5 Minutes With NCAA Coordinator Steve Thorpe
NCAA coordinator of officials for women’s volleyball discusses the 2021 Championship in a bubble in Omaha, Neb.
Residence: Doylestown, Pa.
Experience: Currently the NCAA coordinator of...
Video Lessons Learned Can Help Going Forward
One of the things we learned from staying home because of the pandemic was the amount of spare time one had when going out...
Unsolicited Advice
From the very first camp that any official attends, what phrase is always uttered by clinicians and coordinators? “Get the call right!”
In 2018, that...
Passer Gets Extra Attention
Philosophies, rules and mechanics have increasingly stressed the need to officiate through the passer — in other words, pay particular attention to contact on...
Injured Player? Stop Right There
At times a game needs to be stopped because of an injury. When an injury occurs during a live ball as shown in the...
Setting the Tone
So much time is spent teaching young officials about rules knowledge, game management, proper mechanics, court coverage and the like. Heck, there are some...
Conference Calls
Conferences occur in every game. It is extremely important for umpires to understand the rule differences between the codes to know what is and...
‘In’s’ and Outs
There are two rules that often give umpires pause during a game — infield fly and intentional drops. The rules regarding each are relatively...
Tag, You’re It
It’s been said location is the most crucial thing in real estate. It could be argued it is the same when it comes to...
Mendy… We Hardly Knew You
Mendy Rudolph's NBA officiating legacy is unmatched. On the basketball court he was always in control, always a leader. Yet outside the glare of...
Trip Advisor
The emphasis on pace of play in both pro and NCAA has resulted in significant changes to the traditional rules on conferences to include...
Touch and Go
According to the website deepenglish.com, the handshake dates back to knights in Medieval Europe. Mistrustful fellows, they would shake the hand of those they...
Not Dead Yet
When a ball becomes dead, such as one thrown into the stands, it is usually obvious. There are instances though where an act occurs...
All Ball
The NFHS Softball Rules Committee approved a change in the penalty for an illegal pitch starting with the 2018-19 school year. An illegal pitch...
Thou Shall Not Pass
If you ever have any doubt what area of the game is going to get you in the most trouble as a baseball umpire,...
Letter Perfect
M
nemonics are devices intended to assist the memory, as a verse or formula. A popular example, HOMES, is an acronym to help recall the...
No Fun Or No Fair?
By Paul Jacoby
There have been many attempts at “gamesmanship” in the history of baseball and softball. The best or most bizarre situation I’ve encountered...
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 and...
Tip Top
In the 44 years Referee has been in existence, tens of thousands of words have been devoted to helping officials improve their performance. Our...
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...
Foul and Fumble? A Formula for Flaws
Change of possession. Foul in the end zone. Fumble forward and out of bounds.
That’s a lot of action on a single play. And it...
Whether to Play During Weather?
M
any an umpire could undoubtedly double as a meteorologist if it ever became necessary. The only thing we seem to study more than the...
The ABCs of A-B-A
T he ABCs of A-B-A A rare and challenging play involves a double change of possession, known as an A-B-A play.
In PlayPic A, the...
Principles With Interest
O
fficiating has been in my blood since I was a scholastic wrestler during the mid-1960s. Throughout the decades, I gradually began to understand the...