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The UmpireBible Umpire Resource Center provides you with a huge array of links to additional resources -- web sites, books, DVDs, school, and much more. The goal is to point you in directions that you can take to further your education and training as an umpire.

The Resource Center is organized around four areas, as follows:
 

Umpire Training

  • Online resources
  • Rules resources
  • Umpire schools (professional)
  • Umpire schools and clinics (amateur)
     

Umpire Web Sites

  • Umpire forums and discussion groups
  • Equipment, gear, and clothing outlets
     

Books & Resource Media

  • Books: Instructional and training
  • Books: General interest
  • DVDs: Training videos
     

General Baseball Resources

  • Baseball reference and general interest
  • Baseball leagues

 

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   Resource Center: Training

Online Resources

Rules Resources (print)

Following is a list of rules resources that I use in researching articles in the UmpireBible. The initial label, shown in boldface, is the citation's abbreviation that I use in articles on this site.

  • BRD. Baseball Rule Differences, 2014. Carl Childress, 31st edition, 2014.
  • CCA Manual. Collegiate Commissioners Association Baseball Umpires Manual 2014. Collegiate Commissioners Association, 2013.
  • BUE. Baseball Umpires Encyclopedia, by Carl Childress, Home Run Press, 2012.
  • Jaksa/Roder. Rules of Professional Baseball: A Comprehensive Reorganization and Interpretation. by Chris Jaksa and Rick Roder. Thirteenth edition, 2010.
  • Little League. Little League 2017 Baseball Official Regulations and Playing Rules. Little League Baseball, Inc., 2017.
  • MLB Manual. Major League Baseball Umpire Manual: Rule Interpretations. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball, 2012.
  • Make the Right Call. Make the Right Call: Major League Baseball's Official Rules & Interpretations plus League Umpires' Guide and Instructions. Major League Baseball. Triumph Books, 1996.
  • NCAA Rules. NCAA Baseball 2015 and 2016 Rules. National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2014.
  • PBUC Manual. Minor League Baseball Manual for the Two-Umpire System. Minor League Baseball Umpire Development, 2014. (Formerly called the PBUC Umpire Manual.)
  • Wendelstedt. Official Rules and Interpretations Manual: A complete annotated rewrite. Wendelstedt Umpire School Staff. No edition. 2014.
     

Umpire Schools (professional)

  • Wendelstedt Umpire School. The Wendelstedt school runs a five-week program in January each year that is designed primarily to train umpires for professional baseball (minor leagues). That said, many umpires of amateur baseball (the serious umpires) attend the school for its high quality training. The school is located in Ormond Beach, Florida.
  • Minor League Baseball Umpire Training Academy. Begun in 2012, the MiLB Umpire Training Academy offers an extended four-week course on par with the Wendelstedt and Evans academies.
  • The Jim Evans Academy of Professional Umpiring. Similar to the Wendelstedt school, the Jim Evans Academy is a highly regarded, professional caliber umpire school. Evans runs a five-week school each year in January. (Note: The Evans school is presently under a sanction by Major League Baseball. This prevents Evans graduates from being offered a contract to umpire professional baseball. However, those not aspiring to work in professional baseball are well served by Evans Academy's outstanding quality.)
     

Amateur Schools & Clinics

  • Black & Blue Umpire Camps. School located in Sacramento, CA, that has a stellar reputation. They offer five-day camps, one devoted to two-man crews and another for three-man crews. The latter focuses on umpiring NCAA baseball.
  • ASA National Umpire Schools. The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) conducts three-day softball umpire training schools at various locations around the U.S. Visit their site for information and schedules.
  • Southern & International Baseball Umpire Training Camps. A well regarded facility near Atlanta, Georgia. They run four-day umpire training camps for both U.S. and International students.
  • Little League Umpire School & Clinics. Little League runs a large number of umpire schools and outreach clinics around the country. Your best bet is to visit the Little League regional web sites (for example, the Western Region) and consult their schedules.
  • Mid-American Umpire Clinics. A series of clinics offering introductory and advanced clinics for both two-man and three-man crews. The clinics are offered at various mid-west locations.
  • East Coast Umpires Association (ECUA). Located in Rocky Point, New York, offers advanced training each winter.

 

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   Resource Center: Umpire Web Sites

Umpire forums & discussion groups

  • Umpire-Empire: Ask the Umpire. An excellent forum for discussing rules and tricky situations.
  • ABUA Forums. Forums of the Amateur Baseball Umpires' Association (ABUA). Good quality, medium bluster, and, importantly, they have several forums that are divided by levels (NCAA, FED, Little League, etc.), and by interest (Mechanics, rules, etc.). They even have a section called "Newbies" where "stupid" questions are welcomed and flaming is prohibited.
  • BaseballExcellence.com: Ask the Umpire. While not the busiest, this is one of the best. Moderated by two of the most knowledgeable baseball umpires out there. Low key and very little bluster.
  • HS Baseball Web: Ask the Umpire. A Q&A forum devoted to rules issues, but focused on high school (NFHS/FED).
  • Baseball Umpire Forum at Officiating.com. Another highly reliable source for rules and mechanics discussions.

 

Equipment, gear, and clothing

These represent just a handful of the many sites that provide umpire gear and clothing.

 

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   Resource Center: Baseball Resources

Baseball history & general reference

  • Baseball-Reference.com. Pretty much anything and everything you could want or wish to know about baseball, teams, players, stats, records, history, and more.
  • Retrosheet. You want data? You like baseball stats and data? You want the box score for the Reds vs. Indians game on October 13th, 1910? Well, you've come to the right place.
  • Society for American Baseball Research (SABR). If you're a SaberMetrics guy, you already know about this site. If not, you should explore the site. They have awesome baseball research facilities, although much of it is reserved for members. Try a membership.
  • The Hardball Times. One of the best online magazines covering day-to-day issues and news pertaining to major league baseball.
  • BaseballSavant.com Daily coverage of the major league season in progress, plus much much more. Has a nifty "PITCHf/x Search" ap that lets you set up complex queries to surface detailed pitch information.
  • Beyond the Box Score. They call themselves "A Saber-slanted baseball community."

 

Baseball leagues

 

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