Every Game Can Be Your Best Game
A young, motivated and talented official was assigned as the referee in a college D-I highly contested conference game. The two assistant referees were seasoned veterans who have officiated...
High Time to Talk Timing
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mpires always stress the importance of good timing behind the plate (and on the bases, but that’s a topic for another day). But to...
See the Three, Be the Three
At three different umpiring camps I have attended over the past two offseasons, I have heard one conference coordinator use the same phrase repeatedly:...
Make New Officials Comfortable Before the Match Begins
Any number of factors can affect how effectively a referee team works together, especially if one or both assistant referees are comparatively inexperienced. The center referee’s awareness of possible weaknesses...
Movement and Coverage Tips for the Second Referee
Volleyball referees don’t move a lot during play, compared to referees in other sports. But there are a lot of challenges involved in calling...
Collision Course
An area that has received a lot of attention in recent years from rules committees at various levels of baseball involves malicious collisions between...
Forward Thinking on Backward Passes
I created a list of words and expressions commonly used by fans, coaches, announcers and sometimes by officials. However, nothing in my list appears...
Not All Double Plays Are Created Equal
Some umpires are unabashed about their love of double plays; they do serve to shorten the inning. Double plays can occur in a variety...
Step On the Field and Handle Your Business Like a Boss
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fellow brother in blue, who passed away much too soon, had a mantra he used both in life and on the field. That mantra...
Train Your Brain
Do you ever wonder if you have the correct type of brain for officiating? Do you find it easy to make a quick decision based...
They’re Counting On it
One of the most important jobs for softball umpires is game management. And one of the most overlooked aspects of game management is giving...
Zone of Verticality Comes With Its Own Set of Challenges
A meeting this past season of the Wisconsin Basketball Officials Association (WBOA) saw a lively discussion break out regarding arm positioning as part of...
Crews Need To Handle Double Whistles Correctly
Perhaps one of the more famous double whistles in recent memory happened in Game 1 of the 2018 NBA Finals. To set the scene: It’s the final 40...
Your Attention Please
T here are many things that might disrupt an official’s concentration during a game. They might be internal or external and could happen during...
In ‘Crews’ Control
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here is nothing more beautiful in softball umpiring than watching a crew work together to cover the diamond. When it is a well-oiled machine,...
Early Movement By Either Team May Call For Flags
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ffensive players are prohibited from committing a false start before the snap. There are two movements that are illegal for all team A players:...
Before The Flag
No one likes to see a lot of flags thrown. They interrupt the flow of the game and can seem to make it drag...
Pace Commander
How to set and maintain a good pace to a game is not often discussed at camps and association meetings. But if players are...
Career Suicide Can Be a Killer
Officiating is unlike many endeavors in that hard work, diligent study and the right temperament are not guarantees to success.
Conversely, there are several...
Location Notation
While watching MLB’s World Series last fall, I heard the plate umpire, who was wearing a microphone, call, “Ball, outside” after a pitch was...
Four Steps Toward Being Truly Great
Let’s assume you are a good umpire, even an exceptional umpire. You do well on association exams and know your mechanics. Nevertheless, do you...
Solid Stance: Gerry Davis Profile
The honor hardly could be more fitting.
OK, perhaps having a behind-the-plate stance named after you — as Gerry Davis does — isn’t technically an...
The Best Games Include These Three Elements
Safe, fair and fun.That phrase — that triangle, if you will — contains the ingredients to the best game you’ll ever have. And there...
No Dead Ends
When the late Jerry Seeman was NFL director of officials, he developed his 10 Commandments for Officiating. Ninth on his list was: Thou shalt...
