Beyond The Rules

On this episode, Stephen chats it up with Leon Kruset. An accomplished college level umpire, Leon talks out his path from athlete to officiating. Stephen also examines the guts it takes to become a wrestling official with no prior experience participating in the sport, which Leon has done to immediate success. Both of them laude over the gentle art that is Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and how its training...

BTR host Stephen, chats it up with the baseball manager of Inwood Campus, Anderson Almonte. From relative obscurity with an independent team one year, to making the AA PSAL championship game two years after, Anderson talks about the fast rising successes unseen by most new coaches, to dealing with the hardship of failure. As a coach and athletic director, Anderson allows insight of what it takes t...

This week on BTR, Stephen and Curtis do their best to explain Major League Baseball's three major rule changes: 1) Larger Bases 2) Pitch Clock 3) Banning of the (over)shift The hosts go over in detail the "whys" and the "hows" of each rule, while also sharing their opinions on them. Click link below to read the new rules for yourself: https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/35631564/2023-mlb-rule-chan...

BTR host Stephen Batista is privileged to have on Carlos Dolmo this week. Besides being a decorated official in a multitude of sports ranging from baseball, wrestling, football and even lacrosse, Carlos is one of Stephen's biggest mentors. Together the two chat it up about where Carlos started his 30+ year journey as an official, to helping Stephen jump his start his career as one. Between the obv...

BTR host Stephen Batista "shoots" right into the conversation with his guest this week, Emerson Miranda. Emerson embodies the "started from the bottom" story. Emerson is a graduate from Lehman High School during the years the wrestling program experienced its heyday. The plucky kid from Parkchester found his way to coaching a budding wrestling program at the highly prestigious Collegiate School. F...

On the latest installment of BTR, Stephen and Curtis talk all things "Partnership". Stepping onto the field, court or any environment in which you have to work in accord with someone presents a multitude of challenges. Most situations only come up in action which leave little time for harmony. How does an official/umpire be a better partner? How does an official/umpire compensate for their partner...

BTR host Stephen Batista continues his interview series, this time sitting down with NYC wrestling official Anthony Mirra. Anthony, at 32 years old, became the youngest ever city referee to officiate at the NY State tournament. The two discuss Anthony's humble beginnings as a wrestler in Tottenville High School on Staten Island where he went on to win the NY City tournament in 2008. Anthony opens...

On the second episode of "Beyond The Rules", host Stephen and Curtis explore the main crux of the philosophy in which "beyond the rules" is founded upon: Preventative Officiating. The concept of "Preventative Officiating" is vast. Stephen and Curtis aim to create a conversation that defines what it is an official can do to make coaches and players aware of in game situations that can minimize pena...

BTR host Stephen Batista's interview series "Behind The Rules" delves deeper into the thinking about sports officiating and shares anecdotes and ideas directly from the minds of fellow officials. In the first interview, Stephen chats with Diamond Nation Tournament Director and Umpire-in-Chief Marty Clark, a seasoned pro who shares stories from his 40 years' experience building a top-notch umpire s...

In the inaugural episode of ‘Beyond the Rules’ creator and host Stephen Batista, a decade-long wrestling and baseball official, digs deeper into the methods that make for great calls. Over the last two years, Stephen has documented situations and circumstances that have evolved his mindset to help him officiate more comprehensively and successfully – Beyond the Rules. With frequent guest Curtis Du...