You love the game of baseball, you played it in the past, and you decided to be an umpire to stay close to the action. What does it take for you to be a successful umpire? Based on National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) rules, Officiating Baseballhas the answers and provides you with nuts-and-bolts mechanics to ensure you're always in the right place at the right time to make the right call. Officiating Baseballcovers officiating procedures and responsibilities, plate and field umpire mechanics, and rules application. Leading off is an introduction to the culture surrounding officiating baseball, what's expected of you as an umpire, and game procedures and responsibilities. Bolstered by 120 photos and illustrations, umpiring mechanics is the book's "meat of the order," containing five full chapters on basic umpiring positions and descriptions; plate umpire mechanics; field umpire mechanics; and two-, three-, and four-umpire mechanics. Rounding out the lineup are cases depicting real-life game situations that demonstrate correct rulings, point out common umpiring errors and how to avoid them, and prepare you for calls that inherently invite controversy. Officiating Baseballis not a rules book. Rather, it's a practical resource on applying the rules and umpiring mechanics developed and approved by the NFHS. Officiating Baseballwas written by the American Sport Education Program (ASEP) in cooperation with the NFHS. It serves as the text for the NFHS Officiating Baseball Methodsonline course, offered through the NFHS Officials' Education Program.