Baseball Rules Half the Story

For decades umpires have had beat into their brains keep your nose in the rule book, “Know the Rules!” Is this enough? I would say while keeping your nose in the rule book in order to learn a rule is a good idea, in reality it is a bridge half built.                                                                                                                                                Umpires in the game of baseball who have been told to know the rules only know half the story, knowing half a story can have serious consequences.

In baseball knowing a rule is important. What is just as important is knowing all the related sub-rulings that can be connected to each rule.  These sub-rulings can alter a ruling, inject additional rulings or completely reverse a ruling.

Sub-rulings can apply or not apply. Additional sub-rulings could then apply and all this could  be changed by the random actions of the players during the play as well as the number of outs or which base the play takes place. Now, if you are thoroughly confused, you have a clear understanding why we have hundreds of problems on baseball fields every year.

Official rule books while being official are far from a reliable educational resource to help identify sub-rulings,  considering the related sub-rulings are not connected to each ruling and are scattered randomly through-out the rule books.

So, while the hapless umpire learns a rule in the morning, then walks onto the field to apply his baseball rule knowledge later that day, he instead just might be walking off a half built bridge.

Umpire Associations across the country would greatly benefit by emphasizing the entire story to umpires regarding rule knowledge.  In order to make a completely accurate call umpires must learn and apply the related sub-rulings as well.  

Baseball Rules in Black and White

"A Better Way to Learn and Apply the Rules of Baseball"