So. Today the San Francisco Giants announced that they hired former major league player and Phillies ex-manager Gabe Kapler as the new Giants manager. I am a less than pleased about this announcement, and not just because his reviews as a Phillies manager were . . . lukewarm. No, my real objection is this: https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/nationals/told-of-girls-assault-at-spring-training-hotel-gabe-kapler-dodgers-didnt-alert-police/2019/02/01/45da0208-2624-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html?noredirect=on …
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On Chief Wahoo
If you've been following baseball news at all recently, you will have heard that the Cleveland Indians have decided to remove the Chief Wahoo logo from the official team uniforms as of the 2019 baseball season. The logo has been the subject of controversy for literally decades (because it's racist af) and MLB Commissioner Rob …
Put Up or Shut Up: Why I Love the One Game Wild Card Format
I know, I know. The one game playoff is an abomination that isn't a True Measure of a Baseball Team, yadda yadda yadda. There are a dozen [1] articles out there about how baseball should do away with this latest incarnation of the wild card race and change it to something else, but I like …
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When Umpires Get It Wrong
Any umpire who is any good will admit that s/he makes mistakes. If going to umpire school taught me anything, it's that sometimes the umpire is going to fuck something up, and the best you can hope for is that it's a minor fuck up, like a missed ball or strike in a low stakes …
What Do You Do When Your Team Sucks
So my beloved Giants are stinking it up this year. There are a lot of reasons for that, but long story short, it doesn't look like they're going to be getting significantly better any time soon, so I've had to develop some coping strategies for what looks like it's going to be a long season.(1) …
Rule Spotlight: Rule 6.03(b)(2)
(2) The proper batter may take his place in the batter’s box at any time before the improper batter becomes a runner or is put out, and any balls and strikes shall be counted in the proper batter’s time at bat. Rule 6.03 is the rule that talks about what happens when someone bats out …
Commonly asked questions about umpire school.
1. Did you have fun? Oh, hell yeah. Umpire school is one of those all-encompassing vacations where you're engaged both mentally and physically. It isn't relaxing, per se, but it is calming to focus on only one thing every waking moment. 2. Are umpires required to vocalize ball and strike calls, or is a hand …
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My Advice to Future Attendees of Umpire School.
1. Get the mean plan. You can always skip a dinner or a breakfast and go out to a restaurant, and I certainly did, but especially the first few days you don't want to have to figure out how to feed yourself on top on remembering everything else. Also, the food -- the dinners especially …
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On being the token woman.
At umpire school, I was famous. Not because I'm incredibly good at being an umpire, or because I'm amazingly attractive, or because I'm fucking smart(1), but because I am a chick.(2) The chick. As a result, every one at umpire school knew who I was. Even if we didn't do roll call every day in …
A typical day at umpire school.
Here's what a typical day at umpire school is like: 1. Roll call starts at 9 am(1). We have to answer to our last names with authority. Some guys try to get cute with it(2), but I just stick to "here." 2. Many days, especially at the beginning of school, we have class. We cover …
Baseball Julia 