Gibson and other pitchers of that era believed they owned the inside part of the plate. The hitter owned the outside half. Today's premadonnas want to charge the mound on the first inside and high fast ball. Get off the plate if you don't like it. Pitchers saw guys crowding the plate, he backed them off, and they didn't cry and immediately charge the mound. The game has changed.
Anybody remember when Robin Ventura charged the mound on Nolan Ryan? LOL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fN16vqScM-g Nolan took Ventura to school on that one. Not bad for an old guy.
As for the inside part of the plate, I saw an interesting interview with Reggie Jackson. He had trouble hitting the inside pitch his entire career and in the 1977 World Series he knew that the Dodgers' pitchers knew this, too. The game he hit three home runs he mad an adjustment by BACKING off the plate a couple of inches. The pitcher still threw to the inside, but...Reggie conceded the inside pitch, sort of...I've got a book around here that I never finished with interviews of both Gibson and Reggie talking respectively about hitting and pitching. Very interesting stuff.
