First lesson learned

had watched Mr. Bailey at Comanche Park on Rigsby Street in San Antonio. He only allowed me to help him umpire the bases. But I studiously noticed that every time he said the batter was out, the batter walked back to the dugout.

Then I started getting some plate jobs at North Austin Lions Little League. The first lesson I learned when working the plate was when to call a batter "out." Seems easy enough. Batter errantly swings three times, ball crosses the plate three times in the strike zone, we ought to have an out. It's the rule.

Any umpire who calls out a batter in such situations is doing his job correctly. Then, that umpire learns that there's more to the rule than the words in the rulebook.

Continued...