American League Rule Book

[Bob Lyle]

Originally posted by jumpmaster
I'll rise on this lure because Windy has occasionally taught me something...

Windy's showing his age. I called a AAA umpire friend about these books. He has been doing minor league ball since 1994 and he never received a red or green book. Since he has been involved in the game, all of the minor leagues play with the same rules. Some use the DH and some don't, but that rule is listed as optional.

Whatever Windy's alluding to must be over ten years old and maybe much older. My friend had never heard of these books in the minor leagues. He has heard about and seen books that MLB umpires use but they have no bearing on minor league play. A few amateur umpires acquire copies of these books but they're not for public distribution.

Windy's puffing out his chest and trying to act big. The rules of the 1980's and before are interesting for history buffs but they don't impact us in 2004. The fact that Windy's unaware of how long ago these books went out of date in the minor leagues, if they ever existed, raises some questions about his supposed experience.