On Our Way, Play Ball!
Over the last two days I have been very busy. On Friday I drove an hour and a half to Grass
Valley to do a one hour radio interview with Tom Fitzsimmons at KNCO 830 am on
the dial. Tom and his producer Dick
Barry and the whole office staff are big time sports guys, calling play by play
for a local independent baseball league team, high school baseball and football.
MLB wildcard slots are filling, playoffs and series are around the corner, my
Baseball Rules in Black and White interview, and these guys were ready.
From the moment I sat down, put on the headphones it was go
time. Tom did a master’s job of blending current baseball topics with old
school baseball lore while integrating info about my book Baseball Rules in
Black and White. Tom is a true genius at
what he does. One hour disappeared like
ice on a hot summer day, but before it ended, I was rejuvenated by these true
baseball aficionados’ appreciation for the need for a book like Baseball Rules
in Black and White.
Their genuine understanding and appreciation for what my book
is truly capable of achieving when compared to the current standard baseball rule
book, made me want to bust. It was a
truly phenomenal experience to have such an unbiased evaluation with such
overwhelming approval, and these two guys do not just talk the talk about baseball. Tom played at Arizona State, and his producer
Dick also umpires. That makes their
endorsement real, very real.
You see having poured my heart, soul and wallet, saying
nothing about my reputation as an umpire into this book, the real challenge now
is promoting it in order for it to become an accepted credible addition to the baseball
rule book. I consider myself an
emotionally strong person, but I have to admit that the sheer magnitude of what
this project is becoming impressive to say the least. Having said this, I would not change a thing,
so it’s Katy bar the door, full speed ahead.
As soon as I left the studio I called my wife, Kristel, and
filled her in on how the program went. I
was especially happy to share such good news with her as she too feels the emotional
and fiscal intensity involved with a project of this scope.
Normally this would be the end of this story, but when I said
it has been a very busy two days I’m not lying.
After talking with Kristel I left the radio station parking lot and set
my GPS for the Rancho Cordova Marriott’s forty-five miles away where my room
for the night awaited. I had much to do
prior to my head getting near a pillow. I was graciously invited by Mr. Billy
Haze to be a guest speaker at his Black and Blue Baseball Umpire Camp dinner
meeting with over forty campers and instructors. I consider him a true visionary in the field
of training and educating umpires. Early on, Mr. Haze grasped and endorsed
Baseball Rules in Black and White from its very inception. Having said this, I eagerly looked forward to
making his invitation a worthwhile event that would benefit everyone in the
room.
Let’s go back to arriving at the hotel, I checked in and took
my belongings up to my room. I did not
have much time at this point, but I did have time to grab a bite to eat so I
went down to the hotel restaurant. I sat
down outside by the pool and ordered my food.
All of a sudden sirens were screaming, one fire truck, two fire trucks,
and an ambulance. I did not give it a
second thought until my waitress returned with my salad and informed me the
power in the entire building, city block was out. I immediately knew what the fire trucks were
doing. My waitress continued to tell me
that my prime rib was put on standby until the power came back on. Damn it, I was hungry. Time was getting tight, so I cancelled the
prime rib, paid the bill and headed to the dinner house where we were all to
meet.
It was a short trip to the Black and Blue Umpire Camp dinner
meeting, and as I made my way in, initially I did not recognize anyone. I was early to arrive but found my way to the
room where we were to meet. As I sat
their going over what I would say to a room full of umpires whose experience
working baseball totaled an incredible amount of years, some of the instructors
have and are working at the highest levels the game is played. The umpires attending the camp collectively work
thousands of lower level games, and many work several hundred games annually. These
are umpires who are very skilled but still seeking to constantly improve the
abilities, as most umpires strive to do.
It became obvious that I would be addressing a broad, randomly selected,
and extremely knowledgeable assembling of my peers. Up to this point, this was going to be the
ultimate test for my book, Baseball Rules in Black and White.
As the campers began making their way in and out of the room
I measured my interaction. The one thing
I did not want to do was to come across as a high pressure used car
salesman. I know most will not believe
the following statement: Umpires inherently are friendly great people, so
knowing this made my task a pleasant one. The room began to fill, and everyone became
seated and small talk enveloped the room.
Enter Mr. Billy Haze, owner of Black and Blue Umpire camps
and NCAA Division 1 College World Series Umpire, and the small talk ended. Mr.
Haze prefers to be called Billy.
The stage was set, me, the book, business cards, and over
forty umpires with a dozen high level instructors all in a confined area. Billy began by greeting everyone and covering
some important camp business. He then
quickly began a highly complementary introduction, and I was wondering who was
going to speak, but after a short time I finally realized I was the one being
introduced.
Other than Billy, I only recognized a couple of the men in
the room. This became the first task I
had to accomplish, if they did not connect with me on a personal level, my
message would be pointless. I wanted
them to come away and be able to say they met a fellow umpire named Jim who has
written a book focused on helping all umpires understand difficult baseball
rules. Just as important that they would
know without a doubt, I have a love of baseball, umpiring, and the comradery
that goes with the game, just like each and every one of them.
After a short time it became clear I had connected. I was now
on a level playing field with my peers.
Dozens purchased my book, and several requested group
discounts for their associations, but that was minor compared to the additional
numbers of umpires that opened up regarding their struggles with the current
rule book format regarding complicated rules.
After the dinner meeting many umpires found their way to me while
holding their copy of Baseball Rules in Black and White in hand while emphatically
sharing their joy that these specific difficult rules are being clarified in a
user friendly format.
Baseball Rules in Black and White provides definitive interpretations
for complex rules in simple language and allows the reader to quickly and
easily find that information. These are the reasons why College World Series
NCAA Division 1 umpire Billy Haze has endorsed this book and why dozens of well
trained and experienced umpires now own and are using it as well.
This book is the future of baseball rules education. If you believe that being “pretty sure” about
what a rule means is good enough, then you probably do not need this book. On the other hand, if “pretty sure” about a
rule is unacceptable, then buy Baseball Rules in Black and White today.
James C. Bettencourt
www.baseballrulesinblackandwhite
530-330-3139
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