RIP Carl Childress

[Umpire in Chief]

I was saddened to read on Facebook today about the passing of Carl Childress.

Not only was he a friend of the site, but he was unarguably one of the most influential people in the amateur umpiring world.

He will be missed.

[BT_Blue]

It would be nice if we can get Brent Rice, who is taking over the task of writing the BRD, to join the site so that we can get his thoughts onto here.

Also... please, no one tell 2016 there is another full month left. I'm not sure we can take any more.

[conbo61]

Wow. I was just checking his site to see if there was a publication date for the 2017.

I have all of his books and enjoyed each and everyone.

Enjoyed emailing back and forth with him. As Warren said, he will be missed.

[Stan W.]

I was stunned to see the announcement myself. I have known Carl for many years and through the internet had had numerous discussions with him. I have  been a very frequent buyer of the BRD and I credit it with a large part of my rules knowledge development. 

I remember one of my early interactions with him on the internet was back on the old McGriff's board when I had posted a comment that I had gone through an entire season with out ejecting anyone. His response was "congratulations, you got better this year"........it was a play on the old " 10 years of experience or 10 FIRST years of experience" comments........ in subsequent posts between he and I, it was really true........I had earned a year of experience in many areas, in this case game mgmt. skills, rather than just another calendar year of umpiring....

Carl will be missed....I'm glad to hear Brent will be picking up the reins......

 

 

    

[umpschool]

This was sad news to the umpire community. We wish his family and friends peace and comfort in this difficult time. Carl provided generations of umpires a guideline for fidelity to the rules using common sense and fair play approach, while mixing in his unique style of wit. His contribution will be missed by many umpires all over the world. The newest edition of Baseball Rules Differences was near its completion prior to Carl's hospitalization and death. The publication will continue through the Wendelstedt Umpire School Press in the coming years. There will be some stylistic and publication changes, as well as a revamp to ensure the most up-to-date interpretations are included annually. To be able to account for the changes at all levels of baseball, the print date will be moved to early February. We welcome any input for the best way to improve the style and ease of reference and reading. Please send suggestions to brd@umpireschool.com.

[lawump]

http://www.taso.org/lost/carl-childress