Assigner Pet Peeves
For 45 years, Iâve assigned officials from Little League to major college. In that time, Iâve developed pet peeves. Iâm sharing them because...
Camp ACC (May 1998)
The business practices of Atlantic Coast Conference menâs basketball officiating coordinator Fred Barakat came under scrutiny when a Referee probe uncovered that Barakat...
In the Fraternity (March 1998)
Violet Palmer and Dee Kantner made history when they were hired to the NBA staff. The story of how they broke the gender...
2017-18 National Basketball Association Roster
Referees
3 Nick Buchert
Smithfield, Ky., 7
4 Sean Wright
Dacula, Ga., 12
5 Kane Fitzgerald
Toms River, N.J., 8
6 Tony Brown
Atlanta, 15
7 Lauren Holtkamp
Scottdale, Ga., 3
8 Marc Davis
Chicago,...
The Games of Stephen Peterson (March 1995)
The strange story of a high school football official who bore a resemblance to an NFL official. Peterson had hoodwinked his friends, the...
A Long Way Down (July 1991)
A gut-wrenching profile in Referee revealed that a former NBA legend was an alcoholic, living in the backseat of a dilapidated auto and...
Are You Your Own Worst Enemy? (September 1980)
In the first of what would prove to be many features on the psychology of officiating, Referee suggested that officials point an accusing...
Second Referee Is The Voice of Reason
A successful second referee needs strong speaking and listening skills. They must possess thorough rules knowledge that allows for quick, accurate answers during the heat of battle...
50 Percent Better in 45 Minutes
Do you want to be a 50 percent better umpire in 45 minutes? Itâs all right here and my unique techniques are easy...
Real Appeal
In a televised NCAA game last May, a player was so excited about hitting an out-of-the-park home run that she jumped over home...
Arrive And Shine
How you enter the arena, stadium, field or other facility says a lot about you. Do you casually stroll in? Are you laughing,...
Abandonment
A walk-off is a run-scoring event in the bottom half of the last inning of the game that gives the home team the...
Slay the Drag-on
One of the great debates in sports these days is how long it takes to play the games. Television has been a great...
No Hedge on the Wedge
As todayâs players become quicker, faster and stronger, and as rules adapt, so must umpire mechanics. The wedge mechanic allows the umpire to...
Oh What a Relief it is
During the 2017 MLB season, 61 percent of the innings were pitched by the starting pitchers. That left over one-third of the innings...
Itâs a Foul Now or Later (But Not Never)
You observe movement in either line just as the ball is snapped. You know it is a foul, but do you prevent the...
What Happens When the Neutral Zone Expands?
The neutral zone is one of the basic tenets of a football game. In practical terms itâs the space between the offensive and...
Referee Magazine â November 2017 Preview
Referee Magazine - November 2017Â Highlights
Features
The âRhodeâ Through Providence. Despite his rapid ascent through the ranks of the D-I hoops, referee Mike Stephens...
2017-18 National Hockey League Roster
Referees
2 Jon McIsaac
Truro, Nova Scotia, 2013
4 Wes McCauley
Georgetown, Ontario, 2003
5 Chris Rooney
Boston, 2000
6 Francis Charron
Ottawa, Ontario, 2010
7 Garrett Rank
Kitchener, Ontario, 2015
8 Dave Jackson
Montreal,...