Editors Message

Greetings and Salutations true blue believers,

With a nod to the Scottish-American naturalist, John Muir, the Pacific Northwest was calling, and I needed to go! And now, I am returned, renewed and refreshed. Special thank you to Michael Chmar who held it down for me (and YOU, dear readers…) as he spent some quality time in the big chair here at Blue Crew News helming the last edition.

As always, President Maher awaits you all with his usual address. Dave’s got all the latest on this week’s association outing as well as a brief review of 2026 NFHS rules changes and finally some updates regarding annual business for the association. Grab the latest President’s Message here.

Up next, association rules interpreter Greg McEvoy has a review of coach’s appeals…specifically, what kinds of plays or situations should we grant a request for an appeal/review and when should we not. I found this to be one of the more nuanced and granular aspects of umpiring and Greg really boils down all the nuances to a really fundamental mental flowchart to help you learn when and where to get together with your partner or crew. Greg’s article can be found here.

Finally, Gary Reals is back with another gem of an interview. This month, Gary profiles an iconic umpire of the association, Dale Fitzpatrick. I’ve had the pleasure and privilege of taking the field many times with Dale in my short time with the association. The best part of working with Dale is he sees things in the game and how it’s umpired that challenges his fellow umpires in a healthy and developmentally positive way. It’s best encapsulated with the self-introspective question…Did I get the best look at that play? If I didn’t, how could I get a better look at it next time? Dale is not about dwelling on the negative if we kick one, he’s about learning from every play so we are always in a state of self-improvement. Dale impresses on us we, as umpires, owe that to ourselves, our umpire brothers and the game of baseball itself…at ANY level. Do not miss Gary’s profile of Dale Fitzpatrick, right here.

So, that’s your wrap-up of this edition of the Blue Crew News. As always, the mail room is always open and our staff is standing by, please email us anytime at: [email protected]!

Excelsior,
Robert Fobian
Editor, Blue Crew News