Jim Smith spent forty years on ballfields and courts all over the Mid-Atlantic. He called blocks and charges, balls and strikes, assigned hundreds of officials, and enhanced the stature of sports officiating wherever he worked. Here he shares his decades of blessings and bruises, both real and metaphoric, in a humorous, fast-paced record of his umpiring life. For those on the periphery of baseball and for those with plenty of dust on their own cleats, these stories will make readers laugh and rethink the umpire’s role. Smith offers an inside look at the colorful characters that coach, umpire, and criticize in the world of baseball. Just sweep off the plate and find what’s beneath.