What I Don't Understand About Baseball

Ah, the great American pastime--baseball.  I enjoy both watching and playing this sport.  I grew up with the Cincinnati Reds and am now also a Phillies fan.  (Woohoo for the fifth straight National League East title!)

Here are a couple of things that I just don't "get":

Why aren't pitchers better batters?  They should know better than any other player, other than maybe the catcher, how to read what pitch is coming.  They should be able to anticipate what pitch is coming their way by knowing their own strengths and weaknesses and knowing what they would pitch to themselves.  Once they see the pitch they should be able to react accordingly.  

Do umpires have schedules like the players?  Do they stay in one city or do they move around?  What type of rotation do they have?  What types of checks and balances do they have?  I know the players spend a lot of time away from home, but they also get paid the big bucks to sleep in a hotel bed about a third of the year (give or take some)--do the umps also make the big bucks?

What is the deal with rally caps?  Why does turning them inside out mean good luck?  Where did this bizarre tradition start?  And why?  And how?  When I first saw this phenominon I thought it was a thing the local little league did--I was rather surprised to find it is national oddity.

Why does the number of players allowed on the roster change during the year?

How does a team with no fan base get the money to build a brand new stadium? 

Where does all of the money come from that pays the player's salaries?

I am sure that there are more, but that's enough for now!