Editor’s Message
Greetings MAC/NVBUA Umpires,
…and welcome back my friends! To the show that never ends! We’re so glad you could attend! Come inside, come inside! (…our house band this week is the prog-rock firm of Emerson, Lake and Palmer.)
I’d like to begin by thanking all of you who visited the re-launch of the Blue Crew News over the past two weeks. And an extra special thank you to all of those that reached out with your overwhelmingly positive feedback to all of us here on the staff of Blue Crew News. This publication and the work that all of us do here is in service to all of you. As always, if there are aspects of our craft, the umpire’s craft, that you’d like to know more about…that you’d like to read and see more about, our diligent mail room is always on duty. Please contact us directly anytime with feedback and article requests at: [email protected].
Calendar
Association Meetings
- Sunday, March 2 - Virtual - 7:00 pm
- Sunday, April 6 - Virtual - 7:00 pm
- Sunday, May 11 - Virtual - 7:00 pm
Save the Date
- Saturday, December 6 - 2025 Association Banquet (Time and Place TBD)
Presidents Message
The Virginia high school rules exam is open now and the Maryland exam opens a week from Wednesday (on the 12th).
Mechanics
According to the dictionary, the definition of communication is “a process by which information is exchanged between individuals.”
Rules
There are numerous reasons why Teams display unacceptable behavior, including. school rivalry/history, tight league standings, personalities…
Ratings
I’m Tim Strutzel, Chairman of the Ratings Committee and this is my 9th year working ratings for the association. The 2025 Umpire Ratings have been completed…
Umpire Profile
Blue Crew Blues
Blues, your intrepid BCN Profile reporter is on special assignment this week tracking one of our kin who is all over the place. While most of us are ensconced in deep hibernation, he’s running full tilt! Tis a daunting assignment, but someone has to do it. And, there is a high degree of confidence his profile will be complete for our next posting February 17th. –Gary Reals

New Feature!
BCN is creating a photo gallery which we hope will provide a place to archive those moments in time of our umpires at work and going deeper into the fellowship of umpiring. In this edition we have a revealing photo essay of sorts giving you an inside look and description at how our cage sessions can best help you prepare for the upcoming season. Check it out!
BCN Staff/Contributors
- Editor – Robert Fobian
- Co-Editor – Tim Strutzel
- Co-Editor – Mike Chmar
- Presidents Message – Dave Maher
- Mechanics – Paul Porto
- Rules – Vin Vena & Greg McEvoy
- Umpire Profile – Gary Reals
Letters to the editors welcome at [email protected]