A different kind of baseball book, the setting is an umpire camp run by main character Casey Snowden's father. Many attendees at the Umpire Academy are taking their first steps to a career umpiring baseball in the major leagues. The title is taken from one of the events which takes place during the camp - You Suck Ump Day. A day where the prospects umpire a game under duress with name-calling done by residents of the small town where it is based.
Other threads in the story involve Casey's estrangement from his mother who has remarried, his best friend who is obsessed with reality television shows, his desire to write about sports for the school newspaper, and steroids in baseball.
Baseball fans will enjoy this the most but there is much here for those less interested in the sport. ( )

Good choice for fans of baseball fiction. It is definitely a different perspective of the game. ( )