home plate in high school baseball?”
“Seventeen inches,” they said, sounding more confident.
“You’re right!” Scolinos barked. “And you college coaches, how wide is home plate in college?”
“Seventeen inches!” we said, in unison.
“Any Minor League coaches here? How wide is home plate in pro ball?”
“Seventeen inches!”
“RIGHT! And in the Major Leagues, how wide home plate is in the Major Leagues?”
“Seventeen inches!”
“SEV-EN-TEEN INCHES!” he confirmed, his voice bellowing off the walls. “And what do they do with a Big League pitcher who can’t throw the ball over 17 inches?” Pause. “They send him to Pocatello!” he hollered, drawing raucous laughter.
“What they don’t do is this: they don’t say, ‘Ah, that’s okay, Jimmy. You can’t hit a 17-inch target? We’ll make it 18 inches, or 19 inches. We’ll make it 20 inches so you have a better chance of hitting it. If you can’t hit that, let us know so we can make it wider still, say 25 inches.’”
Pause.
“Coaches …”
Pause.
” … what do we do when our best player shows up late to practice? When our team rules forbid facial hair and a guy shows up unshaven? What if he gets caught drinking? Do we hold him accountable? Or do we change the rules to fit him, do we widen home plate?”
The chuckles gradually faded as 4,000 coaches grew quiet, the fog lifting as the old coach’s message began to unfold.
He turned the plate toward himself and, using a Sharpie, began to draw something. When he turned it toward the crowd, point up, a house was revealed, complete with a freshly drawn door and two windows.
“This is the problem in our homes today. With our marriages, with the way we parent our kids. With our discipline. We don’t teach accountability to our kids, and there is no consequence for failing to meet standards. We widen the plate!”
I love this story, and I re-read it almost yearly. It brings tears to my eyes every time. However, there is more to the speech that Scolinos gave, which isn’t included here, that is vital to the story. Why isn’t that included here???
Please tell us what wasn’t included.
When I was a young sergeant in the Air Force, I recall a SMsgt. telling us that when he was a recruiter his Maj. told all the recruiters to cross the tracts and recruit more blacks into the USAF. They told the Maj. that tried to do that but they couldn’t pass the test. The Maj. said, “If they can’t pass the test, then you take it for them”. That was in the early 70’s. Then in the early 80’s, the USAF promoted blacks because they wanted more blacks in management positions. The USAF changed their promotion methods again in the mid 80’s, this time to promote more women into management positions. So, the USAF still practices changing of the promotion standards to suit themselves and at these times the white male suffered because of the AF practicing promotion requirements. If you were black, you got extra points. Then later, if you were a female you got extra points for promotion. Why do they keep changing promotional standards to suit themselves. There, I said it. I know there’s a lot of people that will agree with what I’ve said and there’s a lot that will disagree and call me prejudice. Let them think what they will, I really don’t care anymore. This is a common practice just about everywhere. The worst thing, is the fact that blacks and females were held back as well, especially in the 60’s. However, keeping the same standards for everyone, is the only way to be and have an honest promotion system. Don’t change the standards to promote a specific kind of people. I’ve held back long enough as far as not targeting the AF promotion system. I’ve met some high ranking people that couldn’t pour piss out of a boot if the directions were on the bottom. Have a good day.
Some will call me a racist. I’m not but I agree with this statement 100%. What we need to change is our educational system to give all an equal opportunity to get a quality education.
Couldn’t agree more…, look what our Gov’t. Is doing at our southern border… Changing the rules, affecting all of “ our Home Plate, Family house rules…! ”
Couldn’t agree more, we have let home plate grow very large, and it has ruined our youth. Everything is acceptable and if it’s not, well then we will find a way to make it be. No one is held accountable, morals have been tossed out the window along with respect for authority and others. We are creating a weak, irresponsible, disrespectful, lazy, YOU owe me generation. Very sad times.