In this episode we break down base umpire positioning in the two-man system — where to be, when to be there, and why it matters.

What we cover:

• Position A, B, and C — the right spot for every runner situation
• Angle over distance — the rule that wins when you can't have both

Positioning is visual. Follow along with the MechaniGram diagrams in the 2025-2026 NFHS Baseball Umpires Manual, available at store.referee.com.

That's Strike 3 is built for baseball umpires around three pillars: Mental Game, Craft, and Rules Knowledge.

Most umpires think they're further along than they actually are. This episode is about what happens when reality checks in.

A few years ago, I asked for feedback — genuinely asked for it — thinking I was operating at a level I hadn't actually reached yet. What I got back was tough. Honest. And it forced a decision that every umpire eventually has to make: do you use the feedback to get better, or do you convince yourself the feedback was wrong?

This episode is about that moment, and what it taught me about growth in this game.

What we cover:

• Why self-assessment as an umpire is often more generous than accurate
• What it actually feels like to receive hard feedback you weren't ready for
• The two roads every umpire faces when criticism lands
• Why baseball demands continuous improvement — and why that doesn't happen without honest feedback
• How to build a mindset that turns tough evaluations into fuel

The bottom line: You can't get better in a vacuum. The umpires who level up are the ones who learn to sit with hard feedback instead of dismissing it.

Perfect, that's a great reference. So you want the session note rewritten to match that style — punchy opener, first person, no headers for the talking points, just flowing copy with a "what we cover" bullet list and a bottom line closer?

Let me rewrite it:

THAT'S STRIKE 3 — End of Season Reflection

This season reminded me that growth doesn't announce itself. It shows up quietly, in the middle of a playoff game, in a conversation with a partner after the last out, in the moment you decide to stop worrying about the seventh inning and just call the next pitch.

I had a good season. Two district playoff games, both plates, a zone I'm proud of. But the lessons I'm taking out of this year aren't really about the results — they're about the decisions I made before the results were possible.

This episode is about those decisions, and what they taught me about what it actually takes to grow in this game.

What we cover:

• The mantra that changed how I approach plate work — and why the mental game is won or lost one pitch at a time
• Why you're never going to feel ready for the big moment, and what happens when you take the plate anyway
• How I approached feedback this season — who I asked, what I did with it, and why not implementing all of it was the right call
• What a rising tide actually looks like inside an umpire association
• Why the umpires who grow fastest are the ones who stay curious after every single game

The bottom line: The zone doesn't lie. Neither does the scorebook. If you want to get better, you have to be willing to ask hard questions — of your partners, of your mechanics, and of yourself.