Editor’s Message
NCAA baseball is underway, and many other leagues are in preseason tryouts, practices, and scrimmages. There are already lots of plays and calls popping up on social media. The two channels I really enjoy are Umpire Classroom, run by MAC umpire Patrick Faerber in Georgia, and Umpire Classroom, run by MAC umpire Patrick Faerber in Georgia. Here’s his YouTube Channel – Umpire Classroom.
The other is Close Call Sports, run by Lindsay Imber out of California. You can find her at the CloseCallSports YouTube Channel. Both of these channels are exceptional in that the hosts always display and cite the specific rules that apply to the play they are discussing. Close Call Sports has been around for several years now, and it has hundreds of videos in its archives.
Calendar
Association Meetings
Sunday, March 1
Zoom Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Sunday, April 12
Zoom Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Sunday, May 3
Zoom Meeting @ 7:00 pm
Association Banquet
Saturday, November 21
Presidents Message
It was great to see everyone on that chilly Monday a couple of weeks ago via Zoom. Remember, our next membership meeting on March 1st at 7 pm will be all about the test.
Mechanics
Getting back to the basics in the two-umpire system as the season starts our mantra is…angle is primary, distance is secondary.
Rules
One of the defining traits of a quality umpire is not simply rules knowledge — it is the continual refinement of judgment.
Special Article
I was a left-handed pitcher at West Point from 1976 to 1979. The Army Baseball Team does a great job keeping in touch with its alumni via e-mail, webinars, and this newsletter.
Special Article
I recently discussed relevant tax issues with one of our colleagues, especially as they relate to sports officials. I want to talk about three issues: Form 1099-K, reporting pay on your tax return, and the new “One Big Beautiful Bill (OBBB) deductions.
Special Article
The NVBUA Uniform Committee and the Board of Directors have recently updated the uniform policy to clarify the transition to black as the association-standard shirt color for 2027 and to add detailed high school information.
Umpire Profile
Blue Crew Blues
It has been a long & twisty journey that’s brought Josh Cooper to us here at MAC-NV. His trek has been punctuated by flashes of hope, dashed by bouts of disappointment and finally a joyous landing on solid ground.
Josh first began to dabble; umpiring Little League and Babe Ruth down in St. Mary’s County, MD back in 2010. Blues, 15 years later in January, 2025, Cooper at long last arrived at MAC. Quite soon a genuine cavalcade of eyeballs took note of that arrival.
But first brothers, after all that time and tribulation, it is so absolutely uncanny, so other-worldly, so totally unlike Josh Cooper: he ended up arriving somewhat late for his first game! More on that later. But first, let’s return to his long delayed splash…
Share Your Photos
We are always searching for action photos and videos of our umpires on the field. We can use them in an upcoming issue of BCN or display them at the year-end banquet.