Quote:
Originally posted by blarson
"When I have problems with that book, I always go, in order, to:
the BRD
the PBUC umpire's manual
the JEA
the J/R
Baseball's Knotty Problems
By the Rules
It's Your Call
my email community, UT
the Internet discussion Boards (Forum, eteamz, URC, and now NFHS Officials Community)
"
I'm surprised to see Knotty Problems so high on the list. Maybe I should say I'm happy to see it. :-) In my early years of umpiring (before about 9 years off)I had no knowledge of any other sources. I found this one at All American Sport Shop when Gus still owned it.
Unfortunatly having to ramp up my equiment has meant that I haven't been able to keep up on the material available now. Starting late this year I hope to start amassing some of these. Since I'm not doing FED yet, I think the first 3 things I'll get in order are PBUC, J/R and then BRD (hoping to get back into FED next year)
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Knotty Problems was originally the work of Evans the First, Billy Evans. (I outbid Herb McCown for an early edition of
Umpire Billy Evans' Siimplified Baseball Rule Book. There's no year, but it must be dated from 1904 (when he became a major league umpire) through 1909. I know that because of the following statement:
According to the code, when a block occurs the umpire shall declare it, and base runners may run without liability to be put out until the ball has been returned to and held by the pitcher. A batter rule that savors more of fair play, is a ground rule which says all base runners shall advance two bases on an overthrow into the crowd. Often a person responsible for the block, in order to gain an advantage for a certain club, retains possession of the ball, or throws or kicks it beyond reach of the fielders, making it necessary for the umpire to call time and require each base runner to stop at the base last touched by him, play being suspended until the pitcher, with the ball in his possession, gets on the rubber. The wise umpire and manager insists [sic] on a ground rule that will cover all possibilities of a block.
Billy's plea was heard because in 1910 the rules committee first killed the ball on a "block" (overthrow into the crowd) and awarded all runners -- two bases.
BTW: I go to the BRD because generally I'll find the important information (if there are any differences among the codes) there. It just saves me time. I wasn't trying to say it's better than the JEA or the J/R.