The Rules of the Game

I always like watching This Week In Baseball while growing up. I especially liked the "You Make the Call" and "Rules of the Game" portions where I could test how well I knew the game. Not really surprising since my dad was an ASA ump and I grew up watching him call games. I started umping Little league games in the field and behind the plate before the age of 14.

So now that I'm older, I've gone back to umping Little League locally here in Texas. I'm surprised by the number of coaches, players, and parents that don't know the rules of the game. Some of the rules are just things that the kids are learning, like balks, which I still don't like to call. Other rules are just plain and simple in the book. Here are few that I've had to cover with coaches over the last couple of weeks:

• Pitchers must have their foot in contact with the pitching rubber when beginning their motion.
• The ball is in play and live during a walk.
• Pitchers can't wear white sleeves under their uniform.
• Jewelry is not permitted until it's for medical purposes.
• It is against National Little League rules to have a cell phone in the dugout.
• The limitations on bat size apply to everyone, not just everyone else.
  

On top of teaching coaches, some long time umpires have surprised me with their own interpretation of the rules. One ump thought that Texas must have an exemption from the no tobacco on the field rule since he was dippin' like a donut. The same guy tried to explain fair and fowl balls to me in between innings. Needless to say, his interpretation wasn't even close to what the rule book says.

Finally, if you happen to be in the stands and the ump and scorekeeper both have only 2 outs but you think there are three, you're probably wrong. Even if you're not, you aren't likely to change things and it definitely won't help your team in the long run. Overall, even the bad umps I've met, all umpires go out and try to do their best for the kids, coaches, and fans. Try giving them a break sometime, or better yet, read the book and come on out and ump a base for us. You might just find that you like it, or that it's not as easy as you think.