The small, 108-page volume begins with defining the umpire’s duties, and then includes the complete rules of the game. However, after each rule, Chadwick offers specific instruction for umpires regarding their correct interpretation, including examples of situations that may occur and how they should be properly handled. In Chadwick’s introduction, he notes the need for such a guide: “The [umpire] position has become one requiring almost as much special training and instruction to excel in it as that of the most important field position in the game. Indeed, it is far easier to find a fitting occupant for the leading position in a first class professional nine than it is to find a suitable candidate for the onerous position of Umpire.” The book features a few advertising pages at the end, as well as a number of score sheets, two of which record the results of a game (local teams).
Year | Season | mediaFreq | slug | issueDate | Cover | Issue | View | Issue Title | On Cover | Editor/Author | # Pages | |
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1875 | 1875 | X | dewitt-umpire-guide | 1875-01-01 | 1875 | Dewitt's Baseball Umpire Guide | 1 | Henry Chadwick | 59 | |||