Carl's New Website

[Carl Childress]

After all these years, I’m launching my own website. It’s Carl_Childress | Edinburg, TX 78539 You’ll find everything you need to know about getting the BRD, other books by me, and DVDs. Standard mechanics tips. Rules problems solved 3 times a week. Post your pictures inside the Photo Gallery.

Note: I'm glad I previewed this post. The website is http:// carlsbrd.com, (without the space, of course). But the internet changes that to the original page name assigned me by Intuit. I've changed the name, but it doesn't seem to have taken. Both links take you to my home page. You can naviagate from there.

Is the BRD (Baseball Rule Differences) an important book?

In 2003, Referee Magazine named the BRD one of a baseball umpire’s “essential” books.

Also that year, they named me as one of the 8 umpires Referee editors would most like to have a beer with. But therein lies a sad tale.

I was a featured speaker at seven NASO conventions (St. Louis ‘86, San Francisco ‘87, San Antonio ‘89, Washington ‘90, New Orleans ‘91, Orlando ‘93, and San Diego ‘94). Barry Mano always booked my room near the elevators so convention staff members didn’t have to drag me too far. A heart arrhythmia prevents me from using alcohol these days.

carlsbrd.com is up and running for business and pleasure. I have reviews of the BRD by Jay Miner of Referee, Richard Fronheiser, regular contributor to Officiating.com, Hunter Wendelstedt, whose school manual now provides official interpretations for the BRD, Jim Paronto, the NCAA rules editor, and Scott Ehret of Gerry Davis Sports. I began offering a mimeographed paper listing the differences among “FED, COL, and PRO” in 1982. Scott sold the idea to Barry Mano, and the first “book-length,” published BRD appeared in time for the 1989 season.

The BRD, Baseball Umpires Encyclopedia, and Calling All Umps! are available at Amazon.com. Two other books and DVDs you purchase directly from me via PayPal.

My standard guarantee applies to anything listed for sale at carlsbrd.com: Buy the book and look it over. If you don’t like it, send me the name of your PayPal account, and I’ll refund your money. You can keep the book. Or DVD. That goes as well for anything of mine you buy from Amazon.

I’m not a rookie at building a website, but I’m not a professional webmaster either. If you see anything that doesn’t work or that looks / sounds stupid, email me.

One final point: I believe you can help me raise the level of amateur umpiring if you share my URL with your umpire friends. Please send me website information where this announcement would be welcome.

I’ll make a little money to replace my game fees – I retired on April 27 this year – and amateur umpires will find out about another site dedicated to helping them improve their craft.

Everybody wins.

Thanks for your interest and your help.