Sport-Specific Articles

Sport-Specific Articles

4 Questions a Referee Never Wants to Ask

There are four questions that no referee wants to ask when a foul has been called. That’s because they should have been asked and answered by the calling...
deep official back judge important

Police the Pile

How does the runner usually react when he’s been tackled? The norm in college and pro football is that runners lay patiently after they...

Double Check Score After Unusual Situation

Communication between the referees and the scoring crew is crucial to ensure accuracy of the score and the information recorded on the scoresheet. Double...

Wing Officials Are Coach Conduits For Crew

Wing officials face the constant challenge of the game in front of them and having to communicate with coaches who are behind them. Control of the sideline is important...

First Base Barricade

Obstruction is a common occurrence in softball. It happens most often at home plate as catchers try to prevent a runner from scoring. However,...

Seeing Is Believing

No matter what umpiring mechanics are being used in a particular game — whether it’s a single umpire working a youth baseball game or...

Zeroed In

One of the biggest challenges in officiating is how to be completely locked in mentally for the entire game. It is of upmost importance...

Slot Machine

The most important job in a game, and often the most difficult, is calling an accurate strike zone. In order to be accurate, you...

Leap Into the New Year

At its recent annual council meeting in Oklahoma City, USA Softball voted to adopt several new rule changes for the 2022 season. The most...

No Happy Accidents

Last summer, I was working the bases as part of a two-person crew when it became apparent the defensive team was thinking about making...

All Eyes Are On You

There are close plays all over a baseball field and in every game. Half-steppers at first base. Fingertips on stolen base attempts. Pitches at...
basketball held ball

Travel vs. Fumble — Which is It?

There are times when a player who has control of the ball unintentionally drops it from his or her hands — a fumble —...

Tips to Help Sideline Officials Look Sharp

When I was a deep official, I would catch flak from my linesman and line judge crewmates. They told me they do most of...

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...

Get in the Groove with Your Partner

There is nothing like throwing a perfect game as a pitcher or calling the perfect game as a referee. Just like in baseball and...

Chasing Higher-Level Games

When I was eight years old, my cousin and I always looked forward to the circus coming to town. The troupe would have a...

Coordination, Communication Key to Measurements

One of the oldest sports clichés is that football is “a game of inches.” When a measurement is involved, it might be a fraction...

Be Careful Using Other Sports to Explain Softball Rules

No-calls are common to officiating in all sports. Sometimes it’s advantageous to use examples from other sports to explain softball rules and plays. Unfortunately,...

Touchline Tackle

There is a lot happening in this play requiring the referee and near assistant referee to work together. The location on the field near...

Catcher You Later

By Jon Bible A long-standing topic of debate in baseball circles is how we should relate to catchers. There are several schools of thought. I’ve heard...

Onfield Meetings – Short, Simple & Complete

Much has been written and said about the importance of perception in officiating. Image is everything, as the saying goes and that is true not only of...

Set the Table

For years, we’ve never really acknowledged the importance of the scorer as an integral part of a volleyball officiating crew. It seems there has...

How to Keep Your Head From Spinning

The athletic spin move is often one that players, coaches and fans love to see during a game and also one that makes officials...

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...