Virtually all of the umpire blogs have the umpire responding in an inappropriate manner. To find out the correct response, see inside.

Click the title to read this free article.

Because of its exceptional length, we're running just this one piece today. Tomorrow, ah, tomorrow is another day. Look for the usual daily double.

Newbies focus on — and ask about — the game fees. Veterans accept the implications of being private contractors. Those of us close to being over the hill and out the door talk about the fairness of the way that umpires pay for the privilege of working baseball games.

This article will probably get me a nasty note from the state office. The executive director will tell me that if I wouldn't try to piss people off, I'd live a happier life and maybe not lose any game schedules. The "game fee" that I'll get for writing this article tells me that two cases of Keystone Light, now priced at $20 a case plus tax where I buy, are just about what I'll net for voicing my opinions.

Read on!

In keeping with most authors, Carl claimed he hadn't told everything in the first volume. So, naturally, there was a sequel.

Click here to buy the book.

Click the title to read the excerpt.

One of their hardest jobs is to keep one foot in the batter's box unless they swing at the pitch.

Another is sliding legally on a force play.

Here's quite a bit of informaton about that slippery subject.