Let’s Go Camping
A
s the majority of spring sport seasons never got off the ground, many umpires didn’t have the chance to hone their skills and work...
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...
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...
Been There, Done That
One of the hallmarks of Referee is the willingness to publish articles offering advice on how officials can advance in their particular sports. In...
Fear of Abandonment
Webster’s defines abandonment as “to leave or forsake completely; to give up possession or control of or to give up, discontinue or withdraw from.”...
Rungs of the ladder
In my time as a minor league and collegiate umpire and supervisor, I was often asked what umpires should do to move up the...
Not-So-Secret Agent
At a referee development camp I attended, the camp director began with a single question: “Who is your agent?”
After a period of silence that...
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...
Brand New Ballgames
How will you feel when the COVID-19 restrictions are lifted and the games resume? Ecstatic? Relieved? Anxious?
How about prepared?
We will be experiencing a new...
Make Your Move
When it comes to adjudicating plays at the plate in softball, the one-size-fits-all philosophy no longer works. Every play is dynamic and no two...
Head of the Class
Early in my umpiring career I took a cavalier approach to the rules. I got by because I had played the game and knew...
Pleasure Crews
"Perception is reality.” When it comes to officiating team sports, that’s often the absolute truth. It doesn’t matter what sport you’re officiating, crew cohesion...
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 boon...
No Connection, But There’s Still an Ejection
In most cases, it is not illegal to fail in the attempt to do something. Fighting is an exception.
Even if a punch fails to...
Want to get better?
How good an official do you want to be? How much do you want to improve? Good officials, no matter their level of experience...
Education or Evaluation?
Decades ago, when I got started, umpire clinics and camps were almost unheard of. (To me, a clinic is a one- or two-day event...
Anything But (Base)ic
Just as we can have rough days on the plate, we can have base games where it seems we’d be better off to flip...
Your Chance to Shine
How do officials make it to the top of their respective sport? What characteristics are necessary to achieve that goal? For years, both as...
For Warned
Warnings come in a variety of forms. There’s “the look,” “the stop sign” and “the quiet word,” to name a few. Each can be...
Crew Glue
When any game assignment arrives, all sorts of questions usually race through an official’s mind. First, who’s playing? Great teams? A rivalry game? If...
Say When
In most sports, teams are allotted a specific number of timeouts so coaches may confer with players. Although timeouts may also be used in...
Sure Thing
Officiating is all about making decisions. That’s arguably the one and only reason they give us a paycheck. Sometimes, in the process of decision-making,...
Team Works
Most people think two teams are required for an athletic competition. Officials know better. It takes three — the teams scheduled to take the...
