July in South Texas: Summer is a comin' in — with a bang. It's the time of year when balmy, breezy days of 90 are things of the past as the temperature moves higher and higher toward the century mark. It's also the month when teams in the National Baseball Congress begin to tune up for tournaments, state play-offs, and the World Series in Wichita.

Every umpire has memorable games. On back-to-back days in D1, I called a no-hitter and a 5-4-3 triple play. I had a perfect game in high school. (Oh, not me, the pitcher: 21 up, 21 down.) I called the plate at Yankee Stadium for the New York City High School All Star Game.

But in checking back through my records to prepare for this series, I ran across a game that had escaped my memory though it had every reason to be on my most memorable list — and will be there from now on. The date was Sunday, 12 July, 1981, and on that day I "wrote the book" on weak batter interference.

Return toss

Game two of an NBC double-header where the teams were tied for first in the league. Home had won the first game. Relevant also to the story is this:

The visitor's pitcher was a throwback to the 1960s, using a big, overhand curve ball as his out pitch. The home team skipper had instructed his batters to crowd the back of the box so they would have the maximum time to recognize the pitch.

Continued...