[PeteBooth]

Originally posted by abergman


I have been umpiring under OBR or slight moderations for the last year and now I am going to be doing some FED games. I received my rulebooks today and they are written completely different. Also, I bought a copy of the Baseball Rule Differences and this book is almost 400 pages. Any suggestions on how to adjust and keep track of the different styles? Also, what should I focus on. Thanks ahead of time.

In the back of the FED rule book there is a section marked MAJOR RULES DIFFERENCIES. The section lists the FED Rule and the OBR counterpart.

what should I focus on.

I focused on one section at a time.

Meaning assume today is Monday. On Monday I would read the pitching regulations both in OBR and FED. Jot down the differencies using the BRD as reference. The internet is a great place to ask questions if you still do not understand or need further clarification etc.

I would go section by section. I know it sounds time consuming, but if you do it a little at a time it really doesn't take that long.

As mentioned, if you are "foggy" on an issue you can always ask on the internet for more clarification. BTW IMO, once you get a good grasp of FED rules, you will grow fond of them.

After doing my home-work , I then took the FED Test and answerd the questions for OBR, conversely I would take OBR tests that I had and answered them using FED.

As with anything it takes practice.

Side Note: before starting the game make certain the set of rules you are using. Example; I umpired a HS game and then rushed to help out my local LL organization (OBR based)

Wouldn't you know it, the first time Team A had a runner on first, F1 turned his shoulders (while on the rubber) to "check" him. I called Balk and as soon as the words came out of my mouth I realized I wasn't doing a FED game. In OBR it's ok to check the runner in the aforementioned manner.

Good Luck!

Pete Booth