Baseball

Hit Man

The earliest umpires didn’t have much of a decision to make when a batter was hit by a pitch. A pitch hitting the batter’s...

When To Stop A Game

When to stop a game because of darkness or weather are among the toughest calls of an umpire's career. Next to those, you might think...

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...

5 Time-Tested Tips to Be Great Behind the Plate

There is nothing quite like the feeling of walking off the field after a stellar performance behind the plate. But having a great game calling balls and strikes...

Pick Up The Pickoff

One way to develop a reputation of being "on-the-ball" is to always be prepared for pickoff plays on the bases. Here are three important standards that...

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...

Dead Ball Ground Rules Needed For Quirky Ballfields

Very few baseball fields are identical. While infields are all alike, size-wise, the shape of the outfield will vary and the alignment of outfield...

Seasonal adjustment

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee and the Playing Rules Oversight Panel approved rule changes for 2019-20 that range from an expansion of video review...

8 Ways to Avoid Perception Issues

It’s always useful to review a few perception issues that can get umpires off on the wrong foot at the start of a contest or create negative feelings...