Rule Books at the Diamond

[Mike M]

This is my fourth year umpiring. During the first three years of umpiring career, I carried the rule book in my back pocket. Why did I stop this year? A combination of reading discussions like this and acquired confidence and experience from reading hundreds of posts at sites like this.

Once you have mastered the fundamental rules, you can "discuss" any rules situation with a manager. The biggest challenge I have found is using the "right phases" to communicate with the manager so we can move with the game. Anytime you can insert "in my judgment" as part of the explanation that usually ends the discussion.