Baseball

Catcher You Later

By Jon Bible A long-standing topic of debate in baseball circles is how we should relate to catchers. There are several schools of thought. I’ve heard...

How Minor League Umpires Are Made

More than just baseballs get thrown at the Minor League Baseball Umpire Academy, nestled in Historic Dodgertown in Vero Beach, Fla. Attendees seeking to...

Collision Course

An area that has received a lot of attention in recent years from rules committees at various levels of baseball involves malicious collisions between...

Detecting When a Player is Hit by the Pitch

Determining whether a batter was hit by a pitch can sometimes be a challenge for the plate umpire. Sometimes an umpire will have to...

You Are There: Cooney Launches the Rocket

Then-Boston Red Sox pitcher Roger Clemens charges at umpire Terry Cooney after Cooney ejected the fiery fireballer during game four of the 1990 ALCS. AL...

The Debate: Hammer or Point?

By Mike Droll Whether it’s at an umpiring clinic, professional umpiring school or just learning from a buddy who is getting you ready for your...

When Are You In Charge?

The NFHS strives for consistency among all the sports for which it writes rules. The jurisdiction of officials has come under recent scrutiny as...

How to Shine Behind the Plate

With baseball's spring training upon us, I wanted to cover a few things involving plate work that helped me out a lot in my...

Pass Judgment

If two runners pass each other on the basepath, one of them is out. The out is immediate, just as if a tag had...

Tips for When You Struggle on the Bases

What do you do when you’re struggling on the bases? We’re all going to have bang-bang plays where we do everything right but freeze-frame...

You Say It Best When You Say Nothing At All

I’ve always felt the following are some of the greatest sayings relating to speaking: “You can’t be misquoted for something when you say nothing.”...

Use Fundamentals When Changing Field Size

We’ve all been there. It’s your night off. You’re settling into your seat to watch your kids or your friend’s kids play a game...

Off on the ‘Right’ Foot

The NFHS Baseball Rules Committee approved a modification of rules regarding the pitcher’s pivot foot. From the set position, it will no longer be...

Take a Wedge

The evolution of the mechanics of calling plays at home plate has been fascinating to observe. Plate umpires can make decisions on 250 to 300...

Homeward Bound

By George Demetriou Grand larceny is a term used to designate theft that is large in magnitude. Grand larceny can be contrasted with petty larceny, theft that is...

Grab Those Borderline Pitches and Help Your Game

I once worked a college game with an umpire with the proverbial postage-stamp strike zone. It lasted three hours, 31 minutes, and featured as much head-shaking by pitchers and...

Hammerin’ Hank 715

It was perhaps the most sacred of all of baseball’s sacred records, but when Hank Aaron launched long ball number 715, he became baseball’s...

How Should We Relate To Catchers?

A long-standing topic of debate in baseball circles is how we should relate to catchers. There are several schools of thought. I’ve heard some umpires...

Where Was That?

By Jon Bible Last season, I was watching an MLB game and the plate umpire — I forget who it was — was giving the...

Find Those Stray Baseballs

Before a half-inning begins, remember to check the field and backstop for stray baseballs. That’s especially important before the top of the first inning....

Picky on Pickoffs

It sometimes seems as if certain teams have a “balk coach” — a coach who yells “Balk!” every time the opposing pitcher (probably a...

Improve Your View of the Play

When an article says that using your eyes properly will improve your umpiring skills, your immediate reaction is probably, “No kidding.” But upon closer...