Dump “Sports Drinks” For Chocolate Milk
As officials, when we give 110 percent on the court or playing field, it is important that we refresh or recover after the contest. Because of...
Locked Out (January 2013)
One of the most bitter labor actions in sports history occurred when the NFL locked out its officials before the 2012 preseason and...
Solid Ground (Rules)
Like everyone else, I like to be prepared when someone asks a question. That is particularly true when I’m umpiring a game. That...
Q&A with Dr. Karissa Niehoff
Dr. Karissa Niehoff needed no prompting to address the elephant in the room.
“We’re definitely supportive of the great work that our officials are...
When ‘Time’ is Right
Most baseball games are routine in terms of the calls the umpires must make. We know the plate umpire has to call balls...
2018 Minor League Baseball Rosters
Arizona Fall League
Ryan Additon, Davie,
Fla.
Ramon DeJesus, Santo Domingo,
Dominican Republic
Bryan Fields,
Phoenix
Javerro January,
Southaven, Miss.
John Libka,
Port Huron, Mich.
Shane Livensparger,
Jacksonville, Fla.
Nick Mahrley,
Phoenix
Roberto Ortiz,
Kissimmee, Fla.
Garrett Patterson,
Scottsdale,...
Multiple Whistle Blasts Effective in Certain Situations
If you watch a basketball game closely on TV, you are bound to hear multiple whistle blasts several times. Multiple tweets are not disallowed by rule, but...
Court Presence (April 2008)
Referee called on Alan Goldberger, an expert on officiating-related law, to summarize the most important court cases in the history of the industry.
Dead Ball Ground Rules Needed For Quirky Ballfields
Very few baseball fields are identical. While infields are all alike, size-wise, the shape of the outfield will vary and the alignment of...
They Made Officiating (November 2007)
One of our more challenging compilations identified the people who were most influential in shaping and maintaining the officiating industry.
Electronic Payments: Whys and Wherefores
If you have officiated long enough you have seen payment methods go from cash to direct deposit into your bank account or debit...
Referee Magazine – February 2018 Preview
Referee Magazine - February 2018 Highlights
Features
Biggest Stories 2017. The stories that mattered in 2017.
World Wide Webb. Howard Webb has participated in...
Basepath Blunders
A baserunner caught in a rundown between two bases can be among the most exciting plays in fast-pitch softball, but it also creates...
Help Yourself
I stumbled upon a couple of clips of MLB games and got a chuckle out of how the announcers reacted to two situations....
Nobody Told the Officials (August 2006)
It’s rare to encounter highly unusual or extraordinary situations, but such was the case when a high school football crew in Cincinnati put...
Referee Magazine – March 2018 Preview
Referee Magazine - March 2018 Highlights
Features
Hands-On Officiating. More than what you say is being heard.
Open Look. What really goes on within...
7 Ways to Hone Your Edge in the Offseason
For many, the offseason is welcomed in the same way a teacher welcomes summer break — with open arms. You ’ve worked hard but now it’s time...
The Case for Three-Person Mechanics (October 2005)
Referee’s landmark story has been used as a roadmap by many officials associations when they negotiated with schools, conferences and assigners, and ultimately...
US vs. USSR 1972 Olympic Men’s Basketball Final
Peter Rodgers never figured that by opening a gift, he’d close the book on a lingering controversy. The birthday present Rodgers received should, at the very...
Get More Postseason Games
“Why didn’t I get any playoff games?” Across the officiating world, that is probably the most frequently asked question by established and even some new officials. Postseason games...
Don’t Match Fouls on The Other End
It is understood that the goal of matching is to pair likenesses. Millions of dollars are being spent every day to find and make that perfect match....
Think Outside the Box
By Jeffrey Stern
Officials who work a single sport sometimes have a tendency to be a little myopic. If football is their game, they...
Dale Scott Redemption
Half sleep-walking through darkness to the refrigerator in his Santo Domingo apartment in the dead of night in January 1986, all Dale Scott...
Old Acts, New Rulings
The NCAA has again adjusted its obstruction rule, reduced the illegal pitch penalty, adopted three experimental speed-up rules from last fall and brought...
