Bottom of the inning

he home team is batting in the bottom of the fifth with no score and two outs. A rally develops, and the home team scores three runs and has the bases loaded with two outs when rain develops and the game cannot be continued. Sounds like a completed game to me. But do I know in which league I'm umpiring when that weather scenario occurs?

Different leagues have different reasons for suspending, halting, replaying, or delaying games at differing times. Each to his own. At Jim Evans' five-week school, the test covering Rule Four, Starting and Ending the Game, is one of the toughest. The questions present seemingly straightforward, yet intricate problems presented for student solutions. I scored poorly on most of the tests, but worst on this one. Yeah, I was a slackard!

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