For 24 seasons, from 1974 to 1997, I was a high school baseball umpire on Long Island, and worked other levels as well, from Little League to Stan Musial League, the highest level of non-professional baseball with mostly college and former minor league players. I worked well over a thousand games. In 1999, I wrote and self-published an entertaining book about my most memorable experiences on the field, Please Don’t Kill the Umpire! As far as I know, it’s the only book ever written by an umpire at the amateur level, where 99% of all baseball games are played.
Although it got some excellent reviews on Amazon, and I received many wonderful letters from people all over the country, and used copies continue to be bought and sold on the internet, I learned the hard way that it’s nearly impossible for an unknown author to sell books. Long story short, I had 5000 copies printed and it took me four years to sell a little over 2000. I gave about 200 copies away. I still have 38 cases of books that were never opened.
If you’re a baseball fan, and like to sit back with a good book, you’ll definitely enjoy Please Don’t Kill the Umpire! It’s a fun, fast-moving read, and God knows we can all use a few laughs these days. And even though I wrote it 23 years ago, human nature is timeless and the great game of baseball hasn’t changed (except for a few new rules).
I’ll make it even a little more fun. I once came up with a question that no one was ever able to answer. How is it possible for a batter to hit into a triple play without any fielder ever touching the ball? Answer that correctly and you’ll get my book for free – I’ll return your payment with the book. Answer it incorrectly and I’ll tell you how it can happen.
I sign all books. If you’d like a personal inscription, for you or a gift recipient, let me know and I’ll be happy to write it. Cost is $15, or $10 each for two or more copies, postpaid. Send cash, check or money order to John Massaro, P.O. Box 45, Jeffersonville, NY 12748