About Author Rick Roder of The Rules of Baseball

If you’ve ever argued a call from your couch—or your seat behind home plate—you’ve probably never met Rick Roder. But you should.

Rick Roder is one of the world’s foremost experts on the rules of baseball. A former Triple-A umpire and the longtime head rules instructor at the Joe Brinkman Umpire School, Rick has spent decades parsing, interpreting, and clarifying the often-confounding language of the Official Baseball Rules (OBR). His work has shaped generations of umpires—and changed how the game is understood from Little League to the pros.

Rick is best known as the co-author (along with Chris Jaksa) of The Rules of Professional Baseball: A Comprehensive Reorganization and Clarification—also known across the umpiring world as the Jaksa/Roder Manual. This groundbreaking book is the only complete rewrite of baseball’s professional rules ever published. With clear, structured language and authoritative interpretations, the manual demystifies a notoriously complex rulebook. It’s a must-have reference for serious umpires, coaches, analysts, and anyone who wants to understand not just what the rules say—but what they mean.

Rick’s umpiring journey began in 1987 at the Joe Brinkman Umpire School. He went on to work in multiple professional leagues over a ten-year career, including the Pioneer, Midwest, Texas, Southern, Pacific Coast, International, and American Association leagues. From 1990 to 1995, he returned to the Brinkman School—not as a student, but as its head rules instructor, training future umpires with clarity, precision, and humor.

In addition to the Jaksa/Roder Manual, Rick has authored several other books on umpiring and rules, as well as historical works such as Frontiers of Faith: A History of the Diocese of Sioux City and We Are Called: A History of St. Mary’s Parish, Remsen, Iowa. Whether he's writing about the strike zone or the saints, Rick brings insight, structure, and storytelling to the page.

Today, Rick lives in rural Iowa with his wife Wendy and their five children. When he's not writing or consulting on rules, he serves as a Deacon in the Catholic Church and leads baseball clinics around the country, continuing his lifelong mission to bring order, understanding, and fairness to the game he loves.

If you’ve ever found the rules of baseball as confusing as tax code—you’re not alone. Rick Roder made it his life’s work to change that.