Baseball Umpire's Endorsement Nothing Better

One of the most frustrating challenges I’ve experienced in thirteen years of umpiring baseball is trying to decipher the written hieroglyphics of the baseball rule books. Consistently confusing for the sake of being confusing. Reading the rule book causes most anyone to come away scratching their head asking themselves, “What the heck do they mean by that statement?” It’s nearly as bad as reading a book on real estate law.

James Bettencourt has done something most people are not willing to do; identify a problem and do something proactive to affect change, not just for himself, but for the baseball community at large.

Converting baseball rule book language into an easily understood resource is a tremendous undertaking and illustrates an incredible amount of integrity. While James has done this with the most inexperienced umpire in mind, experienced umpires benefit as well. Both rookie and veteran umpires gain an improved ability to interpret and apply the rules of baseball correctly.

However James didn’t just write this book for the umpires’ benefit, definitely not! Coaches are just as befuddled by the rule book as the umpires are. Ask any baseball coach what the most frustrating thing is during a game. Nine out of ten times they’ll say it’s the incorrect rule interpretation. The odd thing is that many coaches don’t know the rule is being misinterpreted, because they have the same problem understanding the convoluted rule book language as the umpires do.

By writing an easily understood companion to the NFHS rule book, James is helping umpires and coaches bridge the gap. Sports officials continually battle to improve an existing culture of poor communication. The unique format and agreeable content in Baseball Rules in Black and White builds a spirit of cooperation between coaches and officials, instead of an us versus them mentality. I truly believe this begins with a transparent, easily understood and correctly interpreted rule book. This series of books, Baseball Rules in Black in White, contains all three of these elements.

This book should be required reading for all high school baseball umpires, coaches and fans.  I find it interesting how something so simple is having such a desired and positive effect. Thank you James for thinking outside the box and providing something that has always been needed but for unknown reasons never produced.

Colin Brown, NAIA, GSAC, CCCBUA

 Bio: Colin Brown has been a baseball umpire for thirteen years, two years at the NAIA level, three years at the Junior College level, five years at the High School level, and ten years at the Little League and Pony level. In 2014 he attended the Black & Blue Umpire (2 man camp) in Sacramento, Ca. and in 2016 the (3 man camp) in Riverside, Ca. Colin works as a 911 dispatcher in the Bay Area and resides in Vacaville California.