pitch in the dirt
 

if a pitch hits the dirt and than the batter is the batter awarder 1st base.I'm a new ump and appreciate the help from experianced umps. Also, is there a book other than the official rule book that puts the rules in easier terms to understand....i would like to find something that explains out of play interference etc in layman terma, even a dvd if there is one...

Yes, the batter is awarded first as long as he made an attempt to avoid the pitch, or wasn't swinging at the pitch.

There a couple of great interpretational manuals to supplement the rules themselves. The first I would recommend is the Jaksa/Roder.

The next one I recommend is the Baseball Rules Differences written by Carl Childress.


Tim.