Who are Rick Roder and Chris Jaksa?

[rex]

In a recent thread their authoritative opinion was used.

I own a J/R I read the J/R. And up until just recently I took it for gospel. Then in the research of the question at hand a major discrepancy turned up.

Carl was kind enough to point out they were instructors at the Brinkman School before the Evans school bought out Brinkman. But that doesn’t tell me who they are.

They are not on the list of ML umpires. I’ve run through the list of AAA and AA umpires and they are not to be found. Short of calling PBUC I have no way of finding out if are employed by that org. I think for me to call MLB and asking who they are is out of the question.

I mean to say Carl has the paper work to back up his authoritative opinion. Jim Evans has got a little over a quarter century in MLB. And we all know that PBUC is the last word in minor league baseball.


So who are these guys? What area of professional baseball are they involved with?

Rex

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by rex
Carl was kind enough to point out they were instructors at the Brinkman School before the Evans school bought out Brinkman. But that doesn’t tell me who they are.

Chris Jaksa and Rick Roder were MORE than simply instructors at the Brinkman school. The were evidently the head and assistant rules interpretors for that school. They produced the manual you have as a training aid for the umpire trainees at that school. Many of the current MLB umpires would have been trained using their manual.

The interpretations in their manual are NOT "official" interpretations. They are considered authoritative opinion only. In other words, the official interpretations of the PBUC, those of Messrs Deary and Bremigan and those MLB professional interpretations reported by Evans in the JEA would all take precedence. The balance of the JEA is also considered only authoritative opinion. The fact that neither Chris Jaksa nor Rick Roder is a currently serving official in a professional league is irrelevant. Neither is Jim Evans a currently serving official and no-one is seriously disputing the value of his Official Baseball Rules Annotated as the result. I would suggest that many of the "official" interpretations of Barney Deary and Nick Bremigan would also hold currency despite the fact that neither gentleman is listed as a currently serving professional official.

Rex your question appears both rude and ill-intentioned, especially considering the fact that the Preface to the very J/R manual that you openly admit to having gives a comprehensive overview of how the manual evolved and what purpose it was to be used for. I quote the following from that source:

"Discussion and consensus among colleagues, particularly the staff of the Joe Brinkman Umpire School, concerning certain appropriate interpretations, has contributed. This staff has sought coordination and consistency with the interpretation directives of the Umpire Development Program. The authors have also employed narration of generally recognized 'de facto' rules that have evolved over years of professional umpiring. Within light of these considerations, any contention that the authors have arbitrarily altered baseball's rules must be dismissed as wholly incorrect. [...]

In every session of the Brinkman school since 1988, precursory texts were the exclusive guides used during all classroom lectures. The authors and staff were strongly encouraged to pursue this project by the hearty endorsement of the students for whom it had been initiated."

Who are Chris Jaksa and Rick Roder? I suggest that this question is wholly rhetorical as you already have the means to KNOW the answer.

Cheers,

[Carl Childress]

Originally posted by Warren Willson

I would suggest that many of the "official" interpretations of Barney Deary and Nick Bremigan would also hold currency despite the fact that neither gentleman is listed as a currently serving professional official.

Warren, I might just point out that the reason neither is listed as a "currently serving professional offiicial" is that both have been dead for over a dozen years. Deary was the predecessor of Mike Fitzpatrick as director of the PBUC. Nick Bremigan was the original rules interpreter for the Brinkman school and the teacher of Jaksa and Roder.

Both Rick and Chris were often presenters at the Texas State (SBUA) umpires association annual meeting, where I joined them throughout the late 80s and early 90s as teacher/clinician. Both gentlemen reached the AAA level before resigning on their own to pursue other interests.

Rick Roder was the best minor league umpire I ever saw, and that evaluation includes several who made it to the big leagues.

[L.G. Dorsey]

Originally posted by Warren Willson

Rex your question appears both rude and ill-intentioned, especially considering the fact that the Preface to the very J/R manual that you openly admit to having gives a comprehensive overview of how the manual evolved and what purpose it was to be used for. I quote the following from that source:

"<
Who are Chris Jaksa and Rick Roder? I suggest that this question is wholly rhetorical as you already have the means to KNOW the answer.

Cheers,

Warren,

Ease up a little bit. I don't know how you get "rude and ill-intentioned" out of that first post. I think what the guy wanted to know was something about these guys other than the fact that they worked for Brinkman and wrote a manual. I have always been curious as to the fate of these guys for know other reason than curiosity. I think Carl's post answered all of the questions he had, without jumping on him. Not everybody on this site is ill-intentioned, try giving people the benefit of the doubt...

Lawrence

[Warren Willson]

Originally posted by L.G. Dorsey
Warren,

Ease up a little bit. I don't know how you get "rude and ill-intentioned" out of that first post. I think what the guy wanted to know was something about these guys other than the fact that they worked for Brinkman and wrote a manual. I have always been curious as to the fate of these guys for know other reason than curiosity. I think Carl's post answered all of the questions he had, without jumping on him. Not everybody on this site is ill-intentioned, try giving people the benefit of the doubt...

Lawrence

Point taken, Lawrence. If I have misjudged Rex's intentions here I sincerely apologise.

I keyed in on the fact that Rex admitted having two salient pieces of information: their manual, with its comprehensive Preface indicating the origin, sources and purpose of their manual, and the knowledge that they were both instructors at Brinkman's school. What more could anyone need to know in order to value their authoritative opinion?

Is it relevant that these gentlemen never rose above AAA level in their own officiating careers? I don't think so. Many of the officials they trained through Brinkman have certainly have made it to the highest level. That should be all that matters. I felt that wanting to know more was only necessary if one wished to devalue their contribution. If I'm wrong about that I sincerely apologise.

Cheers,