Editor’s Message
So, yes…as you are well aware, Blue Crew News is indeed a baseball umpire-centric publication and I wanted to take a moment before introducing this month’s edition to give you a brief testimony on officiating MAC’s other sport…volleyball. Yeah, volleyball, man! I just wrapped up my rookie season refereeing volleyball and I thoroughly enjoyed it. If you’re not officiating this wonderfully intense sport, you should!
I also wanted to take a moment and shine the spotlight on Steve Levine, BCN’s Special Legal Correspondent. This past August, Steve published a piece here regarding some recent legal actions taking place in courts across the nation involving the actions or inactions of amateur sports officials. Last week, the editors were contacted by an attorney out of New York who, in preparing the defense of his client who is an amateur sports official, wanted more information about one of the cases that Levine cited in his article which Steve was quickly able to provide. Again, nice job Steve! Pen keyboard > sword and all that!
Calendar
Saturday, December 6, 2025
Association Banquet
Vienna Legion Post 180
330 Center Street N
Vienna, VA
7:00 pm
Presidents Message
Well, the end of the season is upon us and this is the final episode of the Blue Crew News. I can’t go any further without saying a big THANK YOU to our editor- in- chief, Robert Fobian, for all of the hard work he put into these publications.
Rules
Now that the season is over, let’s talk about plans Vin Vena, Thomas Francis and I have for the rules committee next season. One of the committee’s responsibilities is test prep, and please join me in welcoming fellow umpire Matt Powers to our committee.
Special Article
By now, you all know about the passage of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA). I’ll focus below on just the most significant changes and highlight the only specific change for independent contractors and one other topic affecting you as an umpire.
Umpire Profile
Blue Crew Blues
Blues, Nick Rosa is one of those young guys who dabbled in umpiring for a few years, but then got serious, got committed, got trained up and in 2024, Nick says “I took off in full stride!” Indeed he did! Observes Rob Porter: “I’ve never experienced anything like that before. He was literally shot out of a cannon!”
During his first few years with MAC, Nick was working full-time and along with wife Nicole, had begun raising a family. He was sort of tip-toeing into the umpire world. And obviously, like many of us, he was slowly but inexorably seduced. During 2021, ’22 and ’23, Rob Porter says, Rosa worked 20 to 30 games a year. “Then in 2024, in just one year, it was really crazy, he worked right around 300 games!” At season’s end in 2024, Nick Rosa was recognized and awarded “Iron Man” status.
2026 College PreSeason Clinics
Charleston, SC
January 29 – February 1, 2026
Central North Carolina
February 5 – 8, 2026
Registration Opening by November 30