MHSAA - Referee Magazine - May 2023

FEATURES

20 FONZY

Alfonso Márquez lost a vice and gained stardom.

34 Q&A: MONTY McCUTCHEN

NBA senior vice president of referee development and training discusses today’s officiating landscape.

50 PERMISSION SLIP

The right and wrong call when using video for training purposes.

70 EXCUSES, EXCUSES

Does it really have to be this difficult to get paid?

ON THE COVER

Age: 56

Occupation: Cost estimator/ automotive supply project manager

Officiating experience: High school softball and football official. Officiated MHSAA softball state championships in 2015 and 2021, and football state championships in 2014 and 2019.

SPORTS

12 BASEBALL Seeing Is Achieving: Good Timing Requires Proper Use of Eyes; Here’s Your Free 90; Left, Left, Left-RightLeft; 5MW Robert Faulkens

26 SOFTBALL

COLUMNS

4 PUBLISHER’S MEMO Breakfast on Us

6 THE GAG RULE

Letters: More Help Requested; They Get It; Snap Shot; Survey Says

8 THE NEWS

Pay Disputes Upset Start of Baseball; NFL: Ten Officials Retire After Season; Gerry Davis Named Little League Consultant

60 GETTING IT RIGHT (U.P.)Lifting Officials; Hula Bowl Herstory; Idaho’s Dual Threat

68 PROFILES Where Gurell Goes, Officiating Follows; Behind

the Mask, Out In Front; A Different Perspective

78 FOR THE RECORD USFL and XFL officials

80 LAW Write Them Right; Contract Not in Writing; Judged for Negligence

81 CLASSIFIEDS Camps/Clinics/Schools; Equipment/Apparel; Leadership Resources

82 LAST CALL Take Care of Each Other: Gordon had a tattoo of a semicolon on his wrist, which represents where writers could have ended a sentence but chose not to.

VOLLEYBALL HIGHLIGHT THIS MONTH

The NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee created a definition for a new coaching zone that expands beyond the endline extended. Char Carda,

Huron, S.D.

Steve Youngblood Eastpointe, Mich.

PUBLISHER’S MEMO

Breakfast on Us

Twice each month, our editorial team meets at the Racine (Wis.) Country Club. RCC provides us a large, private boardroom and caters the meeting with a wonderful breakfast spread. These semi-monthly meetings are darned important. First, we brainstorm story ideas for upcoming issues of the magazine. Second, we review and share opinions about our most recent issue. Third, we “talk shop,” discuss what’s happening in the officiating world. I could add a fourth thought: Each breakfast is a great time for the team to banter with each other and share the slug of “insider info” that comes our way.

Our managing editor, Brent Killackey, directs the meeting. He creates the agenda based on input from all of us. We each get a copy the day before the breakfast. We assemble at 7:30 a.m. While eating we get to chat about current affairs, usually about games that some of the guys worked the night before. We chat about the most recent happenings in officiating. As we finish up eating, Brent normally leads off by asking the group to come up with a couple of poll questions that we can use to populate our social media accounts.

With that completed, we get down to the serious business of contemplating story ideas. Usually there are about a dozen ideas listed on each agenda. Next to each item is the name of the editor who has submitted the idea. Each item’s discussion is led by the person who submitted the idea. With that introduction completed, the group then weighs in with gusto.

To give you a flavor of the topics we discuss, here are some highlights from one of our recent edit breakfast meetings:

•Are open book tests on the rules a good thing? This was based on an incident in which a high school football crew botched a penalty enforcement at a crucial juncture of the game. Is our knowledge of the rules getting better, or is it getting worse?

•A D-I men’s basketball coach went nuts during a game about a week before our breakfast. He got ejected. There was a firestorm of protest that the referees were out of bounds. But we knew better. The question we considered is this: Are we “taking care of business” as much as we should be?

•Practices for setting game fees. Some states set a maximum. Some states are completely hands off. Others allow fees to be determined regionally or sectionally. There are many ways the fees officials earn are set. Is it time for Referee to produce a feature summarizing?

•Sports officials connecting their personal business endeavors to their officiating with business monikers that highlight officiating. Are some such corporate names inappropriate?

•Report writing. We are expected to be more accountable than ever. Part of that accountability is to produce a report of the event/occurrence in question. What should such a report contain and what should such a report not contain. Can’t find anyone who says that we officials have gotten better at this skill. We need help in becoming better game-report writers.

•Replay firsts. A potential story to summarize some of the “firsts” in the use of replay. First time it was used formally. First time used in a high school game. First time there was a stoppage. First time there was an overturn. This would be a nice piece of history for the officiating record.

Finally, we end the morning’s meeting with one of our most fun undertakings — titling upcoming feature stories. This is where things can get jaded and even testy. Ideas are tossed onto the table. Some are DOA. Some are TKO’d for various reasons. Lots of good-natured bantering. It used to be that a title I proposed was always the best. Not so much anymore! We winnow, we build consensus. Every feature-story title you see in this magazine is a result of that process.

Chief Strategy Officer/Publisher

Barry Mano

Chief Operating Officer/Executive Editor

Bill Topp

Chief Marketing Officer

Jim Arehart

Chief Business Development Officer

Ken Koester

Managing Editor

Brent Killackey

Assistant Managing Editor

Julie Sternberg

Senior Editor

Jeffrey Stern

Associate Editors

Brad Tittrington

Scott Tittrington

Assistant Editor

Joe Jarosz

Copy Editor

Jean Mano

Director of Design, Digital Media and Branding

Ross Bray

Publication Design Manager

Matt Bowen

Graphic Designer

Dustin Brown

Video Coordinator

Mike Dougherty

Comptroller

Marylou Clayton

Data Analyst/Fulfillment Manager

Judy Ball

Marketing Manager

Michelle Murray

Director of Administration and Sales Support

Cory Ludwin

Office Administrator

Garrett Randall

Client Services Support Specialists

Lisa Burchell

Sierra Miramontes

Trina Cotton

Editorial Contributors

Jon Bible, Mark Bradley, George Demetriou, Alan Goldberger, Judson Howard, Peter Jackel, Luke Modrovsky, Tim Sloan, Steven L. Tietz

These organizations offer ongoing assistance to Referee: Collegiate Commissioners Association, MLB, MLS, NBA, NCAA, NFHS, NISOA, NFL, NHL, Minor League Baseball Umpire Development and U.S. Soccer. Their input is appreciated.

Contributing Photographers

Ralph Echtinaw, Dale Garvey, Carin Goodall-Gosnell, Bill Greenblatt, Jann Hendry, Jack Kapenstein, Ken Kassens, Bob Messina, Bill Nichols, Ted Oppegard, Heston Quan, Dean Reid, VIP

Editorial Board Mark Baltz, Jeff Cluff, Ben Glass, Reggie Greenwood, Tony Haire, John O’Neill, George Toliver, Ellen Townsend

Advertising 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405 Phone: 262-632-8855 advertising@referee.com

REFEREE (ISSN 0733+1436) is published monthly, $49.95 per year in U.S., $84.95 in Canada, Mexico and foreign countries, by Referee Enterprises, Inc., 2017 Lathrop Ave., Racine, WI 53405. Periodical

NOW HEAR THIS

Turn a Deaf Ear to Criticism Until Your Line is Crossed

The best way to answer criticism may be not to answer at all. Ignoring the remark denies it credence. No one of an astute head is going to indulge in such accusations anyway. Don’t go there.

But an issue every official must face is: Where do I draw the line? What is my breaking point? Going into a game with a pretty good notion of how you’ll respond (and playing several scenarios in your head as a form of “dress rehearsal”) is a sensible way to arm yourself for combat.

Decide for yourself whether or not you’re going to allow a coach to slip into an adversarial mode. Be resolute. Then make a conscious choice of how adversarial you want to be. It’s possible to persuade a coach, to deflect his or her irritation and deal with anger by refusing to fall into anger yourself.

A key – as obvious as it may be –is to avoid making the situation worse by extending the argument. Such phrases as, “I just call the rules; I don’t write ‘em,” or, “Coach your team and let me officiate,” will get you nowhere. Empathy in the way of, “I hear you, coach,” or even a simple, “I see your point,” may not get the coach off your back, but it won’t throw gas on the fire. That’s not to suggest words will always mollify a

person bent on aiming a tirade at you. But a steadfast refusal to erupt can help you employ charm instead of retaliation.

Here is a hint: Try addressing upset individuals as though they were real persons. That is, adopt a conversational tone and deliver your response in soft, measured cadences.

Let’s say you’ve pulled the trigger and attempts to reduce or eliminate the harangue haven’t worked. What should you do when a person losing control has to have the last word and won’t submit to your authority peaceably?

There is value in letting the coach have the final say. It affords a measure of “saving face.” How is the other coach dealing with the opponent’s hostility? Are fans in an uproar? Do circumstances warrant an ejection, technical or other sanction?

One philosophical stance is that coaches and players, behaving irrationally, basically penalize or eject themselves. In your own case, consider the kind of language you’ll tolerate, and decide for yourself in advance where you’ll draw the line and how you’ll announce it. “Coach, that’s enough. You’ve made your point. I’m going to end the discussion right now.” And then move away as far as possible to prevent any further dialogue. If the angry person must

shout the criticism, the situation is not likely to last long.

Two things you can say to yourself are helpful. One is that you don’t want to build a reputation as being belligerent, intolerant or quick-tempered. It’s not a way to gain respect. The second thing is to tack on the second penalty (ejection) without a display of emotion. Try to curtail any flamboyant demonstration. If you can do it with a touch of understatement, that in itself will demonstrate your poise and underscore your dignity. It’s not easy to do, but such behavior is worth striving for.

When should you initiate a conversation? There are several times during a game when it can be a good time to have some positive communication with the coach and use the interaction to improve your credibility. Recognizing those times and knowing just what to say, however, can be an art form.

During the heat of battle, coaches are mentally juggling a lot of issues, so listening to what you have to say usually ranks far down the list. Still, the mechanics of some sports require you to pass along important information to a coach (e.g. “Coach, that was your last timeout,” or, “You have one mound visit left.” Even if their mind is elsewhere and they

Kevin Cleveland, Southfield, Mich., carries on a calm, measured conversation with a player. Maintaining such an attitude with coaches and players isn’t always easy but taking an adversarial approach usually doesn’t prove fruitful.

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don’t process the information, you’ve done your duty.

You may issue an official or unofficial warning. In football, for instance, a warning is the first step if the area between the sideline and the team area is not vacant when the ball is live. Officials may let the coach know he or she may want to handle a problem player before a penalty is levied.

Don’t be eager to stand over them and force information on them whenever you think you might have some. Instead, wait to be spoken to and, if the coach really wants to know, be ready to supply a concise explanation of what went on. If you utter 50 words when 25 will do, you’ve said too much. Often, they already know and sometimes they don’t care what happened. But when it’s your turn, offer an explanation not an opinion and you should be off to a good start.

If dealing with coaches was easy, anyone could do the job. We start earning our pay when our authority begins to be challenged. That isn’t the end of the world, merely the way of the world and we need not take it personally.

Always take the high road when dealing with coaches and develop a good formula for saying and doing the right things to keep differences from escalating into something worse.

quick tip

Compliment your partners in front of others. Think about it when you’re on the field or court. If your partner has just made a big block/ charge call, offer a comment like, “Great call, Mary.” Or you might try, “Absolutely a hold. Nice job, Steve.” The players and coaches will hear you and that reaffirmation will not only make your partner feel like a million bucks, it will help to quiet any possible opposition. There’s strength in numbers and making the compliment public will increase its value and derail any discourse.

Bitter’s Not Better

Acartoon that appeared in another publication depicted a young boy on the department-store Santa’s lap. The youngster says to Kris Kringle, “I don’t care if I don’t get what I want. I just don’t want the other kids to get what they want.”

Sadly, that’s an attitude many officials have. When passed over for a televised game or postseason assignment, they salve their wounds by rooting against colleagues. Instead of examining their own shortcomings or having an appreciation for another official’s hard work, they hope the other official fails.

Officiating is a competitive field of endeavor. Although there are shortages of officials across the country, there often are more officials than there are plum assignments. No matter how many are called, there are always fewer chosen.

What many officials fail to realize is that, when one official fails, we all fail. Like it or not, we’re one big family. When, in your dealings with coaches or administrators, you talk negatively about another official’s abilities or success, or criticize his or her performance in a particular game, you’re casting a negative light on yourself as well. You may reap a short-term emotional benefit from bad-mouthing another official, but in the long run what’s going to be remembered is that you made the comments and not the comments themselves. Even if what you’re saying is absolutely accurate, you’ll still come off as a blowhard.

Since playoff assignments often come out while the regular season is still underway, the names of postseason officials will be public. The grapevine being what it is, officials and coaches will know who is working the big games.

A coach may mention he or she heard one of your colleagues got the big call and add some commentary.

“I can’t believe So-and-So is going to state. How come you didn’t get an assignment? We always know we’re going to get a fair shake from you.

Not like when we had So-and-So last week.”

To which you reply, “Oh, yeah. He (or she) is awful. You’ve got the A-team tonight.”

Way to go, genius. You just fell into the trap. Is the coach trying to curry favor tonight? You think that comment won’t come back to haunt during the game? “Hey, I thought you were supposed to be good!”

Keeping negative comments to yourself is only one thing you can do to help the avocation. If you know an official has an important game coming up, an encouraging word from you can send that official into the game with confidence. All it takes is a brief email or verbal conversation. Comments such as, “You’ve worked hard and really deserve that assignment,” or, “I know you’ll do a great job,” can help curb any nervousness the official may feel.

If there is enough time before the game, offer to join him or her for a rules study session or volunteer to watch film of a previous game worked by that official. A second set of eyes can often see bad habits or coverage lapses that we can’t (or don’t want to) recognize.

If the official is from your association, you can show you’re the bigger person by giving your peer public recognition. Encourage the other members to watch the game on TV or to be there in person to lend moral support. Instead of grousing, “Why can’t I get a game like that?” you can give the fortunate official a scouting report to better prepare for the game. “I had them earlier in the season. They’re running a different offense than they have in the past,” gives the official a leg up on mental preparation.

Moreover, if a coach speaks ill about another official, do you honestly think he or she would hesitate to say nasty things about you to another official (including So-and-So)?

Finally, when the big game is over, a follow-up conversation is in order. If the game was a stinker or the official had some problems, let a few days pass. But a heartfelt congratulations or a “hang in there” will be appreciated and remembered.

MHSAA WINTER SPORTS CHAMPIONSHIP OFFICIALS

BOYS BASKETBALL

Brandon Burrel, Muskegon

Michael Dunlap, Holt

Christopher Duprey, South Lyon

AJ Haduch, Ypsilanti

Adam Karki, Ishpeming

Robert King, Vicksburg

Delonda Little, Detroit

Brian Morley, Davison

Matt Olson, Honor

Arnulfo Perez, Grand Rapids

Zach Porritt, Holt

Dean Tondreau, Grand Blanc

GIRLS BASKETBALL

James Dworman, West Bloomfield

Jermaine Jennings, Kentwood

Penny McDonald, Cadillac

Dan Midena, Brooklyn

Calvin Robinson, Saginaw

Ruben Rosalin, Scotts

Calvin Sanders, Lansing

Luke Schmiege, Saginaw

Jeff Simpson, South Range

Rob Stanaway, Dewitt

Brian Vogel, Rockford

JuVonne Williams, Southfield

ICE HOCKEY

Trevor Bodary, Brownstown

Douglas Bonmon, Wyandotte

Mark Brininstool, Grand Haven

Matthew Cowan, Eastpointe

Jake Hambidge, Belmont

Cody Keenan, Grosse Ile

Jayme McKay, Brownstown

Cory O’Toole, South Lyon

Joel Scheele, Grand Rapids

Justin Ullrey, Rockford

Christopher Vigh, Grosse Ile

Christopher Wilson, Brownstown

GYMNASTICS

Lindsey Akers, Dewitt

Sharie Akers, Haslett

Amy Bessler, Madison Heights

Brenda Betz, Adrian

Kara Burns, Plymouth

Courtney Dean, Coldwater

Dana Driscoll, Canton

Karen Dugan, Portland

Melissa Flores, Brighton

Kelly Gallagher, Okemos

Doris Goodlock, Adrian

Deborah Heck, Highland

Michelle Kozak, Grand Rapids

Kristin Lilly, Lansing

Sandra Noto, Wyoming

Amanda Pfaller, Lowell

Carolyn Richards, Brighton

Kimberly Tobin, Rochester Hills

Judith Walter-Kohn, Adrian

Katherine Williams, Farmington Hills

Trisha Wilson, Onondaga

BOYS SWIM AND DIVE

Kurt Ballien, Alma

Charles Bartholomew, Lowell

Dennis Betts, Livonia

James Chapman, Pinckney

Tim Eastman, Kalamazoo

Brian Foust, Plymouth

Casey Kern, Haslett

Paul Keyser, Zeeland

Richard Koperski, Grand Haven

Charles Krochmal, Pinckney

Michael McCue, Lansing

Tom Richards, Ann Arbor

John Robertson, Holland

Linda Schmidt, Zeeland

Andrew Terrien, Kentwood

Maynad Timm, Bloomfield Hills

Larry Wegener, Portage

David Weick, Hudsonville

COMPETITIVE CHEER

Amy Braun, South Lyon

Jennifer Brewer, Laingsburg

Melanie Briggs, Flint

Juli Brown, Fenton

Noelle Cole, Metamora

Ryan Collins, Romeo

Candace Cox, Quincy

April Davenport, Mattawan

Diana Dildine, Grand Rapids

Barbara Gemellaro, Rochester

Dee Hammond, Lansing

Melissa Harrison, Decatur

April Hooker, Battle Creek

Tracie Hovarter, Milford

Mary Hurt, Cedar Springs

Pamela Ingles, Ravenna

Tara Jones, Kentwood

Monte’ Keen, Swartz Creek

Karla Koviak, Paw Paw

Barbara Laird, Clinton Township

Jill Lansky, Kalamazoo

Paula McAllister, Fenton

Phyllis Olszewski, East Jordan

Jane Plaisted, Grand Rapids

Annie Post, Coldwater

Mary Post, Walker

Kelly Richardson, Grand Rapids

Dawn Seiler, Milan

Joyce Smith, Detroit

Janis Stahr, Flat Rock

Cynthia Tyzo, West Bloomfield

Stephanie Unger, Royal Oak

WRESTLING – INDIVIDUAL FINALS

D.John Andrews, Union Lake

Cassandra Baranoski, Grand Rapids

Louis Berry III, Germfask

Michael Billiu, St Clair Shores

Robert Braman, Sheridan

Lon Cook, Roscommon

Zaim Cunmulaj, Walled Lake

Chad Davinich, Warren

Cole D’haese, Sturgis

Tyler Dotson, South Haven

Brady Driver, Sturgis

Steven Dunman, Mt Morris

John Ebenhoeh, Chesaning

Matthew Fields, Caro

Edmundo Flores, Shelby

James Gourlay, Lapeer

Steven Gross, Portland

Dave Hall, Farmington Hills

Bobby Hearn, Novi

Eric Hebestreit, Garden City

Edward Hedgecock, Caledonia

Gary Kowalewski, St Clair Shores

Brian Kuemin, Cassopolis

Bryan Legree, East China

Dale Mann, Decatur

Faisal Munassar, Melvindale

Kyle Nesbit, Owosso

Matthew Newcomb, Davison

Joshua Orzechowski, Madison Heights

Murray Rose, Zeeland

Eric Seifert, Bloomfield Hills

Phil Shannon, Dearborn Heights

Andrew Stepanovich, Grand Rapids

A.Eric Thomas, Brooklyn

Steven Vecchioni, Grosse Ile

Phillip Westheimer, Jackson

Joseph Whitman, Davison

Joseph Williams, Pierson

Erin Windemuller, Walker

Patrick Wollet, Hudson

WRESTLING – TEAM FINALS

Trent Anderson, Kalamazoo

Thomas Arsenault, Dearborn

Jeremy Bewley, West Branch

John Bishop, Allegan

David Gonzalez, Holt

Drew Lesko, Tecumseh

Ronald Nagy, Hazel Park

Scott Strickler, Lapeer

THE GAG RULE

LETTERS

More Help Requested

In the 1/23 magazine, the Publisher’s Memo discussed the need for online concussion training designed specifically for referees. I applaud that effort and urge Referee to initiate a similar campaign for the creation of referee-centric training to address athlete sexual abuse. The currently available training is geared to coaches, team parents and others with pre-existing relationships with the subject athletes. This training is unnecessarily lengthy and not pertinent for referees. Please take the initiative to really help us referees with this important topic.

Jonny Joseph Los Angeles

SAY WHAT?

“The rules analyst job is not only the most overrated thing to happen in sports broadcasting, but it’s also become the most annoying thing in sports broadcasting. The rules analyst should be brought on only to explain a rule that the audience may not know or understand. That is the only circumstance where these guys might be useful.”

THEY GET IT

“Right or wrong, for better or for worse, officials should be afforded the leeway to do their jobs. If there is reason to be critical, then it needs to be handled through proper channels. In-match heckling isn’t it. … All that frustration leads to by berating officials in real time is a decent possibility that you cross the line and the official requests your exit. Or at minimum, you sound completely irrational to everyone else.”

— Editorial in the Willoughby (Ohio) News-Herald

SNAP SHOT

Hopeful Sign?

Michael Smolens, Great Neck, N.Y., said he had driven by a Little League field “a bunch of times” before he finally stopped to read the sign posted by each dugout next to the bleachers. “If it makes one parent think twice about blurting out an unkind word,” Smolens wrote, “then the sign is well worth it. As a longtime official, coach and administrator who knows the inappropriate phrases uttered at contests, let’s hope lessons learned via signs like this spread throughout the country, helping more new officials have the desire to stay in this difficult business.”

THEY LIKE US

SURVEY

Should officials be suspended for missed judgment calls?

SOURCE:

“I get it we don’t all like the calls made in a highly fast & competitive game … we don’t always like the way they influence the outcome … but at some point can we ever just step back as reasonable ppl & say, ‘I can see why they called it … and probably an ok call based on rules?’”

— Tweet by Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner

— Jimmy Traina, columnist for SI.com

Pay Disputes Upset Start to Baseball Season

High school baseball games in California and Alabama struggled finding umpires at the outset of the 2023 spring season due to pay disputes between prospective arbiters and governing bodies.

In California, the Central Coast Athletic Association (CCAA) and the Los Padres Baseball Umpire Association (LPBUA) quit communicating with one another after failing to come to a resolution regarding game fees for the 2023 season. The root of the disagreement dates back to 2017, when the CCAA departed the state’s Southern Section for the Central Section. The Central Section has historically paid its sports officials less than neighboring sections, and members of the Los Padres Officials Association (LPOA) sought, and were granted, the continuation of the Southern Section rate.

However, when the Southern Section recently restructured its pay scale to achieve a $35 per hour rate for officials, the LPBUA — acting independently of the LPOA — rejected that offer, which would have come in at $92 for a varsity baseball assignment. On Feb. 8, the CCAA reportedly created a new offer to the LPBUA of $106 per game inclusive of mileage and assigner fee inducements, labeling it a “final” proposal. The LPBUA offered a counter, at which point

the CCAA informed the umpires it would no longer be negotiating. Instead, the CCAA started contacting umpires from neighboring counties and began work on an alternative schedule that would include a heavy dose of Saturday games.

“This isn’t about money; this is about principle, because if this thing falls through, then every unit for every sport across the state is going to come out and make demands and hold people hostage for what they think is right, and that’s not how it works,” said Sam Derose, athletic director at Atascadero High School, in explaining the CCAA’s stance.

Elsewhere in the country, the South Alabama Baseball Umpire Association (SABUA) staged a brief holdout when it could not come to an agreement with the Mobile County Public School System (MCPSS) on a pay raise for the 2023 season. An offseason proposal to raise the game fee to $90 for a varsity contest was not approved by the Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA). Alabama is one of a select few states that sets a fee range for all of its high school officials, and any local organization that decides to exceed the maximum is subject to sanctions.

After a handful of seasonopening games had to be canceled or rescheduled, the SABUA agreed

NFL: Ten Officials Retire After Season

NEW YORK — The NFL announced in February and March that 10 officials — with a combined 203 seasons as NFL officials — were retiring.

Jerome Boger, the NFL’s longest tenured crew chief, was among the retiring officials.

Boger joined the league in 2004 as a line judge and moved to referee in 2006. During his career, he officiated five playoff games and Super Bowl XLVII between the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers.

Other retireesincluded (with last position worked and years of experience in the league):

• Michael Banks, field judge, 21 years

• Jeff Bergman, line judge, 30 years

• Jerry Bergman, down judge, 21 years

• Walt Coleman IV, line judge, 8 years

• Keith Ferguson, back judge, 23 years See “NFL”

4

Akers Named Football Officials Supervisor

On Feb. 23, Jeffrey Akers was named the supervisor of football officials for the Patriot League and Ivy League. Akers will work with the sevenconference officiating alliance that includes the American Athletic

Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big South, Colonial Athletic Association, Northeast Conference, Ivy and Patriot leagues as well as several NCAA Division I schools (Army, Connecticut, Marist, Massachusetts and Notre Dame). Akers will assign and evaluate officials for the Patriot and Ivy leagues. Akers has served as an onfield official for 33 years, including 27 seasons

of collegiate experience with 15 years in the Football Bowl Subdivision and six seasons in the Football Championship Subdivision, including two seasons with the Patriot and Ivy leagues. He also worked six seasons with the Eastern College Athletic Conference. His onfield resume includes a 2003 FCS Playoff game, the 2018 AAC Championship Game and nine bowl games between 2010

and 2020. Akers replaces Jeff Cooney, who retired from the role after four years.

Cheerleader Ejected in College Game

Referees at a Feb. 11 men’s college basketball game between Alabama A&M and Mississippi Valley State ejected a Mississippi Valley cheerleader after she walked on the court and pushed an

Boger

come for the summit stay for SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

The 2023 Sports Officiating Summit will take place in southern California. The theme “Good Sports, Bad Sports, Better Sports Through Officiating” will explore aspects of sporting behavior that impacts sports officials nationwide. Let’s gather – Let’s talk.

Riverside, California, is in the southern part of the state, surrounded by small and large mountains. The beaches of the Pacific Ocean are a short drive away, along with other area attractions such as Disneyland or the San Diego Zoo. Be immersed in history or enjoy the scenic beauty with the many parks and museums Riverside has to offer.

N.J. Wrestling Referee’s Lawsuit Dismissed

JERSEY CITY, N.J. — A New Jersey appeals court on Feb. 7 upheld the dismissal of a high school wrestling referee’s lawsuit that contended school officials were responsible for the referee being negatively thrust into the national spotlight for enforcing a rule.

Alan Maloney found himself vilified after ruling a 16-year-old Buena High School wrestler could not compete without a head covering for his dreadlocks in a Dec. 2018 match. Video of the wrestler getting an on-mat haircut so he could compete went viral.

Fallout from the controversy and an investigation by the New Jersey Division of Civil Rights led the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to suspend Maloney for the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.

Maloney’s suit contended the suspension ended up “… fueling the erroneous reports in the media that the plaintiff was racially motivated by his rules enforcement.” The wrestler is biracial. Maloney is white. Maloney’s suit said he received death threats.

The suit sought unspecified monetary damages from George Maxwell, Buena’s wrestling coach; David Albertson, the school’s athletic director; and the Buena Regional School District Board of Education. The suit argued school officials were obligated to ensure the wrestler was properly equipped.

THE WIRE

Alabama A&M player during a stoppage in play. The shoving incident came less than a minute after the player and cheerleader had bumped into each other on the endline. Video of the preceding incident showed the player was quickly inbounding the ball after a free throw. The cheerleader jumped into the air to celebrate the successful free throw, while close to the endline, and bumped into the player. Security was summoned and

“Their failure to adhere to that duty brought about foreseeable consequences and damages to (Maloney),” the suit contended.

But the appeals court upheld a lower court ruling in 2021 dismissing the suit. A two-judge panel said Maloney’s revised complaint had no new facts that showed the school officials “owed Maloney a duty of care.” The appeals court said Maloney “had the ultimate authority to prevent (the wrestler) from competing if he determined (the wrestler’s) head gear was non-compliant. And, correctly or incorrectly, he chose to exercise that power.” Additionally, school officials had no role in a reporter’s decision to share the video on social media, the appeals court ruled.

Maloney had ruled the wrestler “had braids or twists that pursuant to the published and known rules required a legal hair cover,” the lawsuit stated. A dispute emerged over whether the wrestler’s hair was in its “natural state.” If not, the rules at the time required a hair covering. The following year, the NFHS deleted rules regarding the “natural state” and length of a wrestler’s hair. Officials have also been directed to interpret rules about hair for athletes based on length, but not style such as braids, twists, knots or dreadlocks.

SOURCE: THE DAILY JOURNAL

the cheerleader was escorted from the playing facility.

Adam Silver Talks Accountability

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver confirmed in an interview with ESPN what those in the officiating industry have long known: Officials are indeed held accountable for their performance. “We don’t publicize discipline for officials. We don’t think that will be appropriate,” Silver said. “But

NFL continued from p.12

• Mark Hittner, down judge, 26 years

• Jeff Lamberth, side judge, 21 years

• Perry Paganelli, back judge, 25 years

• Steven Patrick, back judge, 9 years

Jeff Bergman finished his NFL officiating career by working Super Bowl LVII. He worked 11 playoff games during his career. He’s joined in retirement by his brother, Jerry, who worked Super Bowl LII.

Their father, Jerry Bergman, was a longtime NFL official. The elder Bergman died in 2017.

Perry Paganelli worked two Super Bowls during his career. He has two brothers still officiating in the NFL: Carl Paganelli and Dino Paganelli.

Coleman IV is the son of Walt Coleman III, who was a longtime NFL referee.

Alan Eck, who has been an NFL official since 2016, will move from the umpire position to the referee position, the NFL announced. Eck has worked in the umpire position for the last six seasons.

At press time, no new hires had been announced.

SOURCES: ESPN, NFL.COM

their assignments are affected by the quality of their calls, whether or not they progress into the playoffs and then round by round is impacted by the accuracy of their calls and their demeanor on the floor. So there is a system for overseeing and making those judgments about officials.”

MLB Umpires Add New Signal

In the wake of pitch-timer rules being added in MLB, umpires

have a new signal to indicate a violation. Umpires will tap their wrist, as if touching a watch, to indicate a time violation occurred. Starting this season, pitchers will have 15 seconds between pitches with the bases empty and 20 seconds with runners on base to start their motion. For a violation, a ball will be awarded to the batter. Batters have to be ready with eight seconds remaining. A violation by the batter results in a strike being added to the

Davis Named Little League Consultant

WILLIAMSPORT, Pa. — Gerry Davis, retired 40-year MLB umpire and founder of Gerry Davis Sports, has been named senior umpire consultant for Little League International.

His new role, which will include serving as the co-chairman to the Little League International Volunteer Umpire Advisory Committee, will focus on umpire education, training opportunities, selection of tournament umpires and umpire retention programs.

“Without question, there is a crisis at the amateur level of sports centered around abuse and shortages,” Davis told Referee “I commend Little League for stepping up to combat the issues at hand. I feel so blessed to have the opportunity to give back at the grassroots level. I can sum up my involvement in a few words offered years ago by the late great Jackie Robinson, ‘A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.’”

While the consultant role was only recently formalized, the relationship between Davis and Little League International is nothing new. In 2017, Davis became a member of the Little League International Volunteer Umpire Advisory Committee and was the first umpire to call a Little League Baseball World Series game and an MLB World Series game in the same year. Gerry

Davis Sports serves as the official umpire uniform provider for the Little League World Series and Davis was recognized with the 2022 Little League Chairman’s Award for his service to the organization.

Pay Dispute

continued from p.12

to return to work under the terms of its previous contract with the MCPSS — $80 for a varsity game and $65 for junior varsity, freshman and middle school games.

“We didn’t want to see any more games get canceled,” said Tony Combs, president of SABUA. “We had a few. We just want to get back to playing baseball now.”

During his MLB umpiring career, Davis called more than 5,000 games. He worked 11 League Championship Series and six World Series. He retired from the field in 2021.

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of umpires that dedicate and volunteer their time to our program, as well as all of us at Little League International, we are thrilled to have Gerry on our team in this new capacity,” Senior Director of Operations and Education Nick Caringi said in a written statement. “Gerry’s knowledge of the game, understanding of the importance of umpires at every level, and commitment to improving both the umpire and player experience on and off the field makes him an incredible asset to the future of our program.”

count. The tapping of the wrist signal emerged from the minor leagues, where pitch-timer rules were tested last year and umpires tried signal variations before arriving at the current iteration.

Body Cameras Deployed on Officials

English soccer referees in four regional adult leagues in Middlesbrough, Liverpool, Worcester and Essex will be allowed to wear video

cameras under an initiative aimed at reducing the abuse of officials. The English Football Association will test the use of the cameras to determine if they should be deployed throughout grassroots soccer. Nearly 100 referees were expected to use the equipment during the threemonth trial. “We are excited to explore how bodycams can be used in grassroots refereeing so that we can better understand how they could

“The AHSAA are the ones that didn’t want to pay the money, not us,” said Johnny Hatcher, an MCPSS board member. “We believe in our umpires; we wanted to pay them more money.”

According to Combs, the AHSAA has “very well promised” to raise pay rates for officials in all sports for the 2023-24 school year.

SOURCES: ATASCADERONEWS.COM, FOX10TV.COM

help affect the behavior of players and coaches towards them,” said Daniel Meeson, the association’s head of refereeing.

Broken Pressure Gauge Causes Issues

The U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team faced stoppages during the first and second games of the 2023 SheBelieves Cup due to soccer balls that wouldn’t stay inflated. The stoppages to replace game

balls occurred during matches against Canada on Feb. 16 in Orlando and three days later against Japan in Nashville. It turns out officials had been using a faulty gauge to measure the pressure of the game balls, according to a U.S. Soccer Federation representative. A second gauge was found to correctly inflate the balls for the second half of the match against Japan.

SOURCES: YAHOOSPORTS, SI.COM, ESPN, THE GUARDIAN

Gerry Davis, who retired as an MLB umpire in 2021, was named senior umpire consultant for Little League.

SEEING IS ACHIEVING

Good Timing Requires Proper Use of Eyes

By Chris Marshall

As a coordinator, I receive questions daily from umpires at all levels of baseball. Questions like:

•How do I become a better umpire?

•How do I decrease the number of missed calls on the bases?

•What can I do to get to the next level?

In most cases, the answer to these questions and many others like them is simple. Umpires need to get back to the tried-and-true fundamental umpire basics that many of us tend to stray from daily.

The reality is, most calls on the bases will almost make themselves. Most of us will get the majority of our calls correct based on proper positioning, instincts, the reaction of the

players on the field, umpiring talent or pure luck. Umpires are not judged on those calls but rather the 5-10 percent of calls that truly challenge our decision-making process — the swipe tags, the pulled foot, the whackers or one-sounders, or any play where a tag is applied. The umpires who can properly rule on that 5-10 percent are the umpires who are able to separate themselves from everybody else.

When baseball umpires discuss having good timing, what they actually mean is using their eyes properly to see an entire play before rendering a decision. Here, Anthony Banks, Long Beach, Calif., takes his time observing the tag play before making his call.

How many of us have heard comments like this from a coach or an evaluator? “Slow down your timing; you are too quick.” “Take your time; don’t rush it.” “Let the play finish; don’t anticipate.” One common denominator with all of these comments is the concept of timing. It is very easy to have good timing on a play where a runner is out by 10 feet, but somehow, umpires tend to speed things up as the plays become closer. We look like a million bucks on the easy ones, but the minute an umpire has a whacker, our timing becomes lightning quick. Those are the calls umpires commonly miss the most or are not consistent on, the 5-10 percenters.

So how do we define the word timing? That is the million-dollar question and one that has been answered in many different ways. The only way to clearly define timing in all aspects of umpiring, whether on the plate or on the bases, is simply through the proper use of our eyes. Timing is not waiting a specified amount of time before rendering your decision. It is not replaying the play in your head or asking yourself what you may have seen. In cases like this, the amount of “fake time” that has gone by has simply delayed an incorrect call by a second or two. Waiting that second or two will not allow an umpire to factor in and process all of the critical elements of the play. Using your eyes properly will allow you to process the play and all of its elements better. It creates the element of time that we all talk about without even thinking about it. Umpires who use their eyes properly have perfect timing.

The question becomes on all plays: When is a runner truly out on a force play, on a tag play and on a catch or no catch? Only our eyes can answer those questions. When we don’t use our eyes, that’s when we begin to miss calls or guess on them. Some of us are better guessers than others.

Force Plays

When we begin to break down force plays, once an umpire has

determined the ball has entered the fielder’s glove based on the sound of the glove, and viewed that fielder is still in contact with the base, now and only now does the element of time come into play. If we take a deeper dive into this play, the runner can only be out if the fielder has firm and secure possession of the ball. How do we answer that question? By moving our head and our eyes directly to the fielders’ glove to confirm exactly that. Now — and I do not suggest doing this — the verbal is essentially, “Now, you’re out.” I say this because the runner is not out until we can confirm the last and most critical element of this play: Does the fielder still have the ball in his glove? Once again, without even knowing it, the umpire has created the timing we all talk about and has done it in the proper way.

Tag Plays

On a tag play, it is even more important we focus on the glove to avoid those uncomfortable moments where, because we did not use our eyes properly, an umpire calls a runner out and has to change the call because the ball has fallen out of the glove and is now lying on the ground. The same rules apply. Focus on the base/tag relationship: Once it’s determined the tag was applied to the runner before the runner safely reaches the bag, move your head and eyes to the glove to determine firm and secure possession of the ball at the completion of the tag. In many cases, the timing of this may take a bit longer, but this runner is not actually out until we have determined through proper use of our eyes the fielder’s possession of the ball has been secured through the entirety of the play.

Fly Balls

When we look at fly ball catches, no fly ball decision should ever be made until we have answered two very important questions: Did the fielder have firm and secure possession of the ball? Was there a voluntary release by the fielder? This can only be achieved by using

SURVEY SAYS ...

A recent Referee Twitter poll asked baseball umpires:

“Do you use a traditional mask or a one-piece ‘bucket’ when working the plate?”

Of the 81 respondents, 87.8 percent said they use the traditional two-piece mask/hat or mask/skull cap setup, while 12.2 percent employ the one-piece “bucket.”

TOOLS

Baseball Umpires Quiz

Are you a high school baseball umpire looking to sharpen your rulebook knowledge now that you are in the heart of the 2023 season?

The 2023 Referee Baseball Umpires Quiz is available online at referee.com. The free, multiple-choice quiz focuses exclusively on the 2023 NFHS rulebook and is sponsored by the National Association of Sports Officials and is prepared by the editors of Referee magazine.

DID YOU KNOW?

A number of significant high school baseball rule changes took effect for the 1985 season. The changes included:

•The ball became dead immediately on any balk or illegal pitch. This simplified the enforcement of the balk penalty since any play following a balk is nullified.

•Any runner is out and ejected for maliciously crashing into a fielder, even if the fielder was obstructing the basepath — malicious contact supersedes obstruction.

•A team may finish the game with eight players, if because of injury or illness, a player must leave the game when the team has no eligible substitute.

All three of those rule changes remain in effect for the 2023 season.

SOURCE: 12/84 REFEREE

TEST YOURSELF

In each question, decide which answer is correct for NFHS, NCAA or pro rules. Solutions: p. 85

1. With R1 on first base and no outs, F2 interferes with B2’s swing, but B2 hits a single to right field. R1 is thrown out attempting to advance to third. The offensive head coach states he elects to take the catcher’s obstruction instead of the result of the play.

a. Allow the catcher’s obstruction ruling. Place R1 at second and award B2 first.

b. The batter and all other runners advanced at least one base. The obstruction is ignored and the play stands.

c. The ball becomes dead immediately with catcher’s obstruction. B2 is awarded first and R1 is awarded second.

d. Allow the catcher’s obstruction ruling. Place R1 at third and award B2 first.

2. In the sixth inning with R3 on third and one out, B3 hits a fly ball to the center fielder for the second out. R3 tags up and scores on the play. Immediately after the play is over, it is determined the center fielder is an illegal player.

a. The center fielder is ejected. The out is nullified, the runner returns to third and the batter will come back to bat with the previous count.

b. The offensive team may choose whether to allow the play to stand or nullify the previous play and have the batter come back to bat with the previous count.

c. The out is nullified, the run still scores and the batter is able to come back to bat with the previous count.

d. The play stands. The illegal substitute and the player he replaced are removed from the game. A third player must enter.

3. B1 is crowding the front edge of the batter’s box and legally hits the pitch. After hitting the pitch, his stride-through places his front foot on the ground in front of and entirely outside the batter’s box while his back foot remains in the box. The batted ball bounces up and accidentally hits B1’s front leg.

a. Foul ball.

b. Fair ball.

c. B1 is immediately declared out.

d. B1 is awarded first base.

our eyes properly on these catch or no-catch situations. Many of these determinations will take even longer than tag plays based on outfielder position at the time of the catch, angles created by the base umpire while trying to decide on a catch or no catch, boundary decisions such as out-of-play lines or fences, or a fielder who is diving or rolling on the ground while attempting to make a catch. Many of these decisions are not easy, but it is even more important that we slow down, be set and let our eyes do all of the work before we make a call. One thing to note, firm and secure possession and voluntary release are defined differently at different levels of baseball. It is important to know the rules at your level and apply those rules along with these principles when going through the decision-making process.

In many cases, an evaluator can tell within the first play or two whether an umpire can work well. Good umpires know where to go on the field, look good in their uniform, are approachable and enjoy the game. Great umpires know how to handle people and situations on the field and are bionic. They don’t miss calls. One simple way to make sure you cut down on the number of missed calls is to use your eyes properly on every pitch as a plate umpire, and every force play, every tag play and on all fly ball decisions on the bases.

It seems simple, but it takes focus and hard work to achieve that. The best of the best are able to do that. Chris Marshall, Rochester, N.Y., is president of United Collegiate Umpires and serves as the coordinator of umpires for the America East, Metro Atlantic Athletic and Northeast conferences and the Ivy League. *

Here’s Your Free 90

By George Demetriou

There are more than 20 different ways for a batter to get from the batter’s box to first base, and several of them involve an award. Additionally, there are situations where runners can be awarded a single base (most runner awards are two bases). Except where noted, the material applies equally to NFHS, NCAA and pro rules.

Base on Balls

A walk is the most common award in baseball. To earn a walk, a batter need not do anything much beyond deciding to not swing at pitches outside the strike zone. The ball remains live when ball four is called and the batter-runner is permitted to overrun first base, the same as is allowed when hitting an infield grounder. The runner’s momentum is almost never an issue after he draws a walk. Most often, the batter-runner jogs to first and stops on the base. But, here is the exception:

Play 1: On a 3-2 pitch, B1 starts to swing and stops. The pitch gets away from F2 and rolls to the backstop. B1 takes off for first as the umpire calls the pitch a ball and appeals to the base umpire. The base umpire replies, “No, he didn’t go.” B1 overruns first and is tagged. Ruling 1: B1 is not out; he may remain at first (NFHS 8-2-7; NCAA 8-5i Exc.; pro 5.09b4 Exc.).

If an intentional base on balls is issued, the batter simply trots to first. There is no requirement for the pitcher to throw four pitches outside the strike zone. In the interest of pace of play, the walk can be declared by the defensive team’s head coach without any pitches thrown. In NFHS, the catcher or any coach can also inform the umpire of the base on balls. The declaration can be made at the start of an at-bat or anytime during one. The ball is declared dead in NFHS and NCAA when the award is announced (NFHS 2-4-3, 5-1-3; NCAA 2-7, NCAA interp.; pro 5.05b1 Cmt., Base on Balls Definition).

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CASEPLAYS

No Balk on Appeal

Play: With R2 on second, B2 singles to score R2, but R2 misses third. When the ball is returned to the infield, F6 requests and is granted “time.” F1 subsequently engages the rubber. When the plate umpire says, “Play,” F1 steps toward third from the rubber and throws to F5, who appeals the missed base. Ruling: R2 is out. That is a permissible and proper appeal procedure. However, under NFHS rules a verbal appeal can be made while the ball is dead and that is the preferred approach (NFHS 8-2-1 Pen.; NCAA 8-6b10; pro 6.02a4).

Far Enough?

Play: With R2 on second, F6 has the ball hidden under his arm. F1 bends down to scrape mud off his shoes with one foot on the dirt portion of the mound and one foot on the grass. F6 tags R2 while he is off the base. Ruling: In NFHS, R2 is out unless F1 was within five feet of the pitching plate. The standard mound configuration is an 18-foot circle, which would place F1 about nine feet from the rubber. In NCAA and pro, a balk is called. The pitcher cannot be on the dirt portion of the mound without the ball (NFHS 6-2-5; NCAA 9-3f; pro 6.02a9).

No Overheating

Play: Jones, the starting pitcher, takes the mound to start the sixth inning. How many warmup pitches may he take? Ruling: In NFHS and NCAA, he may take no more than five warmup pitches. In pro, he can take as many as he can complete within the allotted time interval between innings (NFHS 6-2-2 Exc.; NCAA 9-2; pro 5.07b).

Point of Origin

Play: With R1 on first stealing on the pitch, B2 hits a ground ball to F6, who throws to second, but R1 is safe at second. F4 then tries to throw out B2, who has not reached first base, but the ball gets by F3 and goes into the dugout. Ruling: The award is two bases from the time of the throw because the throw by F4 is not the first play by an infielder, but a subsequent play.R1 is awarded home and B2 second (NFHS 8-35; NCAA 8-3o3 Note 1 and 2; pro 5.06b4G).

Hit by Pitch

A batter is awarded first base if he is hit anywhere on his person or uniform by a pitch unless he swings at the pitch or the pitch is in the strike zone when it strikes him. In both those cases, the ball is dead, no runners can advance and a strike is called. If it’s the third strike, the batter is out (NFHS 8-1-1d1; NCAA 8-2d; pro 5.05b2, 5.06c1, 5.09a6).

The issue of the batter’s responsibility when a pitch is thrown near him involves a fine distinction. NCAA and pro rules require the batter to attempt to get out of the way in order to be awarded first base, while NFHS states he is awarded first base unless he permits the pitch to hit him.

NCAA takes this issue a step further and distinguishes between pitches that are clearly inside the

vertical lines of the batter’s box and those that are not. If the batter freezes and the umpire rules there was nothing he could do to get out of the way and he is hit by a pitch that is clearly inside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, he is awarded first. If the pitch is clearly outside the vertical lines of the batter’s box, the batter must make an effort to avoid being hit by the pitch (NFHS 8-1-1d1; NCAA 6-4c, 8-2d1b; pro 5.05b2).

Play 2: F1 throws a fastball in the middle of the batter’s box. B1 is caught flat-footed and the ball strikes him in the middle of the back. Ruling 2: B1 is a hit batsman since he did not swing at the pitch. He is awarded first.

Play 3: B1 takes a stance leaning over the plate. The pitch is high, near the inside edge of the plate. B1 freezes and allows the pitch to hit

There are several base awards that result in a batter-runner only being granted one base, as MLB umpire Ben May, Racine, Wis., does here in a hit-by-pitch situation. BILL GREENBLATT/UPI

the top of his shoulder that is out of the batter’s box. Ruling 3: The ball is dead and is a ball. B1 is not awarded first.

In NFHS and pro, if the batter intentionally gets hit by moving or rolling any part of his body into the pitch, a ball or strike is called depending on whether it was in the strike zone when it touched the batter. In NCAA, the location of the pitch does not matter. It is called a strike regardless.

Catcher Interference

If the catcher interferes with the batter’s swing and a play follows, the ball is not immediately dead and the umpire will allow the play to continue. If the batter reaches first base and all other runners advance at least one base, the interference is ignored. A runner who misses the first base to which he is advancing and who is subsequently called out for a baserunning infraction is

When the batter is obstructed by the catcher, as shown here, three different outcomes are possible: a one-base award to the batter-runner, the offense choosing the outcome of the play, or the obstruction being ignored because the batter-runner reached first base and all baserunners advanced one base.

the mechanics that $2495

5 MINUTES WITH ROBERT FAULKENS

Age: 60

Hometown: Indianapolis

Experience: Now in 13th year with the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA); currently serves as assistant commissioner in charge of baseball, football and wrestling, and other assigned duties. Incoming chair for the NFHS Baseball Rules Committee.

REFEREE: Have you noticed a shift in the high school game as far as how much players are pushing the envelope when it comes to sportsmanship and bench jockeying?

FAULKENS: Absolutely. And of course the pendulum has swung in my 13 years. Initially, it was not an issue. It became an issue, and now it’s becoming less of an issue because we’re paying more attention to it. So, I can certainly say I’ve seen it at both ends of the spectrum. And we’re at the point now where because it’s being addressed and it is a point of emphasis, it is becoming less and less of an issue in the numbers than it was just a couple years ago.

REFEREE: When it did spike, what was the biggest concern?

FAULKENS: Just the behavior, the language, the antics that were not representative of any scholastic-based entity or activity. It was at the point where it was something that was really alarming.

REFEREE: We’ve seen some highprofile issues with sportsmanship at higher levels in recent years. Do you

worry about high school kids seeing these things on television and social media and it leading to a trickle-down effect?

FAULKENS: Yeah, we always worry about that. But we’re also confident that if our coaches address it that we can get it under control. Again, if it’s not a point of emphasis, we become lax. Then until it becomes an issue, a lot of people don’t address it because there are other things that become hot spots. Then you pay attention to those. And, of course, water is going to seek the lowest level. When you’re not paying attention to one thing it becomes an issue. Then when you pay attention to that, something else becomes an issue.

REFEREE: You mentioned the need for coaches to address these issues. How do you feel umpires are handling these situations overall? Are they doing a good job using the tools available to them as spelled out in the NFHS rulebook for addressing these issues?

FAULKENS: They’re doing the best they can, but they’re human as well. All umpires have their own tolerance level for what seems appropriate and what’s not. When you leave it to those individuals to do their own interpretations, again, that leads to maybe issues happening because one day what you said is acceptable and the next day it’s not. I think we need to do a better job providing clear-cut guidelines about what is acceptable and what is not, and we’re moving in that direction.

REFEREE: A lot of fans look at these situations and want to excuse them in the name of “having fun.” How do you balance that tightrope of allowing the participants to enjoy the game, but not crossing the line into unsporting behavior?

FAULKENS: You mentioned sportsmanship and fair play. You don’t have fun at the expense of your opponent. That’s just not good sportsmanship. You don’t do it to show someone up. You don’t do it for that reason. I’m reminded of the saying, “Your right to swing your fists ends at the other person’s face.” So when you do something that is offensive to another person, an opponent, a fan, then you’ve gone beyond the bounds of having fun and it needs to be addressed. It’s unacceptable in any way, shape or form.

considered to have advanced one base for the purpose of this rule. If the above does not occur and a batted ball follows the interference, the offense may elect to decline the interference penalty, which is a onebase award, and accept the results of the play (NFHS 8-1-1e, 8-1-2a; NCAA 8-2e1, 8-2e2; pro 5.05b3).

Under NCAA and pro rules, if the interference occurs while a runner on third is trying to score by means of a steal or squeeze play, the runner is awarded home, the batter is awarded first and the pitcher is charged with a balk (NCAA 8-3p; pro 5.05b3 Cmt., 6.01g). Under NFHS rules, there is no balk; runners advance only if forced unless they were attempting to advance (8-1-1e1).

Play 4: With runners on second and third, a squeeze play is called. R2 holds and as R3 bears down on the plate, the catcher prematurely jumps up and interferes with B1. Ruling 4: B1 is awarded first and R3 is awarded home. In NCAA and pro, R2 advances to third on the balk, but he remains at second in NFHS.

Overthrows

When the ball is thrown out of play, the award by rule is two bases, either from the time of the pitch or the time of the throw, but sometimes that cannot happen (NFHS 8-3-3c3; NCAA 8-3o4 Note 2; pro 5.06b4G Cmt.).

Play 5: With R1 on first, B2 hits a fly ball to short right field. R1 holds up between first and second and B1 rounds first and pulls up behind R1. The ball drops and F9, in throwing to first, sends the ball over the fence. Ruling 5: By rule, both R1 and B2 should be awarded two bases, which would put both runners on third. Since no runner may be advanced beyond the base to which he is entitled, R1 is placed at third and B2 is held at second base.

Other notable one-base awards include balks, pickoff attempts from the rubber and, in some cases, obstruction.

George Demetriou, Colorado Springs, Colo., is the state’s rules interpreter. *

Incoming NFHS baseball chair discusses sportsmanship in the game.

Left, Left, Left-Right-Left

Umpires are taught that 90 percent of what happens on the field can usually be found in 10 percent of the rulebook, but they aren’t absolved from knowing all of the once-in-alifetime plays or situations that may occur.

A perfect example showed up at the beginning of the 2023 college baseball season, when Mississippi State University started a pitcher who is ambidextrous. Believe it or not, this rarity is covered in all three rule codes.

While a pitcher may be talented enough to throw with either arm, he’s not allowed to do so during the course of an at-bat. Instead, he must declare which arm he is going to throw with and then use only that arm until the batter’s at-bat comes to an end.

The exact rule language is as follows in each code:

•If a pitcher is ambidextrous, the umpire shall require the pitcher to face a batter as either a lefthanded pitcher or right-handed pitcher, but not both (NFHS 6-1). If the pitcher delivers a pitch with both hands during an at-bat, at the time of the infraction it is an illegal pitch and a ball is awarded to the batter. If there is a runner on base, it is a balk (NFHS 6-1 Pen.).

•The pitcher shall not pitch both right-handed and left-handed to the same batter during a plate appearance (NCAA 9-2k). If a pitcher changes pitching hands during a batter’s time at bat, the umpire shall call a balk if a runner is on base, call a ball for an illegal pitch if there are no runners on base, warn the pitcher or eject the pitcher if the offense is repeated (NCAA 9-2k Pen.).

•A pitcher must indicate visually to the umpire-in-chief, the batter and any runners the hand with which he intends to pitch, which may be done by wearing his glove on the other hand while touching the pitcher’s plate. The pitcher is not permitted to pitch with the other hand until the batter is retired, the batter becomes a runner, the inning ends, the batter is substituted for by a pinch hitter or the pitcher incurs an injury. Also, in the event a pitcher switches pitching hands during an at-bat because he has suffered an injury, he may not, for the remainder of the game, pitch with the hand from which he has switched (pro 5.07f). However, pro rules do not specify a penalty. Simply put, the umpires are supposed to declare the ball dead and shut down play if a pitcher attempts to violate the rule. *

fonzy

ALFONSO ‘FONZY’ MÁRQUEZ LOST A VICE AND GAINED STARDOM

By Dan Ronan

Major League Baseball umpire Alfonso Márquez was driving April 21, 2005, to an early season game in Tampa, Fla., when he got the news. His close friend, 37-year-old NHL linesman Stéphane Provost, died in a motorcycle accident at about 3:30 a.m. in Weston, Fla. Earlier that night, Márquez, Provost and friends had gotten together at the Hard Rock Cafe after Márquez’s crew worked a game in Miami.

“We were very close,” Márquez said. “Not only did we wear the same number, 72, but we were both immigrants to the U.S., and Stéphane and I both loved motorcycles. We hit it off immediately. I even took his motorcycle for a ride that night. I thought the person who called me was kidding. It was a very hard day.”

Years after his friend’s death, Márquez keeps one of Provost’s NHL striped shirts in his equipment trunk and has hung

the shirt in his umpiring locker at every stadium he worked. And in the center of his chest protector, there’s a 72 patch NHL officials wore to honor Provost.

Márquez says Provost’s death was one of a number of incidents over the intervening years that indicated to him he needed to make some significant changes in his life. At 28, in the last month of the 1999 MLB season, he had achieved his goal of making it to the major leagues. He was hired full time a few months later, and he was a highly regarded umpire.

But problems off the field were looming. Fellow crew members and friends had told him on more than one occasion that he was drinking too much. They feared he might get a DUI and lose his MLB job or end up in other trouble.

“This was definitely another piece in the puzzle. It made me reflect a bit. It was part of it,” he said. “I was a ‘I would have a drink every day’ type of guy.”

But it would be another four years before Márquez made the decision to stop drinking once and for all.

“I’ve known Fonzy for 30 years,” recently retired MLB umpire and crew chief Ted Barrett said. “It’s been a long relationship. He’s my best friend.

Alfonso Márquez looks on during an MLB game between the Miami Marlins and the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 14, 2018, at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

ANDY LEWIS/ICON SPORTSWIRE DHW

We do a lot of things together.

“It got to a point where I kept thinking he would hit rock bottom. He never did. He just kind of kept going. And, you know, I feared for a couple of things. No. 1, that he loses his job. Or he’d turn up, you know, dead or in jail somewhere after a night of drinking.”

Barrett, an ordained minister who retired from MLB after 28 years on the field to pursue his calling as a minister, gave Márquez an ultimatum, telling him the friendship was over unless he stopped drinking.

“I finally got to the point where I had enough,” Barrett said. “And he’s not listening. He’s not going to listen. And he’s going to end up in a bad spot.

“But it was because of his wife, Staci. She never gave up on him.”

Eventually, Márquez saw the light and knew he needed to make some changes. But it didn’t come easily.

“I’m stubborn, hard-headed, and set in my ways,” he said. “I wasn’t ready to admit a lot of things. We always feel these things aren’t going to happen to you, and I was lucky enough to be able to say, enough is enough. I need to stop.”

Márquez says his decision to give up alcohol also came with a spiritual awakening that has brought him to a contentment he had never felt before and recognition things needed to change.

“I started thinking about the sacrifices my family made to come to this country, the amount of time, effort and sacrifice it took for me to get to the big leagues, and all the blessings that came with that — my wife and three children were all going to be put in jeopardy,” he said.

“It would have been very stupid of me to put all of that in jeopardy by continuing to keep drinking. It was actually controlling my life. So I just had to step away and quit drinking.”

Coming to America

Of all the MLB and Triple-A umpires currently working, Márquez may have had the most difficult road to achieving the highest level in his chosen field.

He was born into poverty in 1972 in the tiny pueblo of La Encarnación in the Mexican state of Zacatecas.

At age 7, his father, Antonio Márquez, made the decision to seek a better life in the U.S. and moved to California, leaving the family behind for a year and promising to bring his wife, Hermelinda Márquez, 8-year-old daughter Cecilia, and Alfonso to the U.S. as soon as possible. Alfonso also has an older sister,

Aurora, who remained in Mexico and lives in Guadalajara.

Another sister, Hermelinda, named after his mother, was born in the U.S. after the family settled here.

“He worked for a year to save some money and pay for us to come up here,” Márquez said, recounting the story of how he arrived in the U.S. “We got on a bus and rode it for two days to Tijuana.”

He recalls the family spent the night in a “nasty hotel” before continuing the journey with the help of a “coyote,” who was paid to smuggle the three across the border into Southern California.

“We just started moving toward it and hiding,” he said, recalling the events of that extraordinary day. “Every so often, the Border Patrol would cruise by and kind of shine the light and spotlight, and we would just hide. Then I got to the point where I guess my sister and I got a little tired. So he came and picked us up one under each arm, and away we went.

“I remember coming up to a huge chain-link wall or a fence, and there was a hole. We were put through that hole, and we were trying to walk in the dark. I do remember being scared, not knowing where I was, and I just

(Above) A picture of Alfonso Márquez’s dad’s house in Mexico.

(Left) A photo of Márquez’s great grandparents. (Right) Alfonso and his sister, Cecilia, in an early childhood photo.

knew that we were going to go see Dad.”

But they still had a long way to go once they got to the U.S.

“We got to this house, and it got dark. And I just remember the coyote saying, ‘Just crawl on the floor and find an open spot. And tomorrow morning, we’ll go the rest of the way,’” Márquez said, emphasizing every detail of that trip. “We slept on the floor in the house, woke up the next morning and there were a bunch of people in that house.”

A few days later, the family was reunited in El Monte, Calif., east of Los Angeles.

“We hadn’t seen him for a year, and I just remember we were dropped off there, and my dad was there, and life began in the United States. This was back in 1978,” he said. “I wasn’t even 8 years old.”

The family relocated to Fullerton, where his dad was a gardener and his mother worked as a seamstress. Márquez didn’t speak English, but he was anxious to learn, and the school was bilingual.

Márquez says he was a good student and he learned a valuable lesson about integrity when he got caught cheating while in a class at Nicolas Junior High School.

“There was this teacher, Mr. Jim Schlotthauer, a history teacher I really liked. He was awesome, but I got caught cheating on one of his tests,” Márquez said. “He threw me out of his class. But I wanted to stay, and he made me carry a card stating I was doing good and attending classes. Every teacher had to sign it, and I became a straight-A student and went to high school, taking honors classes.”

A few years ago, the 40-year veteran teacher and Márquez

Alfonso Márquez (left) began his journey to MLB by attending an umpire school in Florida run by Joe Brinkman (right). (Second photo) Márquez (right) contemplated dropping out of school after two days, but classmate Scott Nelson (left) convinced him to stay. The two became friends and worked some MLB games together.

reunited when Schlotthauer, who was still at the school, invited Márquez to speak at his old junior high.

“We’re very proud of Alfonso,” Juan Fonseca, Fullerton School District’s community liaison, said. “After he was done speaking to the class, he stuck around and talked one-on-one to the students, signed autographs and was very friendly.”

A Fire Ignited

In both junior high and later at Fullerton High School, Márquez was a member of both the basketball and baseball teams. And it was there he first became interested in officiating because of a play during a summer league game when he was 12.

“I hit an inside-thepark home run but I missed second base,” he said, recounting that moment. “They appealed to the base umpire. Ken Avey was his name. He’s since passed. They appealed, and he called me out.”

Rather than argue the call, Márquez made a point after the game to find Avey and politely get an explanation of the rule.

“He was in the parking lot afterward, and I started asking questions about how he saw the call, what he was looking for, the rule and about umpiring,” Márquez said. “I was interested, and I thought if I do that in the

summer, I can make a little money.”

Márquez was hooked. His mentor, Avey, encouraged him and helped get him started with the local association.

“I started with the little guys, the tee-ballers, and then onto Fullerton Pony League. The inside-the-park home run was on the first field I ever umpired a game on, Amerige Park,” Márquez said. “I knew once I finished high school, I knew umpiring was it. I enjoyed it a lot. I was trying to find ways to raise money to go to umpire school.”

Umpiring money and a loan from Larry Cawhorn, an older umpire with whom he became friends, gave Márquez just enough money for a round-trip plane ticket from California and tuition for the Joe BrinkmanBruce Froemming Umpire School in Florida in the winter of 1993.

“Larry gave the money to get to the school,” Márquez said. “Between my uncle and Larry, I was able to get tuition, the flight and pay for the meal plan at school.”

Brinkman, now retired, said Márquez was a diamond in the rough on the backfields in Cocoa Beach, Fla., home of the umpire school Márquez attended.

“He was one of those guys who showed promise right in

(First photo)

“I’M STUBBORN, HARD-HEADED, AND SET IN MY WAYS, I WASN’T READY TO ADMIT A LOT OF THINGS.”

the beginning,” Brinkman said. “He had a knack for it. He got our interest, and he’s proved it as he’s one of the better umpires now in the big leagues.

“He really wanted it. He realized there was an opportunity, and he put that extra effort into it. He went the extra mile.”

But Márquez’s dream was nearly derailed at the beginning of the trip to Florida.

“Two days in the school, I almost went home,” he said. “I didn’t have any money, not an extra penny. And I went to the wrong field and the instructors started giving me a hard time, and I thought I should just go home.

“I met a guy, a classmate named Scott Nelson, and he said, ‘Let’s go to Denny’s and go eat and study the rules. I have a car and a credit card.’”

Nelson and Márquez would work some MLB games together in 2001, 2002 and 2003 when Nelson was a Triple-A call-up. Nelson would umpire 69 major league games before being released. The two remain friends.

Márquez finished strong enough at umpire school to be promoted to the Umpire Development Program’s extended camp and appeared to be on a fast track to being promoted.

He spent six-and-a-half years in the minors, working in the Arizona Fall League, Arizona Instructional League, Northwest League, Midwest League, California League, Southern League and Pacific Coast League

before getting the call to the Show.

“I was lucky, blessed, it was basically one year at every level, and I kept getting promoted,” he said. “I got to Triple-A and then the fall league, and when I got to my first major league spring training, Marty Springstead, the American League supervisor of umpiring, said an umpire was ill and they needed me for games in Arizona.”

This was before MLB’s decision to merge the umpiring staffs from the two separate leagues into one, under the supervision of the Commissioner’s office.

“The next year, I got hired by the National League,” Márquez said. “The American League was interested, but when all that stuff went down in 1999, the National League hired me.”

That “stuff” refers to the illfated move by the umpires union to stage a mass resignation in order to force negotiations with MLB for a new labor agreement. In all, 57 umpires submitted their resignations during the season, and the leagues replaced 22 of them with Triple-A call-ups, some of whom are still on the field today.

Welcome to the Show

Márquez worked his first MLB game on Aug. 13, 1999, in the second game of a doubleheader

between the Montreal Expos and Colorado Rockies.

“I was in Colorado Springs when they said we should go to Denver for my first big-league game, and my first game in the big leagues was behind the plate,” he said with pride.

He worked 30 games that season and joined the staff full time for the 2000 season.

Márquez has quickly cemented his reputation on the field as one of the game’s leaders, and he’s respected by his peers.

“In the final evaluations, I always told my instructors, ‘Is this student someone you’d want to go on the field with?’ Alfonso is that type of umpire,” Brinkman said.

Márquez and veteran crew chief Larry Vanover were together for four seasons, with Márquez serving as Vanover’s No. 2 man on the crew the final two seasons, a position that in most cases results in that umpire eventually leading his own crew.

“I like Alfonso as a person,” Vanover said. “I think he’s a really good umpire. He is as solid as they come, day in and day out.

“I didn’t know him, and we were kind of thrown together. The office was trying to match crews and they called and asked how about Alfonso Márquez as your No. 2. We were put together, and we had a great year. We got along off the field and we worked together very, very well. He knew what I was thinking and I knew what he was thinking. It was very positive and we stayed together for several years.”

In 2020, Márquez got the opportunity to lead his own crew. At 47, he left Vanover’s crew and was named a crew chief, becoming only the second Hispanic person to hold that honor, following longtime crew chief Rich Garcia.

In a wonderful marriage with his longtime wife, Staci, their children grown, and beginning

(Left) Nowretired MLB umpire Ted Barrett (left) officiated when Alfonso Márquez (right) got married. Barrett’s wife Tina (second from left) and Márquez’s wife Staci (second from right) became fast friends and the two families live near each other in Arizona. (Right) Márquez, who was born in Mexico, proudly became a U.S. citizen in 2021.

his 24th MLB season, Márquez has amassed a significant resume that promises only to get better if he stays healthy and on the field for another decade.

At the end of the 2022 season, he had umpired 2,766 regular season games and 105 playoff or special event games, including four World Series (2006, 2011, 2015 and 2021), six League Championship Series (2003, 2008, 2013, 2016, 2017 and 2022), 11 Division Series (2001, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2021), as well as the 2006 and 2018 All-Star Games.

By comparison, retired veteran umpire Gerry Davis worked 152 playoff or special event games. Joe West, baseball’s all-time total games leader, had 135 postseason or special event games.

Márquez has already been recognized by the Mexican Professional Baseball Hall of Fame in Monterrey, which has an exhibit to honor his MLB accomplishments.

Barrett says if Márquez does continue umpiring for another decade, he could put together a body of work that puts him among the all-time greats of the profession.

“Alfonso is a guy who deserves all the accolades that he gets and the ones he’s going to get,” he said. “I think one day we might all be sitting with him at Cooperstown when they enshrine him (in the Baseball Hall of Fame).”

Circle of Friends

Now an American citizen — he went through the citizenship process in late 2021 — Márquez still returns to his native Mexico on a regular basis. He sometimes takes along his MLB colleagues, including Barrett, to lead umpiring clinics and teach amateur and professional umpires on the finer points of the game.

“Fonzy represents not just Major League Baseball and his

family but the whole country of Mexico and especially where he’s from down there in Zacatecas,” Barrett said.

Márquez remains very close to his extended family. Before COVID, before MLB umpire rooms were highly restricted after games, it was not unusual to see friends and family members meeting with Márquez and planning events with him, especially in Los Angeles or Phoenix, where he now lives full time.

Ironically, when he and Staci were looking to move into a neighborhood, they found a house near the Barrett family, and they’re now not only best of friends but live nearby.

“We do a lot of things together, and we ride motorcycles together. We’ve got a group of guys we ride with, and we do that together. So we see each other quite a bit,” Barrett said.

“We’re like a family, and now that I’m retired, and I’m not traveling as much seven months of the year, I think we may actually see each other more.”

Márquez also works with Barrett on Barrett’s Calling for Christ ministry. He also volunteers in the umpires’ nonprofit charity UMPS CARE,

which provides numerous programs for organizations from youth-based charities to visiting VA hospitals.

Márquez’s friends said his marriage to Staci, his faith, his decision not to drink and his determination to always push himself harder have put him in this position of leadership.

“He’s really in the top tier of the profession now, in terms of what he is doing on the field, in terms of how he handles himself. He’s really in the top echelon of the profession,” Barrett said. “He’s at the top of the top.”

And for Márquez, the journey is not something he takes lightly. He understands things could have turned out much differently than where they are.

“I’m very fortunate. I don’t take what I have for granted, what this country has given me, Staci, my family and of course, my faith,” Márquez said.

Dan Ronan is a Washington, D.C. journalist who is the Managing Producer/Senior Reporter at Transport Topics and a news anchor on SiriusXM Radio and all-news WTOP-FM. He is a retired NCAA baseball umpire and a small-college and high school basketball referee. *

Alfonso Márquez keeps former NHL linesman Stephane Provost’s jersey in his equipment locker as a remembrance to his good friend who died in a motorcycle accident.

SIGNAL STRENGTH

Clear, Decisive Signals Communicate

By Erin Peterson

Umpire signals serve multiple purposes throughout the game. Clear and decisive signals are paramount to communicate effectively with everyone involved in the game. Our signals tell the players, coaches, fans and our partners what we saw — or didn’t see — to determine the outcome of the play. Everyone involved in the game from the coaches to the fans in the outfield should understand your signals.

Confidence

A strong signal communicates umpires’ confidence in their calls. A strong signal is achieved by starting from a set position, having your arms complete the full motion of the signal prior to returning to your body, and not moving back to your starting position until the signal is completed. Not only does the strength of your signal matter, the timing of the signal is extremely important as well. Wait for the play to be complete to avoid the dreaded double signal. A lazy, poor or double signal creates doubt in

those watching you and will lead to more questions and arguments.

Having strength in routine signals shows we are committed to each call and treat every call with importance. On the routine play, get set prior to the play happening, watch the entire play, then execute your signal. You never know when the routine will become the complicated, and if you are unprepared the signal will lack confidence and conviction.

A strong signal doesn’t mean everything should be a sell call. An

Andy Pellerito, Tustin, Calif., gives a strong safe signal and verbalizes the call to show confidence and to communicate effectively with everyone on the field.

out or safe should only be sold when the play is close or the outcome is not obvious. Sell calls need increased emphasis to match the intensity of the play. Umpires need to remain calm when completing a sell call, be set, keep balance and never lose control. Remember, the game is continuing and you may have more responsibilities that require your immediate attention.

Some plays require multiple signals, and the first signal will provide justification for the call. For example, an off-the-base signal should come before the safe signal (as shown in PlayPic A). The point (as shown in PlayPic B on the next page) prior to a signal communicates more detail, such as, “I saw a tag,” “They were on the bag,” or, “The ball is on the ground.” It should only be used when emphasizing you saw something out of the routine. It should not be overused; it is not a timing mechanism. Your partners and the coaches need to know you saw something that required the point.

There are times when verbal communication is needed to go along with a signal. When using verbal communication, less is more. One word or short phrases will be the easiest to understand by game participants. “Tag,” “No tag,” “Safe,” “Out,” “No catch” and “Dead ball”

are good examples of concise and clear communication. “The ball is on the ground,” “We have interference,” or “The tag was with the wrong hand” are too long and will lead to confusion and more questions. The volume of the verbal communication should match the intensity of the call — routine signals can come with quiet verbal communication while sell signals should be louder.

Signals also need to be held long enough for people to see them. On a fair/foul call, we should give a big, clear signal and hold it for a second or two. This allows someone who watches the ball time to then look at you and know the outcome. Our signals aren’t secrets; they are forms of communication that need to be uniform and clear. A strong signal held for the right amount of time will communicate to everyone involved in the game what has happened.

While standard umpire signals are important, umpire-to-umpire signals should not be overlooked. Clear signals between umpires are important for the crew. Those signals show the other crew members you are in the game and committed to working with your partners to umpire the best possible game. Completing the umpire-to-umpire signals each and every time provides the opportunity for umpires to correct potential

QUICKTIP

Always bring all of your equipment to every game. You never know when a partner may get stuck in traffic, forget something, have an emergency, get injured, etc. If you are scheduled to work the bases, bring your plate gear just in case. And always bring a jacket as you never know when the weather may change. It is better to be overprepared and not need it than need it and not have it.

DID YOU KNOW?

On Feb. 26, the top two ranked teams in NCAA softball squared off as No. 1 UCLA faced No. 2 Oklahoma in the Mary Nutter Collegiate Classic in Cathedral City, Calif. The game was aired on the MLB Network, making it the first collegiate softball game to ever air on the network. The umpires for the game were Paul “Smokey” Edds, Jim Bertuzzi and Tanya Garig. Oklahoma won the game, 14-0, in five innings.

TOOLS

Force 3 Ultimate 32-inch Equipment Bag on Wheels

AAre you looking for an umpire bag to carry all your gear and uniforms? Are you looking for something lightweight that can also fit on an airplane for when you travel to games or tournaments? The Force 3 Ultimate Equipment Bag is a must have. The bag, which weighs less than 14 pounds, meets airline specifications and is plenty big enough to carry all your stuff. The bag also comes with two folding bags that fit in the bottom compartment to carry and keep your uniforms neat and clean. The bag sells for $149.99 and can be found at your favorite officials’ gear retailer.

TEST YOURSELF

Each of the following includes a situation and possible answer(s). Decide which are correct for USA, NFHS, NCAA or USSSA rules and which might vary. Solutions: p. 85

1. B1, with a 1-1 count, swings and hits a ball that nicks off F2’s glove. The ball strikes F2’s helmet, deflecting forward into fair territory where it is caught in flight by F1.

a. B1 is out on the caught fly ball. Since the ball first went directly to F2’s glove, it cannot be a foul ball if caught by a member of the defensive team.

b. Foul ball and play resumes with B1 at bat with a 1-2 count.

2. With R1 on first and one out, B3 nicks a pitch that goes straight from the bat to F2’s glove, pops up in the air and is caught by F2. R1, on the contact, breaks for second. F2, after securing the ball, throws the ball to F6 at second, who tags R1 before reaching second base.

a. Foul tip, the ball is live, R1 is out at second and B3 continues batting with a strike added to the count.

b. Foul ball, the ball is dead, R1 is returned to first and B3 continues batting with a strike added to the count.

c. Live ball, B3 is out on the catch and R1 is out on the tag at second.

3. B1 hits a ground ball to F6. She beats the throw to first but steps completely over the base without touching it. F3 then catches the throw while contacting first base.

a. B1 is out and the base umpire should call and signal out.

b. The base umpire should call and signal safe, but B1 may be called out on proper appeal before she returns to first base.

c. The umpire should make no call and wait until a proper appeal is made on B1 or wait until B1 returns to first before making any call.

4. With R2 on second base, B2 hits a ground ball to F6. R2 starts toward third base on contact. As R2 gets in front of F6, she stops and screens F6 from seeing the ball. Before the ball hits her, R2 begins running again toward third. F6 misses the ball and R2 touches third and advances home. B2 stops at first base.

a. Legal play, all play stands.

b. The ball is immediately dead, R2 is called out for interference and B2 is awarded first.

c. The ball is immediately dead, R2 is guilty of interference and returned to second base and B2 is ruled out.

d. The ball is immediately dead, R2 is guilty of interference and both R2 and B2 are ruled out.

mistakes before they happen. It is an opportunity to clue in a partner who may not be aware of a situation prepitch or it may simply remind the crew to be alert for potential plays.

It is important to use the prescribed umpire-to-umpire mechanics in the manual in order to create consistency and avoid confusion.

Use the tips and techniques to help elevate your game. They will help you develop as a strong communicator, a partner others want to work with and a trusted umpire coaches want to see.

Erin Peterson, Seattle, is an NCAA umpire for the Pac-12 and Big Ten conferences and has worked two NCAA Women’s College World Series. She is a USA Elite and WBSC certified umpire. *

Read Then React

The two-umpire system can create a lot of headaches in terms of coverage, especially when multiple runners are involved. Such is the case with runners on first and third and there is a ball hit in the infield (as shown in the MechaniGram). In this particular situation, the most important thing for the umpires is to read the play and react, as a multitude of outcomes can occur.

Let’s start with the plate umpire. The first responsibility is ruling fair/ foul if the ball is hit near the line. If the ball is down either line, the plate umpire should move to that foul line extended to get a read on the play. If the ball is not near a line, the plate umpire should clear the catcher and initially move toward the holding position between third and home. If R3 immediately breaks for home, be

prepared to move back home and make the call. If there is a play at first base, the plate umpire is responsible for assisting with a pulled foot or swipe tag if asked by the base umpire. The plate umpire would then also be responsible for any plays on R3 at third base or at home and would also be responsible for any subsequent plays on R1 at third base or home.

One thing the plate umpire needs to be aware of is the initial movement of R3. Too often, the plate umpire gets hyper-focused on the ball and forgets there is a runner on third. There have been multiple instances where the plate umpire either accidentally trails the batter-runner to first or moves up the line at third and ends up either in a throwing lane or directly in the path of R3. In these instances, contact would not be considered umpire interference and the umpire simply has to apologize for the error in moving into either of those positions. It is extremely important to pre-pitch these situations to avoid ending up in an embarrassing

position that could potentially cause injury to either a player or the umpire. The base umpire in this situation has a lot to process as well. With multiple runners on base, the first play in the infield could potentially be at any of the three bases, or at home. The base umpire is responsible for that first play on the infield at first, second or third. This is where reading the play becomes important because if the base umpire guesses where a play may happen and the ball ends up being thrown to a different location, the base umpire will be out of position to make a credible call. The base umpire should come out of the set position when the ball is hit and then be ready to move in any direction. If the first play is to first base, the base umpire should move to the left, toward second base, to get an angle to see the play at first. Ideally, the base umpire should take a few steps in toward first base as well, but depending on which fielder fields the ball and that fielder’s movement, that may not be possible.

If the first play is at second base, the base umpire should close down toward second and try to get a 90-degree angle from the throw to rule on a force out there. If the first play is to third base, in an attempt to get R3 out heading back to the bag, the base umpire should open up to third base and move into the diamond to see the action spot at the front of the third-base bag, as this will be a tag out and not a force out. Moving toward the thirdbase line or stepping back will actually make the call more difficult as it will take away the ability to see the front edge of the bag, the area to which the runner will be sliding back.

As the base umpire, be aware of secondary plays. It is important to stay out of throwing lanes and understand the potential for multiple plays exists in this situation. If there is a secondary play at third, it is important for the plate umpire to verbally communicate to the base umpire that the plate umpire is there to avoid multiple umpires making calls. *

Be ready when hit with the unexpected.

CASEPLAYS

Defensive Conference?

Play: In the top of the fourth inning, team A’s pitcher is struggling. The pitching coach asks for time and visits the pitcher’s circle. After the conference, the pitcher walks the next two batters on eight straight pitches. The catcher asks for time and visits the pitcher’s circle. Ruling: In NFHS, USA Softball and USSSA, this is not a conference. A conference is only charged if a manager or team representative from the dugout is granted time to meet with defensive players (NFHS 2-14-1; USA Softball 5-7b; USSSA 3-Conference, Charged). In NCAA, this would count toward one of the seven player-to-player conferences allowed (6.12.2).

Kicked Ball

Play: With a runner on first, B2 hits a ground ball to second base. F4 runs in to field the ball but muffs it. Instead of reaching down to pick up the ball, F4 kicks the ball over to F3 at first base. F3, while touching the bag, picks up the ball with the mitt before the batter-runner reaches first. Ruling: Legal play in all codes. The batter-runner is out and the half-inning is over. None of the rules codes prohibit kicking the ball by a fielder to another fielder.

Fourth Out Appeal

Play: With the bases loaded and one out, B5 hits a fly ball to center. F8 camps under the ball and all three runners retreat and tag up. F8 catches the ball and R2 tries to advance to third base. F8 throws the ball to F5, who tags R2 before the base. R3 crossed home plate before the out at third base. Before all the fielders leave the field, the defensive coach wants to appeal R1 left first base before the first touching of the ball. Ruling: In all codes, this is a timing play and the fourth-out appeal on R1 leaving the base early would not nullify the run. Because R3 legally tagged and crossed home plate before the third out was made on R2 at third base, the run counts. In NFHS, NCAA and USSSA, provided the team appeals properly, it could appeal for the fourth out, but it won’t eliminate the run (NFHS 2-1-13; NCAA 7.1.3; USSSA 9-9). In USA Softball, a fourth-out appeal may only be made on a runner who has scored but left a base too soon or missed a base (R/S 1M).

Mind That Message

By Brad Tittrington

There are times in a game when umpires need to relay messages, whether to a player or to a coach. Usually when an umpire is speaking with a player, it is preventive umpiring and trying to avoid a violation or penalty. However, it can be a dicey situation when umpires start conversing with players. Here are some tips on dealing with some common situations that occur during games and how to relay messages without crossing a line.

Illegal pitches. It is important to watch the warmup pitches, especially at the beginning of the game and each time a new pitcher comes to the circle. It is during those pitches when you can determine relatively quickly if the pitcher is doing something illegal. If you notice the pitcher doing something illegal, how do you handle it? It all depends on what the pitcher is doing. If it is something that is an easy fix, the base umpire can brush off the pitcher’s plate and quickly remind the pitcher not to do the illegal act (for example, while bending down to brush off the pitcher’s plate, you can mention the pitcher has to stay in contact with the front of the pitcher’s plate if the pitcher loses contact by either stepping or sliding the foot forward). The main thing is, don’t make it obvious. If you

make it obvious, the opposing team is going to think you are taking away an advantage from them.

Another way to relay a message is if the pitching coach or head coach remains at the pitching circle during a pitching change. If you notice the pitcher doing something illegal, mention it quickly and briefly to the coach and move back to your position. Remember, most coaches would prefer you talk to them instead of their players. There are a couple of reasons for this. One, coaches don’t want you coaching their players. Second, if an umpire tells a player that player is doing something wrong, it potentially could have a psychological effect on that player’s performance. If you let the coach correct the issue, it may not become a mental issue.

Obstruction. If you have obstruction on a fielder, it is usually in our nature to simply tell the player where they can and cannot stand during a play. However, if the player doesn’t specifically ask you what they did wrong, be careful about passing along information. Again, not all coaches teach their players the same on where to stand when making a play. This is especially true at home plate and how coaches teach catchers to receive the ball before making a play on the runner. Some coaches

hop to it

Often, umpires confuse leaping and crow hopping by pitchers. While leaping is legal in USA Softball and USSSA, crow hopping is illegal in all four codes (NFHS 2-16; NCAA 10.5.5; USA Softball R/S 40; USSSA 6-1e-3 Note 2) because of the huge advantage it gives to pitchers. Here is a breakdown of the crow hop in the picture below.

The pitcher loses contact with the ground with her pivot foot on the initial drive from the pitcher’s plate. In real time, you will see the pitcher’s initial drive have an upward motion off the pitcher’s plate as opposed to a straight line toward the plate. While the pitcher will lose contact as well on a leap, the mechanics are different as the pitcher’s pivot foot does not replant during a leap and drive a second time.

Another thing to notice is the placement of the pitcher’s hands. As she initially drives, both hands are in front of her body and she hasn’t yet begun her windmill action. The hands have yet to separate as she loses contact with the pitcher’s plate, a telltale sign of an illegal pitch.

Here, the pivot foot returns to the ground and bears weight a second time, which is considered a replant.

This allows the pitcher a second starting point to push off from while delivering the pitch. Considering the pitcher’s circle has an eight-foot radius, and she is more than halfway to the front of the circle, this decreases the distance significantly and gives the batter much less reaction time to adjust to the pitch. Notice the ball is now above the pitcher’s head and she will continue the release after pushing off a second time.

The ball finally comes through the hip on the release, and you will notice the pitcher is now at the front of the circle. This crow hop has decreased the distance to home by eight feet, meaning the pitcher is throwing from 35 feet instead of 43 feet. By not calling this illegal, it gives the pitcher a decided advantage over the offensive team.

teach their catchers to stay completely in fair territory, some teach to be behind the plate and then step forward after catching the ball, some teach them to straddle the plate at the point of the plate and then drop once the catcher catches the ball. Be careful not to tell a fielder where to stand as you may be telling that player something different than what the coach has instructed that player to do and now you’ve crossed over to coaching instead of umpiring.

Normally, if you call obstruction, the coach of the offending team is going to come out of the dugout and ask what you called. This is the time to explain to the coach what you had and let them explain it to the player. During this conversation, use rulebook language, such as, “Coach, your catcher was blocking the runner’s basepath without the ball,” as opposed to saying, “Your catcher must stand here so as not to block the runner’s basepath.”

Preventive umpiring. There are plenty of times in a game where something happens that doesn’t violate a rule, but might be on the edge or could potentially lead to a violation later in the game. In these situations, don’t be afraid to have a subtle conversation with a coach. One way to do this is between innings. Usually, after the third out of an inning, the third-base coach will grab the bat from the home-plate area. This is a great time to quickly relay a message to a coach (as shown in the PlayPic). Remember, the conversation should be quick and subtle. If you have a 60-second conversation, the opposing team will think something is up. Another easy way to relay a message is during a substitution. When the coach comes to you to make a change, you already have them within earshot and when you relay the message, it will appear you are discussing the change. Again, keep the conversation brief. On the flip side, if you need to approach the coach and

there is no substitution being made, you can pull out your lineup card and walk over to the coach and relay the message. Everyone will simply think you have a question about the lineup, when in reality, you are relaying whatever message you need to get across. This is a good way to handle chirping from a dugout about balls and strikes or a call where you can quickly give an “unofficial warning” and no one is the wiser, but you get your point across.

The most important thing to remember is you are an umpire, not a coach. Try to relay messages through the coach and allow the coach to take corrective action. It is a great way to build rapport with coaches, to work together to make the game go smoothly and avoid the appearance of coaching players.

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He umpires D-I softball and officiates women’s college and high school basketball, college and high school volleyball and high school football. *

tough rules made easy

MONTY MCCUTCHEN AQ &

At the professional level, perhaps no league has embraced a 21st century approach to officiating as strongly as the NBA. Referee talked to Monty McCutchen, the bow-tied senior vice president who oversees the league’s development and training of officials, about such wide-ranging topics as promoting young and diverse officials at an accelerated rate, working within the NBA’s “Respect the Game” initiative, the use of published late-game analyses to help improve officials’ accountability and more. The interview has been edited for conciseness and clarity.

If we go back 10 or 20 years and look at what someone needed to have to break into the NBA officiating ranks, they had to have a pretty substantial amount of officiating experience. Now, we’re starting to see a lot of officials who have less than a decade of officiating experience under their belt and they’re breaking into the NBA game. To what do you attribute that?

One of the distinctions I would make is that good training is good training. It doesn’t have to be at the NBA level or at the college

level or at the high school level. Good officiating really doesn’t change along those different markers of achievement. And so, for us, there is no conscious effort about when we get someone. We have a scouting department that looks at between 3,000 and 3,500 referees a year. Those are in summer camps, those are in high school seasons, those are all over the board. They’re out and about looking at referees. So we don’t care where someone is.

Is there a conscious effort to get officials while they’re younger and maybe haven’t developed bad habits yet? Have you found training has improved where officials are more advanced more quickly?

Age is not a determining factor for us. Can you apply the standards of what good officiating looks like? Can you stand in the proper place based on a mechanics system that has been presented to you? Can you look and sequence your eyes to pick within your primary coverage area aggressive or engaged matchups? Can you find the moving players within your primary coverage area? When people can apply that training they garner more attention, they

NBA SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF REFEREE DEVELOPMENT AND TRAINING

get fed more information. And we find that when people can apply large amounts of information in quick order, they advance quickly.

Now, I would challenge a little to the fact of what inexperience looks like. Seven or eight years, if six of them are in our G League, is six strong years of training, refereeing one of the best leagues in the world that is not the NBA. And it’s my own opinion, biased though it may be, that (the G League) is the second-best league in the entire world. So when you get 4-6 years worth of training under a same coaching system, under a same mechanics system, under consistent messaging, then that is very concentrated training.

Is how soon you can identify an official and get them into the NBA officiating pipeline more of a priority than requiring a certain amount of overall officiating experience?

One of the issues that all referees coming up have to deal with — this is no fault, I don’t place fault in it — is that when we’re young, we’re all having to answer to many different people with many different philosophies. And that dilutes training when you work in this league — if you have to do this and you have to do something different in another league. That doesn’t mean the training in various leagues is bad. It just means that you’re concentrating constantly on change. We are afforded the luxury at the NBA to have one system that works across our entire ecosystem.

In addition to the NBA officiating staff getting younger, it is also becoming more diverse in other areas. Has there been an effort to achieve a more global, cosmopolitan feel among the staff?

I will say this: There hasn’t been any push for that. I haven’t been told that one time. What I do get the luxury of is working for a company that doesn’t limit my ability to see talent, and I think that’s an important distinction to make. The fact of the matter is we work for a company at the NBA who by demand is the best league in the world. For me to limit half of the population of the world, i.e. women, from the talent of serving the game of basketball at its highest level, is shortsighted. And I’m proud to work for the company that I work for because it allows me to go out and all I have to do is recognize talent. Forty-two percent of our G League officials last year were women. And as such all I have to do is pick the best referees, and by default some of them are going to be women because they apply all those things that we just discussed. Or, as Intae Hwang has proven, someone from South Korea being in our G League.

All I have to do is send our scouting teams out with the proper instructions, and here are those instructions. This is a true meritocracy. If you can do the work and you can apply the concepts we find valuable to good officiating, then it is my responsibility to the game, it’s my responsibility to the NBA, to make sure you have

the opportunity to grow to your full breadth. And if you can do that and apply all those concepts, then I have to take you on because that’s what the NBA game at its highest level deserves, is that kind of service.

The NBA has aggressively started to promote its “Respect the Game” initiative. Why is that important to the NBA officiating department? How do the two work together?

Our job is to enact what is important to the game of basketball, and most certainly what is important to the values of the NBA: respect, respect for the game, respect for each other. And listen, I know that referees all over the world take criticism, and that’s part of being a referee is to take on criticism. I think we have to recognize two things: That the game of basketball isn’t about officiating. It shouldn’t be about officiating. We serve the game as officials. And that’s a wonderful service and role to provide the love of sport.

But it can’t be about you as the official. It has to be about the standards everyone has agreed upon. We want the focus to be on players, coaches and their franchises, not the relationship between players and coaches, franchises and the referees. Now, I don’t live in a fantasy world. I realize that teams’ desire to win is very passionate. There’s going to be criticism. You have to have some toughness as a referee to deal with appropriate criticism through good communication skills. If you can explain your decisions with good communication through

“We find that when people can apply large amounts of information in quick order that they advance quickly.”

the actual rule of what is allowed and not allowed in the rule, you negate a bunch of criticism. You have to be able to be a good communicator through the rulebook. And that’s why it’s so important that we harp on, “You better know your rules.” It’s not just a matter of whether you can apply the correct rule. It’s can you explain your decisions coherently and with conviction so that the game participants start to gain trust in your ability to administer properly the rules of the game. It brings confidence in everybody.

Speaking of rules, the NBA’s emphasis on traveling has been evident this season. Has there been a conscious decision made by you or the league as a whole to look at footwork a little bit closer and to determine what is legal and what isn’t?

Our stakeholders meet as a competition committee, and that’s three coaches, three NBA governors, three general managers, three players and then there’s league office non-voting members that give the league’s perspective on things. One of the things that came up in the offseason was the need for better footwork. It used to be 10 players below the free-throw line. If you missed a small step, there was nowhere to go, you ran into another player really fast. And so, in a very tightly contested game below the free-throw line, the physical nature of defense then became your concentrated effort. As our game has evolved and now we have the floor spread out and most of the game is played above

the free-throw line, most of our picks, most of our screening action, is around the elbows now. Not all of it, but a lot of it. And so, with help defense having to close out, the game is now played in open space. If we miss bad footwork in open space, there is little hope that NBA defenders can play and keep up with the skill sets of our offensive players. And so, it became our stakeholders’ view that we needed to then get better at footwork.

That means a new way of sequencing your eyes. What we used to say is, “Referee the defense.” We say that now, but it’s at the end of a different sequence. We now are really harping on the sequencing. Good refereeing is learning how to sequence your mind to inform your eyes where

things take place and no illegal act has taken place — remember, we’re dealing with space now; defenders are usually farther away — we can then transition our eyes to referee the defense after we have cleared that.

Often with rules points of emphasis, there is a major emphasis up front and then it tapers off. What do you do to maintain the standard that has been established during the first three months of the season until the final whistle in June?

It’s more important it remain consistent through (future) seasons and it’s not June. Because if we’re consistent with our work, then coaches can coach it and players can make adjustments. One of the worst things we could do

I’m much more involved in making sure that someone’s eyes are doing the proper things. And when the eyes are doing the proper things, NBA officials — officials all over I would think — are really good at going ahead and calling the play. The key is, do we continue with the proper sequencing? That’s my job, to make sure that they’re doing the proper sequencing.

The amount of travels will always fluctuate based on those things I just said. And what I mean by that is this: If we are consistent in our sequencing of eyes and applying the rule as it is written, coaches coach it better, players adjust. It’s invariably true that they may go down. What we need to see is whether there’s a corresponding increase in incorrect no-calls. And if we see that increase, that’s my responsibility to get that under order. But if we don’t see an increase in incorrect no-calls and they’re going down, then that means coaches and players have done an incredible job of making the proper adjustments. With all the data we collect at the NBA, we’re allowed to see that level of scrutiny as to wherein lies the problem.

they should be. When I inform my eyes through the proper sequencing, and I need to get better at traveling, footwork, then what we sequence our eyes and train is find the catch or the gather sequence No. 1; then find the legal pivot foot, sequence No. 2; then wait on the legal dribble or a legal two steps forward or backward. If those three

is do it for this season and then say we don’t want to do it moving forward. Here’s the great thing; I don’t care how many travels are called. I don’t. We’re not looking for a quota of travels. What we’re looking for is to get illegal footwork called properly based on our rulebook. And so when we change our sequencing,

What I can promise you is the messaging won’t change. Because I think it’s unfair to players and coaches to change messaging when, in fact, the stakeholders have charged us with getting this adjudicated properly. And so, I’ll have the will to see this through, and I know our players and coaches have the abilities as the best in the world to make proper adjustments.

“We’re not looking for a quota of travels. What we’re looking for is to get illegal footwork called properly based on our rulebook.”

Being a modernday NBA official now means adding to the toolbox things like public-speaking skills in having to make in-game announcements and explanations — and off-floor skills, such as working in the league’s replay center. Can you share a little bit about what you do from an NBA perspective to get officials trained up in these areas and how it’s not just about play-calling on the floor?

Good referees embrace change; they don’t resist it. That’s how dinosaurs came to not be is a lack of adaptation. We at the NBA really talk a lot about this idea of embracing instead of enduring. And if you look to embrace change instead of endure it, then you’re excited when there’s a piece of technological advancement that allows you to not have to think about this little piece. The essence of officiating won’t change if we end up being able to find tracking devices that help with very difficult goaltending calls. You’re still going to have to be there to break up altercations and call fouls. And to have a piece that makes that job not so difficult, it’s something to be embraced, not run from.

Within the technological changes, within how the game is changing, you have to always be open and receptive to how your mechanics might need to change because of the speed of the game changing, etc. We talked about the idea that the game used to be played below the free-throw line, and now it’s above the

free-throw line. Early offense yields the best shots, data says. So teams are pushing plays, so we have to make sure we’re in place at a much quicker clip so we’re in the proper positions to see plays in those first seven seconds when shots are most likely to be taken. All of that means that if you embrace change and then apply the proper training for that change, you can then be successful. If you go kicking and screaming all along the way, and you have a class of referees, experienced referees, saying, “Yeah, we’re not going to do it that way tonight,” then they have outlived their usefulness to serve the game.

All across the sports landscape, and especially with the influence of social media, there has been increased noise about the need for accountability for officials. The NBA has addressed this in part with its use of the “Last Two Minutes” reports (L2Ms) that break down how the officials perform at the end of games. Can you speak to that and what type of accountability those breed?

NBA referees do excellent work. You’ll notice very clearly I did not say perfect work. When you do excellent work, it’s OK to then own the imperfections. You can be confident enough to say we made a mistake here and be honest and transparent about it. The L2Ms are just one way in

which we do that. I don’t mind supporting referees when they’re right. That’s my role. Neither do I mind if we did something wrong, own that and train up to it, to be held accountable and to say, OK, we’ll get better at that. We’ll continue to teach toward better results in this way. And it’s the only authentic way to go through any life it seems to me.

Referees serve the game. I’m a broken record here. But within that service of the game, it’s OK to admit you’re wrong. Now, you can’t admit you’re wrong 14 times a night. Now you’re not living up to levels of standards of competence that we need to be at.

But the L2Ms show that we’re pretty good in the last two minutes. Again, not perfect. The goal is perfection, but you realize that through that driving toward perfection that’s sort of always just exceeding your grasp, you can reach levels of excellence.

Owning the imperfections through public acknowledgment and/or private acknowledgment with teams, coaches and

players when they talk to you about plays, breeds confidence that you are a person of integrity, a department of integrity, a league of integrity so that we can all work toward better and higher levels of performance whatever our role is in serving the game.

As someone who is involved in officiating at the highest level, do you have any words of wisdom for those who are just starting out on the officiating journey?

If you’re starting early in refereeing, congratulations. Start the right way. Get in your rulebooks, your manuals and your casebooks. Because not only will it empower you to adjudicate the game properly, it will give you the confidence for that court presence that we talked about so that you can know that you have done the work. And confidence as I see it is nothing more than the innate knowledge that no one has outworked you. If you’re young and getting started, outwork every imagined person in your head, and it will breed a confidence that makes you a very strong and trusted referee. *

Monty McCutchen, now in his sixth season as the NBA senior vice president in charge of the league’s development and training of officials, spent 25 years as an onfloor NBA official, working more than 1,400 regular-season games, 169 playoff games and 16 games in the NBA Finals.

MENTAL MECHANICS Get Your Head in Your Game

By Tim Sloan

We spend a lot of time in these pages dealing with the physical element of officiating. How do we prepare in the offseason? What is the best kind of workout? How do we moderate our workload during the season? You know the drill. Maintaining our physical preparation is a given. What some of us think less about is how we maintain our mental preparation. If Superman can leap tall buildings in a single bound, but is afraid of heights, this is a problem.

The fact we put ourselves through the offseason regimen, keep up with our rulebooks and invest in fancy equipment is usually a good indication of our long-term mental aptitude. When we know how fast, loud, rowdy and potentially contentious it’s going to be every winter and put in the effort anyway, we’ve probably got both feet on the ground. What can be harder to deal with is our mental status during the game.

Things happen. A game in which two teams are waltzing through a 35-point lullaby can be just as hard to keep our heads in as a game where they’re at each other’s throats all evening. Depending on the situation, teams can substitute players when they’re tired or don’t fit the current offense or defense. Coaches can take a timeout when it makes sense, giving teammates a chance to regroup and confer. For the officials, it’s often the opposite. They have to stay out there and be consistent regardless of their fatigue, or whether or not they’re having a bad night.

Whether NCAAW official Joseph White, Winterville, N.C., loves this offensive foul ruling or, upon reflection, thinks he missed it, it’s important to leave it in the past and focus on what’s ahead for his mental success for the remainder of the game.

Neither is it a common thing for them to be able to get together and soothe/cajole/elevate one another during the game: Officials are typically in their own fishbowl, able to see everything happening around them but being left very much to their own sensibilities to do anything about it. How do you keep the water in the fishbowl clean?

Pro officials and college officials at the higher levels have the advantage of knowing when they’re going to get their next break to take a breath and regroup due to mandatory media timeouts. This would be the media timeouts taken every four (NCAAM) or five (NCAAW) minutes. In the heat of the game, they can mentally and physically push themselves through to the next break with the expectation of being able to recalibrate once they get there. Then it’s time to consider the last couple of plays and what they might have done differently. It’s a good time for self-talk for whatever reason. For a lot of them who relish their life in the foxhole on the front line, it’s a chance to just stand there for a moment, take it all in and remind themselves why they love it. When an official really understands himself or herself, it’s a golden opportunity to regenerate throughout the game and come out swinging again.

High school officials usually don’t have the same ability to “schedule” their breakdowns. Sometimes, they can go a whole eight minutes with three stoppages and no timeouts. Other nights, they endure parades up and down the court to the free-throw lines dealing with the possibility some of the players might graduate before the final buzzer. In this scenario, keeping your head clear and all your marbles neatly arranged becomes a work-in-progress. You must work toward a different event horizon and maintain a mindset that adapts to the game. Because you don’t always know when you’ll get a (mental) breather, the best approach is to follow a few simple rules to keep yourself continually in the game and ahead of any doubts you might develop. Think about these:

Think of the game as “the 1,000-meter hurdles.” I wasn’t a

sprinter in high school; our track coach saw me run once and handed me a discus. What I do know is the secret to winning at the hurdles, beyond an abundance of fasttwitch musculature, is an efficient, reproducible technique. As these abilities develop, you are bound to rub a hurdle and even kick over the odd one. What you can’t do in the middle of the race is think about the one you just rubbed because it distracts you from the next one coming, with bad threatening to become worse.

Always look toward the next event and forget the past one. If your technique is solid enough, you’ll make it to the finish line in one piece. The same goes for officiating: You’re always going to have a call or two you want to reconsider or, at least, analyze further. Don’t do that while you’re running back up the court or you’ll be disconnected from focusing on the next call. Timeouts or intermissions can be a good time to ponder these episodes — and it shouldn’t be, “Did I screw that up?” It should be, “What about that play made me think about it, and is there something I could have done differently?” This leads nicely into … Think, but not too long. I prefer to divide the game neatly into two sub-sections: When the ball is in play and when it isn’t. When the ball isn’t in play, say during timeouts, when substitutes are entering or fouls and violations are being assessed, it’s a great time to analyze the game situation and consider what’s most likely to happen next. That will alert you to what you might do to prepare and how you might work with your crewmates on a coverage strategy; it’s the time to consider what might happen. Then, when the action starts up again, you have to simply stop thinking and act. Deal with what is happening. When you keep your head clear this way, you eliminate any concerns about what could go wrong or what mistakes you might make. It enables your senses to simply react to the mental images you’ve developed of foul/no foul, violation/no violation, and make the correct call.

BY THE NUMBERS

The number of combined total points scored in a Feb. 7 boys’ basketball game between Weatherford (Okla.) and Anadarko, which ended in a 4-2 Weatherford victory. The decision by Anadarko to “hold” the ball for the majority of the game renewed calls by some in Oklahoma for the implementation of a shot clock, which was voted down by the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association prior to the 2022-23 season.

DID YOU KNOW?

Twice during the 2022-23 NBA season the Portland Trail Blazers have been forced to play home games with just two officials due to circumstances that have prevented a third official from taking the floor.

Due to weather and travel complications during the holidays, official Sean Corbin missed the Dec. 26 game against the Charlotte Hornets, leaving Bill Kennedy and Leon Wood to work the game in the two-official system.

On Feb. 6, official James Capers never made it to the Moda Center for that night’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving JB DeRosa and Jonathan Sterling as the two game officials.

THEY SAID IT

“Upon completion of the game, the conference office was made aware of the allegation and immediately conducted a comprehensive review. This included discussion with all parties involved, including game officials, game administrators, table crew and both schools. Following the thorough and objective review process, there was no evidence found to support the claim.”

— Statement by the Atlantic Coast Conference after Duke women’s basketball head coach Kara Lawson claimed a men’s ball was used Jan. 29 during the first half of the Blue Devils’ game against Florida State.

TEST YOURSELF

In each of the following, decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA men’s and NCAA women’s rules, which might vary Solutions: p. 85

1. According to the shot clock guidelines (NFHS) or rules (NCAAM/W), when a try for goal strikes the ring and the shooting team gains possession of the rebound in its frontcourt, to what time shall the shot clock be set?

a. 20 seconds.

b. 25 seconds.

c. 30 seconds.

d. 35 seconds.

2. Which of the following is true of who can be granted a timeout?

a. Either a player or coach can request and shall be granted a timeout at any time when they have team control.

b. Either a player or coach can request and shall be granted a timeout at any time when a player from that team has player control of the ball.

c. Either a player or coach can request and shall be granted a timeout at any time when a player from that team has player control of the ball, unless the request occurs when an airborne player’s momentum is carrying the player out of bounds or into the team’s backcourt.

d. A player can request and shall be granted a timeout at any time when a player from that team has player control of the ball, unless the request occurs when an airborne player’s momentum is carrying the player out of bounds or into the team’s backcourt. The head coach can only be granted the timeout in the above scenario when his or her team is making a throw-in or in the last two minutes of the second half or the last two minutes of any overtime period.

3. What is the penalty if a player is wearing an illegal jersey number, such as the number 6?

a. Administrative technical foul.

b. Team technical foul.

c. Technical foul charged to the player.

d. Technical foul charged to the head coach.

4. All of the following are true of a pass, except which?

a. It may involve a player throwing the ball to another player.

b. It may involve a player rolling the ball to another player.

c. A pass can be made to a player of either team.

d. The pass is completed when the ball is released.

Set your filter. When a lot of things are happening at once — like during a basketball game — two different people will have opposite responses. For one, all of it might be more things than he or she can handle, while for the other, things are just getting interesting. One thing I’ve noticed among the thousands of officials I’ve dealt with is the myriad of psyches they bring with them.

Our DNA, upbringing and probably our caffeine tolerance all play a role in what affects us and we have to adjust our mental filter accordingly to handle it. I don’t think you can work a game where you’re totally oblivious to everything any more than you should volunteer to take poison anytime something bad happens. In the middle there, somewhere, is your line in the sand where you’ll consider certain things to guide your performance, while disregarding others.

For me, the behavior of the fans has most to do with the town I’m in: Meh. The coaches, meanwhile, are playing a role that might, or might not, involve unduly trying to influence me. For that reason, I’ll try to ignore their vocabulary and focus on repeated phrases they use. Mostly, I pay attention to the players: They’re

the ones who get upset enough to punch someone and frustrated enough to hack someone. As I look around the court, I look for the level of respect they’re giving one another and adjust accordingly.

The bottom line is the best officials come with a skillset unique to them that’s been effective enough to get them this far. As a game evolves and turns for the better or worse, they call upon different elements of that skillset to get them through to the next juncture, just like a pro golfer carries 14 clubs for all eventualities. The funny thing is when the golfer makes a snowman, his automatic thought isn’t that he needs three birdies to make up for it; he just presses on — it’s not supposed to be easy, or everyone could play. The object is to make fewer mistakes than anyone else.

As a basketball official, the same approach is healthy: The game is too complicated for you to be perfect. Do the best you can, learn from your errors and come back stronger the next time, even if that’s just the next play.

Tim Sloan, Davenport, Iowa, is a high school football, basketball and volleyball official, and former college football and soccer official. *

The Right Sign, Every Time

By Vlad Figueroa

Using proper signals has always been a topic of conversation in camps, preseason meetings and in our own locker rooms. There is always a debate whether we like the way our officials manuals require us to use the approved signals for our game at our levels or for reporting fouls to the table with the correct signal that describes the foul that just happened. NFHS has its own set of signals; NCAAM and NCAAW have their own, too. While proper signaling is always a topic of discussion regardless of the level we are working, it is more common among officials who work multiple levels.

When I first started my transition from officiating high school basketball to officiating at the NCAAW level, I started using my college signaling while officiating at the high school level. I was getting coaches confused in certain situations, especially when I called player control/team control fouls. Some high school coaches know the difference between the two different blocking foul signals used by the two levels, but the lessexperienced ones didn’t and would regularly question what I had just called. While I felt I was looking pretty good by using a “higher” level signal, in truth, it was only creating or generating unnecessary conversations with coaches.

Untangling a Mess

What’s your quick initial impression if you’re the lead official on this play? Blow the whistle, signal a held ball and everyone moves on, none the wiser?

If so, there’s a good chance you are not seeing the complete play or are hesitant to apply concrete rules knowledge to what you are seeing:

1

HELD BALL: The player in white clearly does not have his hands on the ball at all, much less so firmly enough that control cannot be obtained without undue roughness (NFHS 4-25-1; NCAAM/W 6-4.2.a).

2

LEGAL POSITION: We can see the player in blue is completely on the playing court. Are the legs of the player in white touching the endline? If so, does his contact with the opponent cause the opponent and/or the ball to be out of bounds (NFHS 4-35-1a, 7-1; NCAAM 4-23.1.a, 7-1; NCAAW 4-18.1.a, 7-1)?

3

LEGAL POSITION, PART TWO: Who is at fault for the tangled arms between the two players? Is this illegal use of the hands and arms (NFHS 4-24; NCAAM 4-18; NCAAW 10-6)? Could this be deemed incidental contact (NFHS 4-27; NCAAM 4-21; NCAAW 10-2)? Is the player in blue afforded extra protection because he is the only one of the two in contact with the ball?

4

LOCATION, LOCATION: This pileup takes place inside the freethrow lane. If this is on the blue team’s offensive end of the floor, are you ruling there is team control and therefore the provisions regarding three seconds in the lane apply (NFHS 9-7-1; NCAAM/W 9-9.2)? What if it’s in the white team’s frontcourt? Is there any way the white team remains in team control at this snapshot in time?

Let’s say you haven’t been too quick with your whistle, you let this action play out, you consider the points raised above, and now:

second player in white is not legally entitled to that same position.

Again, is it easier to just rule a held ball and be done with it? Yes. But officials are not hired to do what is easy. They are hired to do what is fair and safe according to the rulebook. Use the rules — not the path of least resistance — to dictate your rulings.

5

PILING ON: Now, the second player in white becomes involved in the scrum. Again, many of the same factors still apply, but you also must now rule on whether he has illegally influenced this play. Just because the ball is loose does not allow a player to illegally contact another player in an effort to secure it. The player in blue is legally entitled to his spot on the floor. The

CASEPLAYS

Throwing Ball at Opponent

Play: While A1 is holding the ball in team A’s frontcourt, A1 is frustrated with opponent B2. A1 throws the ball at B2, and the ball strikes B2. The nearest official blows the whistle, quickly gets between the two players and no further unsporting behavior or misconduct occurs. What shall be the penalty for A1 throwing the ball at B2? Ruling: In both NFHS and NCAAM, personal fouls only involve player-on-player contact, so this play cannot result in a personal foul. When the ball is thrown at an opponent, in NFHS it shall result in a player technical foul for this unsporting behavior or shall result in a flagrant technical foul if the conduct is deemed severe or extreme (4-19-1, 4-19-4, 10-4-6, 10-7). In NCAAM, it shall result in a Class A technical foul for this unsporting behavior or shall result in a flagrant technical foul if the conduct is deemed severe or extreme (10-1, 10-3.1.b, 10-3.1.g). In NCAAW, personal fouls and intentional fouls only involve player-on-player contact, so this play cannot result in either of these types of fouls. When the ball is thrown at an opponent, it shall result in a player/substitute technical foul for misconduct, or a disqualifying foul if the conduct is deemed severe or extreme (1010.1, 10-12.3.a, 10-13, 10-14).

Basket Interference

Play: A1 attempts a two-point try that bounces off the ring and is (a) airborne over the basket when B2 sticks his or her hand into the net, or (b) in contact with the ring a second time when B2 sticks his or her hand into the net. Ruling: In (a), there is no basket interference, as the ball is not on or within the basket when B2 makes contact with the net (NFHS 4-6-1, NCAAM/W 9-15.2.a.1). In (b), this is basket interference by B2 in NFHS and NCAAW, as the ball is on the basket when it contacts the ring the second time. Award two points to team A and resume play with a nondesignated-spot throw-in along the endline awarded to team B. In NCAAM, it is only a violation if the contact with the net had an effect on the play (NFHS 4-6-1, 7-5-7, 9-11 Pen. 1; NCAAM/W 9-15.2.a.1, 9-15 Pen. a.2, 9-15 Pen. b; NCAAM A.R. 265).

Another common situation that creates confusion is if we don’t use proper signaling when we “chop” the clock. Often, the table personnel working at high school games are relatively inexperienced and are taught they are not supposed to start the clock unless the official brings a raised hand down to chop the clock. If we don’t use proper signaling and we try to be too cool by doing it the way we do in college basketball, we run the risk that the clock won’t start properly.

Perhaps the biggest issue with proper signaling is when we report something at the table that is completely different than what actually happened. For example, in my first few seasons as an official, I developed a habit of using the pushing foul signal to indicate all manner of illegal contact. I thought that worked for me for perhaps the first 2-3 years of my career. As I started moving up the ladder from youth ball and YMCA leagues to high school basketball, I started to get in trouble with knowledgeable coaches because there were times when, instead of reporting a blocking foul on illegal contact that met that definition, I defaulted to and signaled a pushing foul. Coaches would ask me how did the player push the ballhandler? These coaches were sometimes correct, and I had no explanation for them nor rulebook language that backed up my signal. When at the table, report

what happened accurately and use the proper signaling for the respective foul. Understand proper signaling is the universal communication that everybody understands, from the table personnel to the coaches to, in a perfect world, even the fans who are sitting at the very top of the stands.

Proper signaling makes you look sharp and knowledgeable because it will minimize confusion. It will not help you avoid all conversations with players and coaches because the reality is we need to be effective communicators, and sometimes this requires verbal responses in addition to our physical signals. However, it will certainly minimize unnecessary lengthy discussions that must elevate to warnings and technical fouls with coaches who, even if they agree with a foul call, will give you a hard time just because you used the wrong signal to report a foul.

Don’t give these types of game disruptors any additional ammunition to question your aptitude or ability as an official. They are already going to question your judgment and your rules knowledge. Give them one less bullet by using proper signaling from start to finish.

Vlad Figueroa, Orlando, Fla., officiates women’s college and high school basketball, and high school football. He has worked both the Florida State High School Athletic Association and Georgia High School Association state tournaments in basketball. *

When reporting a foul at the scorer’s table in NFHS play, using the correct signal for blocking (PlayPic A) or pushing (PlayPic B) is key to your credibility as an official.

Pushing/Charging Blocking

VISIONINACTION

Experience the NASO Sports Officiating Summit

Be a part of the premiere officiating event of the year

Registration is now open for the 2023 Sports Officiating Summit, presented by NASO being held July 30 - Aug. 1, 2023, at the Riverside Convention Center in Riverside, Calif.

If you care about the officiating community, this event is for you.

1. An Unparalleled Learning Experience – Critical topics impacting all aspects of the officiating industry will be presented. Workshops, breakouts, and panel discussions will be held by leading sports officials and leaders.

2. Solve the Sportsmanship Challenge – Our theme for this year is “Good Sports, Bad Sports, Better Sports Through Officiating.” At almost every game and every level poor sportsmanship is an ongoing issue and tied to the shortage of officials. How do we deal with poor sportsmanship and keep our integrity? Let’s talk about how to demand sportsmanship behavior from players and coaches.

3. A Real Sense of Community –With busy lives and schedules, it is the one time of the year officials can gather. The Summit gives officials a chance to talk about the challenges of the profession. Join more than 500 sports officiating leaders from across the US.

4. Great Networking Opportunities

– Meet and discuss with fellow officials and leaders from all sports and levels of competition

WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

THESE ORGANIZATIONS SUPPORT OFFICIALS

including assigners, supervisors, directors, and many of the best officials on the planet.

5. Southern California – You’ll be right in the heart of one of the best destinations in the U.S. Riverside, Calif. boasts shopping, restaurants, taverns, and museums just a short walk from the convention center, and if you would like to make an extended vacation of your trip, San Diego, Palm Springs, Los Angeles and Disneyland are all nearby!

6. Be inspired – The speakers and sessions will motivate you.

7. Celebrate – The Gold Whistle, Mel Narol Medallion, and Inspire Award recipients will be recognized along with others that have given to the officiating industry at the Celebrate Officiating Gala.

You will benefit from the 2023 Summit by gaining knowledge, training, and education. The three days of intense sessions will educate and empower you.

Both leaders and officials gain knowledge from this event. Get the best registration price with Early Bird pricing, ending May 12th. If you are not already an NASO member, you join at a special rate to ensure your NASO discount on the Summit registration.

ATTENTION REFEREE MAGAZINE SUBSCRIBERS

It’s time to join the rest of us in the National Association of Sports O cials. Not only will you continue to receive the world’s #1 o ciating publication, you’ll enjoy all of the additional benefits NASO members enjoy.

Go to naso.org/upgrade2023 to join NASO for the special introductory price of $114 and receive these two FREE books!

RULE REFINEMENTS

NFHS Rule Revisions to Subs, DOGSO, Equipment for ’23-’24

By John Van de Vaarst

The NFHS clarified what constitutes a denial of a goalscoring opportunity (DOGSO), more clearly defined fouls that involve physical contact, and reorganized the substitution rules. Those are some of 11 revisions recommended by the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee for the 2023-24 high school soccer season. All 11 changes were approved by the NFHS Board of Directors.

Referee thanks Julie Cochran, NFHS director of sports and liaison to the NFHS soccer rules committee, and Dr. Stan Latta, who recently completed his term as chair of the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee, for reviewing this article.

As a reminder, the NFHS sends out a rules questionnaire to member state associations to review the previous year’s rules changes and gather feedback on possible changes for the following year. When discussing a proposed change, the NFHS Soccer Rules Committee considers the following factors: risk minimization, the spirit and purpose of education-based athletics, the ability to officiate the rule fairly and consistently, consideration of national/state/ localized issues and enhancing the high school experience.

The changes are covered in the order they appear in the NFHS Soccer Rules Book.

Substitutions 3-3-2b (2,3) (NEW)

A new 3-3-2(b) has been included and will replace 3-3-2 and 3-3-3. This change includes all players and does not distinguish between field players and the goalkeeper and reads, “If the referee stops the clock and beckons a coach or appropriate healthcare professional on to the field

Manuel Del Rio, Indio, Calif., and the crew scanned over players for equipment issues prior to the game’s start. High school match officials must review NFHS Rule 4, which was revised for 2023-24 to provide additional clarity on player equipment and penalties.

for an apparent injury to any player, the player shall leave the field. If the referee signals for the clock to be stopped and the health-care professional or coach is not beckoned, the player does not have to leave the field.” The first portion clarifies that while the referee might stop the clock to initially review a game situation, it clearly defines when an injured player must leave the field, which is contingent upon team personnel entering the field — beckoned by the referee. The second change merely states an injured player may be replaced by a substitute.

Play 1: A3 and B1, the goalkeeper, collide while challenging for the ball. The goalkeeper saves the ball but remains on the ground. The referee stops the clock to review the game situation and the goalkeeper. The goalkeeper gets up and is ready to resume play. The referee restarts the game with a drop ball to the goalkeeper. Ruling 1: Legal.

Taking a few moments to review game situations before beckoning the coach or appropriate healthcare professional (AHCP) onto the field is the proper mechanic. Once the individual is beckoned onto the field, the injured player must leave. If this were a penalty kick situation and the goalkeeper appeared injured, a new goalkeeper would have to enter the game and be ready to deal with the penalty kick. This creates an unfair advantage. Providing a few moments for the goalkeeper allows the potential to remain in the game. However, it is important to note that if there is an apparent head injury, the referee should not delay beckoning the coach or AHCP onto the field.

A good pregame mechanic is to discuss the stopping of the clock with the head coach and/or appropriate health-care professional to let them know they are not to enter the field until they are beckoned. If one of these individuals enters the field without being beckoned and the player gets up ready to play, the player must still be removed.

Play 2: Field player, A1, falls to the ground and the referee stops the clock and (a) the referee beckons team A’s coach and/or AHCP onto the field, (b) and team A’s coach and/or AHCP enters the the field without the referee beckoning them onto the field, (c) A1 jumps up and is ready to play. Ruling 2: In (a), (b) and (c), the referee properly stopped the clock. In (a) and (b), the player must leave the field of play since the coach and/or AHCP was beckoned onto the field or entered the field without being beckoned. The coach may decide not to replace the player immediately to assess the player’s injuries and play a person down. In (c), since A1 was ready to play before anyone was beckoned onto the field, the player does not have to leave the field.

Substitutions 3-3-7

A sentence has been added to the end of Article 7 which provides the location where the player may re-enter, which is the official area at midfield. This clarifies where the player must be to re-enter the game and alleviates confusion as to who is in or not in the game as a player.

Procedures for Substitution

3-4-1e (NEW)

The change from scorer to official’s area was made to assist the official in the managing of substitutions as scorers may sometimes be found in the press box and not at field level. Substitutes go to the official’s area at midfield and wait to be beckoned into the game. Additionally, players must now exit the field into their team’s bench area and not that of the opponent’s. If a player leaves the field on the opposite side and walks around to the bench, there are several potential problems.

Player Equipment 4-2-12 (NEW)

Rule 4, Player Equipment, has been reorganized so that it is easier to understand — placing items in a more logical sequence

BY THE NUMBERS

32.9

Average roster size of an NCAA institution’s men’s soccer team (all divisions) in 2021-22. The number is the highest-ever recorded, with the smallest average squad size coming at 24.9 in 1981-82 — the earliest data available.

SOURCE: NCAA 2021-22 PARTICIPATION STATISTICS

SIDELINE

Wisconsin Adopts Game-Ending Mercy Rule

The Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association approved a measure beginning this fall for boys’ and girls’ soccer that will end games at a certain margin as opposed to a running clock. Following 60 minutes of play, if the score differential is eight or more goals, the match will end.

DID YOU KNOW?

According to IFAB Laws, the coin is not technically part of a referee’s “Compulsory Equipment” in Law 5. Yet, the referee is required to use a coin for the coin toss. The IFAB said many referees hand the coin to another match official for safekeeping during the match. So, compulsory equipment consists of whistle(s), watch(es), red and yellow cards and a notebook (or other means of keeping a recording of the match). The referee may carry the coin after the coin toss, but is not required to do so. (Just be sure the assistant referee or fourth official doesn’t lose the coin in case of extra time or kicks from the penalty mark!)

TEST YOURSELF

In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS, NCAA or IFAB rules/Laws. Solutions: p. 85

1. The ball is rolling along the touchline and is about to cross the line. The referee sounds the whistle.

a. Award a throw-in to the opposing team.

b. Have a drop ball with a player from the team who last had possession.

c. Award an indirect free kick to the team that last had possession.

2. A1 takes a throw-in to A2. Then A1 runs onto the field of play beyond the second-to-last defender. A2 passes the ball to A1.

a. This is a legal play since there is no offside on a throw in.

b. The is a legal play since A1 was running forward prior to the pass.

c. Offside.

3. During the course of play, the goalpost is inadvertently moved and is just behind the goalline. A shot is taken and it crosses the goalline but does not enter the goal.

a. No goal since the ball did not enter the goal.

b. Award a goal since the ball crossed the goalline between where the goal posts should have been.

c. Award a drop ball to the goalkeeper.

4. A1 is moving forward within the attacking penalty area and passes the ball back to A2. A1’s momentum causes A1 to cross the goalline and go off the field. A2 shoots and puts the ball in the goal.

a. No goal since A1 is considered offside.

b. Award a goal since A1 did not interfere with play.

c. No goal and caution A1 for leaving the field without permission.

— and one article was added to section 4-2. “Wearable technology devices must be securely fastened and not present a risk to the player, teammates or opponents. Devices may be worn on the shoes or on the body under the uniform but not worn on the arm. Note: Medical applicances and/or medical devices are not considered wearable technology.”

Play 3: A1 is wearing a fitness device that tracks performance such as motion, heart rate and/or blood oxygen levels. The device is worn: (a)as a watch on the wrist, (b) on the upper arm, (c) on the shoes, (d)on the ankle over the socks/ shinguards, (e) on the ankle under the socks/shinguards, (f) on the chest under the jersey top. Ruling 3: Medical appliances and/or medical devices are not considered wearable technology. If the device is used for medical purposes, team A must have received prior authorization from the state association. Without such authorization, the device is only legal in (c), (e) and (f) since the device is worn either “on the shoes or on the body under the uniform.” The device cannot be worn on the arm without state association approval as a medical device.

Offside 11-1-5 (NEW)

High school soccer’s offside rule has been updated to include criteria on what is to be determined as deliberately playing the ball when determining offside. When a player in an offside position receives the ball from an opponent, the referee must determine if the defender deliberately played the ball. An exception remains in that while a save is deliberately playing the ball, this is not considered a deliberate play for purposes of determining offside.

In determining whether a ball was deliberately played or not, the following criteria is used:

1.Did the defender pass the ball in the direction of a teammate?

2.Did the defender gain possession of the ball?

3.Did the defender clear the ball?

Ultimately, the defender must have time and space (including sufficient sight of the ball) in order to control it. Also, it is considered a save when a player (not limited to the goalkeeper) stops or attempts to stop a ball which is going into or very close to the goal.

Play 4: A2 attempts to pass the ball to A3 who is in an offside position. The ball deflects off the head of B3 and continues to A3 who shoots and scores. Ruling 4: No goal. A3 gained an advantage by being in the offside position. B3 did not make a deliberate play on the ball. The touching of the ball on the head did not satisfy the criteria specified above.

Fouls 12-1-1 thru 3 (NEW), Definition of Playing Terms

18-1-1c, n, oo, yy, zz

A new 12-1-1, under Fouls and Misconduct, has been created which reformats and numbers various sections of Rule 12. In essence, if a player commits any of the following offenses against an opponent, a direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team: a player who charges, jumps at, kicks or attempts to kick, pushes, strikes or attempts to strike (including head-butt), tackles or challenges and/or trips or attempts to trip an opponent. Additionally, the terms “Careless,” “Excessive Force,” “Serious Foul Play” and “Tactical Fouls” are all new definitions. The definition of “Violent Conduct” has been revised to more clearly convey that a player who uses “excessive force or brutality” is guilty of violent conduct, as well as a player when not challenging for the ball, deliberately strikes an opponent or any other person on the head or face with the hand or arm.

Handling 12-2-2, 12-2-3

The handling rule was revised to eliminate the necessity for the referee to determine if the hand/ arm contact was accidental or deliberate after a player handles a ball which directly results in a goal. Now, a player is penalized

for handling even if the contact is accidental.

Restrictions on the Goalkeeper 12-7-5

12-7-5 has been added to provide clarity on restrictions by the goalkeeper and handling the ball inside or outside the penalty area and when the goalkeeper is not permitted to handle the ball. The new article reads, “The goalkeeper has the same restrictions on handling the ball as any other player outside the penalty area. If the goalkeeper handles the ball inside the penalty area when not permitted to do so, an indirect free kick is awarded but there is no disciplinary sanction. However, if the violation is playing the ball a second time (with or without the hand/arm) after a restart before it touches another player, the goalkeeper must be cautioned if the offense stops a promising attack or ejected if the offense denies an opponent or the opposing team a goal or an obvious goal scoring opportunity.”

Play 5: B1, the goalkeeper, deliberately parries the ball to the ground, dribbles to the edge of the penalty area with the feet and then picks the ball up with the hands to clear it. Ruling 5: Indirect free kick for the opponents at the point where the goalkeeper picked the ball up which is a second touch of the ball with the hands before it is touched or played by another player.

Misconduct 12-9-4 (NEW), 12-9-1f(14,15), 12-9-2d(3,4)

The denying of an obvious goal-scoring opportunity (DOGSO) is now clearly defined in the new 12-8-5. The following elements must be considered and all are present when determining a DOGSO offense:

1.Distance between the offense and the goal.

2.General direction of play.

3.Likelihood of keeping or gaining control of the ball.

4.Location and number of defenders.

5 MINUTES WITH JIM REUTHER

Officiating Experience: SUNY Oneonta Intramurals, 1970-72. USSF State 5 Emeritus, 1988-2002. Ohio High School Athletic Association Class 1, 1989-2002. NISOA National Emeritus, 1990-2002. Officiated Big 10, North Coast Athletic and Ohio Athletic Conference games. Also worked NAIA and NIRSA competition. Officiated the 1994 NCAA Divison III Final Four. NISOA National Assessor/Clinician. E-Town Camp Instructor. Recipient of the NISOA Robert Sumpter Excellence in Teaching Award and enshrined in the Ohio Soccer Hall of Fame.

Occupation: Ph.D. chemical physicist. Retired associate professor, Penn State, 1984. Retired research leader, Battelle, 2015. Subject matter expert, Department of Defense, 2015-present.

REFEREE: What is your current position with the Columbus Crew?

REUTHER: Referee liaison officer (RLO) for Columbus Crew SC (reporting to PRO) and U.S. Men’s/ Women’s National Teams (USSF) as an independent contractor.

REFEREE: How long have you held this position?

REUTHER: More than 20 years: I served in this position from 2002-2011 for MLS and from 2012-present for PRO. That includes more than 350 matches at Historic Crew Stadium/ Lower.com Field in Columbus, Ohio as well as two MLS Cup Finals, six Women’s World Cup Finals, six Men’s World Cup Qualifiers and six Internationals, including Real Madrid vs. Paris Saint-Germain in front of 90,000 at Ohio Stadium.

REFEREE: How did you get involved with the MLS initially?

REUTHER: I refereed USISL (United States International Soccer League) before MLS, then MLS “friendlies.”

REFEREE: As referee liaison, what are your duties and responsibilities?

REUTHER: Be responsive and dependable, taking care of subordinate details/needs/issues behind-the-scenes so referees are not distracted and can focus on officiating the match. I am also the point of contact for coaches, the match director, stadium operations, medical and security. I confirm directions, parking, arrival times, credentials, tickets. I complete locker room setup compliant with MLS competition: match balls/pressure; pump/gauge; sub boards/passes; match notices/timelines; radios/ headsets; marker spray; wet bulb globe

thermometer (for hydration breaks). I coordinate field inspection/prep with ground crew and participate in match coordination by meeting with the fourth official, team representatives/athletic trainers, venue medical, operations/ security on player concussion protocols and severe-weather contingencies. I issue warnings on timelines (fines if late by broadcast) and confirm communications with video operations in Atlanta (VAR). I back up the fourth official on start/end/added times; number of subtitutions/number of windows; cautions/sendoffs. And I submit a RLO match report within 36 hours on compliance/issues.

REFEREE: Are there any interesting anecdotes or stories you would like to share about this position?

REUTHER: I was co-RLO with Ben Gutierrez at TCF Bank Stadium in Minnesota in March 2017. We had six inches of snow. The ground crew was directed to clear the snow off lines by using leaf-blowers. When I was RLO for the USA-El Salvador World Cup Qualifier in January 2022, the Guatemalan referees had never seen snow. I gave them hand warmers. They nicknamed me “The Sorcerer.”

REFEREE: As liaison, do you listen to pregame or postgame conversations by the officiating team? If so, what are the more interesting or helpful tips you have picked up over the years?

REUTHER: Yes. Referees thoroughly and thoughtfully discuss responsibilities/strategies even after working together. They review points of emphasis, player matchups and the latest feedback from referee coaches. They pledge to be composed, fair and get all the calls right by supporting each other. They are candid, humble, agree-to-disagree on performance. They use lessons learned to improve and earn their next assignments.

Referee liaison officer discusses experiences with MLS team.

CASEPLAYS

‘You Missed It’

Play: A1 and A2 are strikers moving forward. A2 is in an offside position and A1 is behind the second-to-last defender. The ball is played forward by A3 and both A1 and A2 move forward toward the ball. A1 reaches the ball and shoots on goal. The assistant referee who ran with the play does not raise the flag for offside and play continues. The coach from team B begins to yell, “Offside — you missed it!” Ruling: The assistant referee made the correct decision. A1 was behind the second-to-the-last defender so A1 was not in an offside position. A2 did not interfere with play or gain an advantage so she should not be penalized. The referee can determine if the comment from team B’s coach warrants a formal sanction (NFHS 11-1-3; NCAA 11.3.1; IFAB 11.2).

Knight’s Play

Play: A1 strikes the ball forward and it is rolling toward the goalline, but not near the goal. B2 runs behind the ball so that A1 cannot make a play on it. B2 then looks over the shoulder to see where A1 is and stops so that A1 cannot get around B2. Ruling: Initially, this was a legal play since B2 was shielding the ball. However, when B2 stopped so that A1 could not play the ball it became illegal, impeding/ obstruction. The referee is to stop play and award an indirect free kick for team A (NFHS 12-5-1; NCAA 12.2.13; IFAB 12.2).

A Gentle Tug Play: A1 is moving forward with the ball near the touchline. B2 grabs A1’s shirt in an attempt to stop the play. A1 continues to move forward and passes the ball to A3 and the attack continues. Ruling: The referee should award advantage since the play continued to move forward. At the next stoppage, the referee should not allow play to resume until B2 is cautioned. The restart would remain the same as it was at the time of the stoppage (NFHS 5-3-1d, 12-8-1f-3; NCAA 5.4.3, 12.4.3.5; IFAB 5.3, 12.3).

A player guilty of DOGSO is disqualified. It is important to remember that DOGSO, which can include handling offenses, is not limited to the penalty area.

Editorial Change: The corresponding diagram

from 9-1-1b has been moved to 9-1-1a to better align with the subarticle’s language.

John Van de Vaarst, Ellicott City, Md., is a NISOA National Clinician, National Assessor and former State Level USSF Referee and Assessor. He is Referee’s soccer coordinator. *

Crash Causation

The assistant referee is in excellent position to observe both the ball and the players for any potential fouls.

The defender is shielding (not obstructing) the ball while it is heading toward the touchline or goalline.

The attacker is sliding between the legs in an attempt to play the ball.

Both the assistant referee and referee must see if the attacker plays the ball cleanly or fouls

the defender by striking the back of the leg, tripping the defender or playing in a reckless manner (caution).

Both officials must also observe the attacker to determine if the leg strikes the opponent’s ankle. This can cause a serious injury and an ejection from the match.

It is critical for the referee to move close to the play and yet be in a position to observe other players. *

Chadwick Thresher, Seattle, has several contact points to observe, in addition to the ball’s position relative to the touchline and the goalline.

Suited for Success

By Paul Rojas, Ed.D.

Many soccer referees also serve as coaches, some even as players. These individuals get to observe the match from their various perspectives and experiences. The coach prepares the team and the officials make sure the match flows in a positive way while the players need to play their best, be challenged and enjoy their 90 minutes.

The first thing referees need to do is to control the things they can control. Discussing this topic generates quite a bit of conversation at clinics. Active participation by veteran officials explaining what helped them have a successful season and why they continued officiating for many years is always very informative. Participants at clinics have heard from so many quality officials over a period of time that for the things they can control and perhaps, not control, have become routine and even taken for granted. Unfortunately, this is not part of the curriculum for new officials. It must be learned over a period of time.

Players are typically at the site at least 30 minutes before match time to get ready physically and mentally. The referee crew also needs to be there at least 30 minutes before match time and be ready physically and mentally. The 90 minutes of play are important to everyone on the pitch, regardless if they hold the flags, whistle or possess the ball at their feet and pass to a teammate. The coaches get the pat on the back if all goes well. The officials may even get recognized by the players, coaches and even fans if they do a credible job.

As a referee, before the coin toss, it is a good tactic to observe both teams that will be playing and notice the time frame when the players show up: Are the players dressed properly? Is the coach prepared for that first drill and stretch? Which player has the nice touch on the ball? Is there a player acting up during the warmups who, on first impression, appears to be a potential problem for the match? This is the first impression the teams

are sending to the officiating crew. The referee crew also needs to make a good first impression to everyone by dressing properly, arriving with enough time to conduct the pregame, checking equipment, checking players’ passes and rosters, and talking to the coaches and perhaps the captains of both teams. These things can be controlled.

When officials enter the site of the match, they must remember that professionalism is a must and they represent a specific organization: USSF, state high school association, NISOA, ECSR, etc. They are a reflection on the entire organization they represent. Upon arrival, the referee team should introduce themselves to the coaching staff and even to the players. The referee should be in proper uniform and act in a professional manner. This is not the time for jokes, reminiscing about prior matches, etc.

The referee team must be prepared for how the coach may react during the introduction. What happens if the coach responds during the handshake, “I don’t want any of my players to get hurt in this game”? Obviously, this match has hit rock bottom even before the rosters are exchanged, almost anything the officiating crew will say or do in the next 90 minutes will not be acceptable or up to the standards of this coach. The referee team has to decide if the coach is really concerned about the safety of the players or if this is just a gamesmanship tactic to seek a call in the team’s favor during the match. No matter, the referee team now needs to be prepared to deal with the coach if there is dissent during the match.

Referees cannot control the rudeness of a coaching staff, players or fans, but they can control how they look and present themselves Proper preparation and execution of prematch responsibilities gives the crew its best chance for success.

Paul Rojas, Ed.D., Morton Grove, Ill., has been a referee for more than 30 years, and is a high-level Assessor and Instructor. He also continues to coach soccer. *

HUNDREDS

OF FREE SOCCER & OFFICIATING ARTICLES ON

The right and wrong call when using video for training purposes.

s an official, you want to get the call right.

That’s the most important part of the job, and in today’s day and age, studying the film and learning from it can go a long way.

Whether it’s watching video of a game you worked or looking at an educational clip, film can help sharpen officials to make sure their next call is the right one. Heck, it’s why officials at the top level of the major pro leagues and in college sports review film frequently.

Some officiating organizations will go over video in conferences or educational sessions, while others will post it directly to their websites.

But in the spirit of getting the call right, what’s the right call when it comes to collecting and sharing video clips for training purposes?

Don Collins, retired commissioner of the CIF-San Francisco Section, who served five years as a staff attorney at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, said it’s all about getting it right.

“As an official, we are trying to get things right in the game. If we don’t get things right away from the game, what does that say?” Collins said. “So, I think it’s vital that you think about this.”

Sports law attorney Alan Goldberger, who wrote Sports

Officiating: A Legal Guide, echoed Collins' thoughts.

“Getting it right is just like what happens in a game. Make sure you study the rulebook and make the right calls,” Goldberger said. “That’s what I would say to officials and associations as they make training materials.”

When it comes to creating training materials, there are two key ways to go about doing it: filming it yourself or grabbing it from an outside source — typically a broadcast — and using that for training purposes.

Let’s start with filming yourself, or having someone else from your organization holding the camera at a game.  Even at the amateur and youth levels, one of the first things to do is ask for permission. In most cases, this will be a simple “yes,” and assuming you already have some relationship with the game’s organizer, that person likely will go out of the way to make life easier when it comes to filming.

One key thing to remember when getting permission is that in an age where sports distribution rights are starting to filter even into the younger levels, it’s important to make it clear it’s for sports officials’ education and not an effort to distribute the game via a live stream. Whether in an in-person group or posted to an association

permission slip

BY SEAN SHAPIRO

website, it’s vital to make it clear it is for educational purposes.

Grabbing video from a pro event —the NFL or NBA for example — is a bit trickier. And according to multiple people interviewed for this story, organizations can actually avoid problems by pulling and using the existing broadcast.

Here’s why.

According to Melissa Eckhause, co-director of the Arts and Entertainment Law Clinic at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Law, creating teaching materials and commentary on officiating is protected. Games and rights are owned by another entity, in most cases a major network, and are protected by the Copyright Act.

“Using the NFL for example, the NFL does own the copyright to these video clips. However, there are exceptions to copyright law protection,” Eckhause said. “There are protections within teaching and what these officials would be trying to do in training.”

Eckhause said face-to-face teaching is pretty cut and dried. If you are teaching

officials in a class and showing video clips from an NFL game, for example, it’s not an issue.

“Online education wasn’t protected until the Teach Act was enacted in 2002, so that’s newer,” Eckhause said. “But if you are teaching online, it has to be done by an accredited nonprofit and educational nonprofit institute, and then it has to be directly tied to what you are teaching.

“If you are just showing a clip of how a call should have been made or how a referee made the right call, that’s directly tied to your purpose,” she explained. “But if you are trying to kill some time in the class and say, ‘Let’s just watch last night’s game in case you didn’t see it,’ that would not be protected, because that could be looked at as entertainment and not teaching.”

Eckhause said officials organizations need to do their best to make sure the video content only goes directly to

the students, in this case the officials taking a course or going through the training. This can be done through a direct file transfer or something that’s password protected, she said, basically protecting how much the teaching material is distributed.

“If you record a lecture or teaching segment and you show a copyrighted clip and then just post it to a public YouTube channel, that would not be protected under the teaching exemption because it’s been put into the public space,” she said.

But what about more public teaching videos and commentaries on officiating? For example, there are millions of clips on the internet and social media now featuring a video of the game and someone providing commentary — they don’t seem to have an issue.

Eckhause said in that case, the person or organization

“If you are showing a couple clips here and there, and not the entire three-hour football game, then I’d say you have a pretty strong fair use case.”

Melissa Eckhause, Assistant Professor of Law, Detroit Mercy

If you are in charge of clipping plays for your local football officials association, make sure you’ve obtained the correct permissions to use the footage.

posting the video would likely be protected under another exemption in the Copyright Act.

This is where fair use comes into play, which Eckhause said would cover official teaching videos, but is slightly harder to prove and requires more of a burden of proof than if there was a copyright takedown of a video by a league or network.

There are some key factors the court will consider when determining if something is fair use or not.

“It’s not automatic, but the first thing will be education versus commercial,” Eckhause said. “Educational usage, even if it’s a for-profit institution, will likely still be able to claim fair use … even if you make some money on it, that doesn’t necessarily damn the case.”

Eckhause laid out a hypothetical situation in which there’s been a controversial call in a game. She believes an officials organization should be in the clear to post and use that as a teaching moment.

“You are using small clips from the game and not the entire thing; you are doing the right thing within the spirit of it,” Eckhause said. “If you are showing a couple clips here and there, and not the entire three-hour football game, then I’d say you have a pretty strong fair use case.”

Eckhause issued one caution to officials organizations regarding using photographs in their teaching. They are also copyright protected. In fact, she said using a photograph from the game without permission could be the thing that actually leads to trouble.

“A lot of photographers have been using reverse image searching more recently and hiring companies

to find how photos have been used without copyright,” she said. “This is where you can start to run into more issues and logistical headaches.”

Moral of the story here, while leagues and teams frankly expect others to pull and clip parts of their broadcasts, individual photographers are more likely to request a content takedown. It's best to avoid using any photos in teaching materials that you don’t have written permission to use.

Overall, permission is an important word when it comes to making sure you are on the right side of crafting or utilizing training videos.

At the end of the day, Goldberger repeated many times, asking for permission is always the best course of action. Whether it is getting a video clip from the local high school coach or pulling a play from a game on ESPN, it is always best to ask ahead of time and explain your purpose.

“Ask permission, that’s what I’ll say over and over,”

Goldberger said. “There are so many things that can go wrong, and many things that can be avoided by just reaching out and asking to use a clip ahead of time. Leagues and teams want better officials. If you communicate it’s for teaching, you’ve set yourself up well.” As Collins said, “It’s all about making the right call off the field as well as the right one on it.”

Sean Shapiro is a freelance writer from the Detroit area. *

“Leagues and teams want better officials.

If you communicate it’s for teaching, you’ve set yourself up well.”

— Alan Goldberger, Sports Law Attorney

Video footage of a contested play at the net can be one of the best learning tools for volleyball officials. Make sure you follow a sound process before recording yourself or using a match clip for teaching.

KICK START

Reviewing Rules and Mechanics on Punts

By Judson Howard

First quarter, fourth down at midfield, the line to gain is 12 yards away. What is most likely to happen next? I hope you said a punt. Further proof is several offensive team substitutes (including a punter) lining up in punt formation. Now, the side of your football brain that has the kicking rules imbedded should be activated. If something funky happens in a game, it will probably be during a punt down. Therefore, you must anticipate all segments of such plays. Concepts in this article may vary by crew size and from your local mechanics. Be sure to cover all

facets of punt plays in your pregame meetings.

Before the snap, all team player counts should be double checked and confirmed with your counting partner(s). That is due to multiple substitutions on both sides of the ball. There are the normal things to watch for before and at the snap, such as all the line of scrimmage infractions like illegal formations, false starts and encroachment. Numbering exceptions are allowed for offensive linemen for scrimmage kicks (NFHS 7-2-5b Exc. 2; NCAA 7-1-4a-5).

The wings must know if their first move is to go downfield or stay at the line. Also, who goes into the backfield

should the snap go over the punter’s head? That usually depends on which side of the punter the referee is standing.

The referee rules on roughing and running into the kicker. The umpire ensures the snapper is not roughed. After the kick is cleanly away and crosses the line, focus is on specific action based on your position. The referee and umpire are looking at players moving downfield.

Should a blocked punt remain behind the line, or a punt not reach the line, either team can recover and advance the ball.

Play: Third and 20 at team A’s six yardline. Their quick kick is blocked.

If the defender contacts the punter, referee Gavin Anderson, Bonney Lake, Wash., will have to decide which penalty applies. Accepted philosophy is contact on the kicker’s plant leg is roughing and contact on the kicking leg that displaces the kicker is running into.

A1 falls on the ball at team A’s four yardline. Ruling: Team A’s series continues. It is fourth and 22 at team A’s four yardline.

In a game with six or more officials, the field judge and side judge monitor the widest team K players (called gunners or flyers) moving downfield, looking for them being fouled or forced out of bounds. You must know if a kicking team player went out of bounds. The college mechanic involves throwing your hat when a player goes out of bounds during a punt play. Then you must rule if they were forced out or not.

Deep officials are responsible for a fair catch signal given and a subsequent catch, muff or fumble. Kick-catching interference is the back judge’s call. With beanbag in hand before the snap, the back judge will drop the bag at the spot of first (NFHS) or illegal (NCAA) touching. Also, toss the beanbag to where the kick ends. That marks the postscrimmage kick (PSK) spot. Deep officials rule on kicks into the end zone.

During the punt return, you are looking for illegal team R blocks — below the waist, in the back and blindside. You must judge when and where such fouls occur as those aspects determine penalty enforcement. When reporting a foul to the referee, the calling official should state if the foul occurred during the kick or during the return. Who marks the end of the return or where the ball is declared dead depends on crew size. With six or more, the field judge or side judge gets that spot. Then one of the line of scrimmage officials obtains a new ball to start the new series. With five or less, either wing official marks the end of the run. The umpire or back judge then obtains a new ball.

When a punt goes out of bounds in flight, the sideline official looks to the referee to line up the location where the ball should be spotted. If the punt rolls across a sideline instead of crossing in flight, a sideline official determines the dead-ball spot.

Everyone signals timeout when a punt play ends, then all officials look at the clock to ensure it stopped. Those not involved with the new spot should watch for fouls during the dead ball. Check for flags on the field before instructing the chain crew to move to the new location to start team R’s series.

Expect all punt play possibilities. That means knowing what will or could happen before the snap, at the snap, when the punt is in flight, during the punt return and once the ball is dead.

Judson Howard, Los Angeles, is a replay official in the Pac-12 Conference. He officiated more than 20 years, many at the NCAA Division I level. *

QUICKTIP

Instead of just standing idly before the game, walk the field and look around. Are there potholes in the turf that should be filled? Are the pylons placed correctly? Are the goalpost pads attached securely? Also, check the players. Address knotted jerseys, non-transparent face shields and other equipmentor uniform-related issues before the game.

SURVEY SAYS …

Which type of whistle do you prefer?

Whistle on a lanyard: 63.8%

Finger whistle: 36.2%

SOURCE: SURVEY OF 94 REFEREE READERS

BY THE NUMBERS

The NFL has implemented replay assist, in which the control center in New York contacts onfield officials to correct a call, thus eliminating the need for a replay stoppage. Statistics for the 2022 regular season. Stoppages potentially prevented Booth reviews potentially saved Challenge reviews potentially saved

254

127 127

SOURCE: NFL

THEY SAID IT

“I was hoping he would let it go, but of course he’s a ref, it was a big game. It was a hold, so they called it.”

— Philadelphia cornerback James Bradberry, whose holding penalty led to the gamewinning field goal in Super Bowl LVII

SOURCE: ESPN

TEST YOURSELF Is the Price Right?

In each of the following you are given a situation and at least two possible answers. You are to decide which answer or answers are correct for NFHS and NCAA rules, which might vary. Note: In kicking situations, K is the kicking team, R the receiving team. Solutions: p. 85

1. Fourth and 10 from team K’s 20 yardline. K1’s punt is off the side of his foot. The kick flies feebly to team K’s 21 yardline and strikes R2 on the shoulder. The ball rolls to team K’s 25 yardline, where K3 recovers it.

a.It’s team K’s ball at its own 25 yardline.

b. It’s team K’s ball at its own 21 yardline.

c.It’s team R’s ball at team K’s 25 yardline.

d.It’s team R’s ball at team K’s 21 yardline.

2. Between plays, the umpire notices that linebacker B1 is wearing something metallic on his wrist. Upon inspection, the umpire sees that it’s a medical alert bracelet.

a.B1 must leave the game until the item is removed.

b. B1 is ejected.

c.Team B’s coach is penalized 15 yards.

d.No problem if the item is properly taped.

3. First and 10 for team A from its own 20 yardline. Wide receiver A1 makes a great move and gets by defender B2. A1 has a five-yard lead on B2 when A3’s underthrown pass strikes B2 in the back. The pass is incomplete. When struck with the ball, B2 was facing A1 and not paying attention to the location of the ball.

a.Pass interference on B2; he clearly was playing the man, not the ball.

b. Pass interference only if the official decides the ball was catchable after striking B2.

c.There is no foul on the play; it’s an incomplete pass.

4. A1 is the quarterback in shotgun formation. In the process of calling signals, A1 places one foot in front of the other and slowly rocks back and forth.

a.No problem as long as A1’s movement doesn’t simulate the start of a snap.

b. No problem only because A1 is in shotgun formation.

c. If A1 is still rocking when the ball is snapped, it’s illegal motion.

d.False start; the officials should prevent the snap and penalize team A.

Timeouts are valuable commodities, so when a player’s helmet comes completely off during play, an NCAA team has to weigh which is more important: a timeout or the player’s participation in the next play.

Only NCAA rules (3-3-9a) give a team the option of using a timeout to keep a player in the game whose helmet has come off, as seen in the PlayPic. If a request for a charged team timeout is granted, both teams may conduct the usual conferences. NFHS rules (3-5-10d) do not allow a player to “buy his way back” into the game with a timeout; the player must sit out unless halftime or an overtime intermission occurs.

Other points to remember about displaced helmets:

•The helmet must come completely off in order for the rule to be invoked. If the helmet came off due to a foul such as grasping the facemask, the player does not need to

leave the game (NFHS 4-2-2k; NCAA 3-3-9a).

•The ball is dead immediately if the player whose helmet comes off is the runner (NFHS 4-2-2k; NCAA 4-13q).

•If the player whose helmet comes off participates in the play beyond continuing action, he is guilty of illegal participation (NFHS 9-6-4g) or a personal foul (NCAA 9-1-17).

•If the player whose helmet comes off ceases participation but is contacted by an opponent, it is a personal foul by the opponent (NFHS 9-4-3l; NCAA 9-1-12).

•The play clock will be set at 25 seconds if the player is on offense and 40 seconds if the player is on defense (NFHS 3-6-1a-1(e) Exc. 2; NCAA 3-24c-13). If there is less than one minute in the half the opponent has the option of a 10-second runoff, unless the helmet comes off as the direct result of a foul by the opponent (3-3-9a-1) *

No Fouls…

There is plenty of action here, and no wonder — it’s the point of attack. With all of the activity in this space, a number of fouls are possible.

1

Did the blocker connect with the defender? If so, did it meet the criteria for a legal block below the waist? NFHS rules are more restrictive on low blocks, so it wouldn’t take long for the covering official to make a decision.

2

The defender’s hand is on his opponent’s shoulder, not his facemask. But the hand could subsequently slide over, thus creating the potential for a foul.

3

If the defender is able to play off the block, with the runner approaching, No. 63 may be

tempted to grab a handful of jersey. Watch out for holding here.

4

That gloved hand is on the opponent’s back. The potential for an illegal block exists here.

CASEPLAYS Get Out of the Way!

Both Teams Foul

Play: First and 10 from team A’s 20 yardline. Team A is illegally in motion at the snap. A1’s legal forward pass is intercepted by B2. During B2’s return, B3 clips A4. Ruling: Although both teams committed live-ball fouls, the fouls do not automatically offset. If team B declines the illegal motion penalty, team B will retain possession, but the penalty for clipping by B3 may be enforced at team A’s option. If team B accepts the penalty for the illegal motion by A1, it is a double foul and the down will be replayed (NFHS 10-1, 10-2-1c, 10-2-2; NCAA 10-1-4 Exc. 1).

Pull and Shoot

Play: First and 10 at team A’s 20 yardline. Immediately after the snap, B1 grabs guard A2 and pulls him to the side, giving B3 an open lane to sack quarterback A4. Ruling: That is known as the pull and shoot. It is illegal and is considered defensive holding. Team B is penalized 10 yards from the previous spot. In NCAA, the penalty includes an automatic first down (NFHS 2-3-5b, 9-3-5b; NCAA 9-3-4d, f, 9-3-4 Pen.).

Neutral Zone

Play: Can a defensive player have his hand across the neutral zone before the ball is snapped?

Ruling: In NFHS play, once the snapper has his hands on the ball, it is encroachment for any player to enter the neutral zone. The result is a dead-ball foul and a five-yard penalty (7-1-6). Under NCAA rules, the defensive player has an opportunity to get back on his side of the neutral zone before the snap. Failure to do so results in a five-yard penalty for offside, a live-ball foul (7-1-5b-1).

Taking a Knee

Play: First and 10 at team B’s 20 yardline. A1’s pass is intercepted by B2 at his own three yardline. B2 voluntarily runs into team B’s end zone. He simulates going to one knee, then puts on a burst of speed and advances to team B’s 37 yardline before he is downed. Ruling: In NFHS, that’s a legal play; it’s team B’s ball at its own 37 yardline. In NCAA, team A scores a safety; the ball is dead when B2 simulates taking a knee (NFHS 4-2-2a; NCAA 4-1-3o).

By George Demetriou

There may be at least one situation in which an official would deliberately interfere with a play. If the ball were snapped before the officials were in place, an official could catch or knock the ball down. The play would be declared a do-over because the ball was legally ready for play and a delay foul for a premature snap wouldn’t be justified by rule. Otherwise, officials do their best to avoid getting in the path of a player or the ball. If it does happen, the rules address how to handle it. Officials can also be obstructionists if they tip off a play or otherwise end a play before the ball becomes dead by rule.

Touching the ball. The official most likely to make inadvertent contact with the ball is the umpire, but it could happen to the back judge or a sideline official. An official could possibly touch a forward pass, a kick or a ball that has become loose via a fumble or backward pass. Under NFHS rules, it is as simple as it can be — any touching by an inbounds official either in the field of play or an end zone is ignored (2-44). That means the status of the ball is unchanged. It is not the same as the ball touching the ground where the official is standing. If the ball is in flight when it strikes the official, it continues to be in flight until the ball physically touches the ground. Of course such touching might alter the play with devastating consequences, and the only recourse is an apology.

In NCAA play, a field goal is successful if it deflects off an official and goes through the uprights (8-41a). If an official touches a forward pass, all players become eligible (7-35). Also in college play, an official can play a role in determining whether a ball is thrown forward or backward. Unlike NFHS rules, where the initial direction of the pass is decisive, under NCAA rules it depends on where the ball first touches something after it leaves the passer’s hand. If the pass first hits a player, an official or the

ground beyond the spot from where the passer releases it, it is forward.

Likewise under NCAA rules, an official can determine if a scrimmage kick has crossed the neutral zone. A scrimmage kick has crossed the neutral zone when it touches the ground, a player, an official or anything that is beyond the neutral zone (2-16-7b). NFHS rules do not specifically define when a kick has crossed the neutral zone, but it is reasonable to say, similar to a pass, the ball must be entirely beyond the zone to have crossed it.

In NCAA play, if an official is in possession of a live ball, the ball becomes dead (4-1-3n). Realistically, that won’t happen unless it is intentional as it was in the opening scenario. Although possession by an official is not addressed in NFHS rules, if an official continues to hold on to the ball, the play is effectively over.

Signals. Officials can also sabotage a play by blowing an inadvertent whistle or giving a premature signal. Artificial turf prep fields can be very confusing when marked with soccer, lacrosse or field hockey lines in addition to the football layout. A touchdown has been known to have been signaled at the wrong line more than once. Unlike NCAA rules, an erroneous signal in high school play does not, by rule, constitute an inadvertent whistle and the bogus signal is likely to be ignored under the “immediate continuing action” concept. If, however, the incorrect signal affects play or could have affected play, the situation should be rectified under rule 1-1-6. In either case, one set of coaches is bound to be unhappy. An inadvertent whistle is much more likely than an inadvertent signal. There are a variety of causes for premature toots, but in the end, the team of the player in possession of the ball when the play was ended by the whistle has the option to replay the down or to take the result of the play at the dead-ball spot. If the ball was loose during a legal forward pass

or snap or during a legal kick when the whistle blew, there is no choice and the down is replayed by rule. If the inadvertent whistle occurs while the ball is loose following a backward pass, fumble, illegal forward pass or illegal kick, as long as the penalty for any foul is declined, the team that lost possession has the option of taking the ball where possession was lost or replaying the down. In all cases, an accepted penalty for a live-ball foul negates the whistle.

Tipping off a play. The only way officials have of giving a hint to what the next play might be is through their positioning. The only play which realistically has position options for officials is a kickoff. Taking a modified configuration for a possible squib kick is OK, but care must be taken when an onside kick is likely. If the coach reveals before the game his team will always kick onside, taking the appropriate position every time that team kicks off is OK. The

opponents almost certainly know that from the video exchange. If the game situation obviously calls for an onside kick, it’s appropriate to line up for such a kick. However, what officials absolutely cannot do is react to anything overheard on the sideline regarding a surprise onside kick.

An official physically interfering with an onside kick is highly unlikely, but is addressed in NCAA rules. Touching of a kick by an official

allows the kicker to be blocked. Otherwise, the kicker may not be blocked before he has advanced five yards beyond his restraining line or the kick has touched the ground, or another player. That results in a 15-yard penalty from the previous spot for an illegal block (6-1-9, 9-116c). In NFHS, contact between an official and the ball is ignored (9-3-4). George Demetriou has been a football official since 1968. He lives in Colorado Springs, Colo. *

YOU MAKE THE CALL

High school officials don’t have replay. Whatever call is made, that is the call. For the first time, we have a section of plays that we run through first without replay and no commentary in real time, having you - the official – decide on your call. Then we go back and break down each play. Most of these plays are tight and can go either way. But no matter the call, the call on the field stands!

Contact between a player and an official is not uncommon in prep play and has been known to occur at the college and pro levels.

GETTING IT RIGHT INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, ELEVATION

(U.P.)Lifting Officials

By Joe Jarosz

Noone has taken in more basketball games at Manistique (Mich.) High School over the last few decades than Brian Ecclesine. In fact, the Upper Peninsula native has been in attendance for nearly 700 junior varsity and varsity contests at the local high school since 2004.

Suffering from cerebral palsy, Ecclesine was never able to play the game he loves so much, but that has never dampened his passion for being involved in the action.

or technical foul decals to fans based on their behavior throughout the contest.

Love of the game runs deep in Ecclesine’s family.

“We have continued to support high school basketball because it gives Brian a chance to be part of a wonderful group of local referees who treat him as part of the team,” Ecclesine’s mother, Joan, said.

Ecclesine is a regular attendee at the MHSAA basketball finals held each year at the Breslin Center on the campus of Michigan State University. The state office’s embrace of Ecclesine has been a heartwarming development for many.

“I get the annual opportunity to visit with Brian and his mom, Joan, at the MHSAA basketball finals,” said Mark Uyl, MHSAA executive director. “They make the trek down to East Lansing from the Upper Peninsula each year to watch the games, and most importantly, to support the referees. Brian’s love for officials and officiating is an inspiration to us all.”

Recently, Ecclesine was on the court putting his officiating skills into practice during the annual Special Olympics basketball tournament in Escanaba, Mich. The lessons he has learned over the years from officials in the Manistique area were on full display.

Hula Bowl ‘Herstory’

The first-ever allfemale college football officiating crew took the field for the Hula Bowl on Jan. 14. One of five annual college all-star invitational games, the event, which usually takes place in Hawaii, was relocated temporarily to Orlando, Fla., while Aloha Stadium undergoes renovations. Big Ten center judge and USFL/XFL umpire Amanda Sauer was assigned as referee for the game. Other officials included Sarah Fleming (umpire), Cat Conti (down judge), Henrietta Powell (line judge), Nicole Rudolph (field judge), Karina Tovar (side judge), Krystle Appellaniz (back judge) and Monique Washington (alternate).

While these all-star games are a good vehicle to showcase college players, they are also used to highlight officials. The NFL assigns the crew from its development pool of college officials. These games are used to evaluate select officials in the development program, which is the exclusive path to officiating in the NFL.

Idaho’s Dual Threat Shortages of officials and bad sportsmanship are two all-toocommon issues faced throughout the country. Now, the Idaho Youth Soccer Association (IYSA) is doing something about it.

Sitting courtside, directly across from the scorer’s table and dressed in his Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) basketball officials’ shirt, Ecclesine scores every game in his personal scorebook.

He greets the officiating crew before each game — well over 100 different individuals throughout the years — and manages to also keep a close eye on fan behavior. He issues good sportsmanship stickers

Ecclesine’s commitment to local officials is unwavering. It’s the kind of outlook that is needed in today’s society, especially at a time when bad sportsmanship is a theme across so many sports and levels throughout the country.

“Everyone needs to appreciate the dedication and commitment referees make so the games can go on,” Joan said.

Ecclesine’s enthusiasm for the craft is inspiring. His attitude says it all. “There is never a bad call in Manistique’s gymnasium,” he said. “Good sports are winners.”

Joe Jarosz is an assistant editor for Referee *

In a written memo, IYSA stated, “Effective immediately is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy regarding any inappropriate behavior toward referees. Until this behavior changes, any coach, parent or spectator at the field who berates a referee will risk a no-spectator suspension going forward. The team in question will not be allowed to have any spectators on the sideline for a given period. That could be for as long as the remainder of the season or the event they are participating in.”

Have you heard an inspirational or motivational officiating story? Send your ideas to GettingItRight@referee.com

Brian Ecclesine is surrounded by officials (from left) Art Van Damme, Gladstone, Mich.; Craig Carter, Gladstone, Mich.; and Karl Dolloph, Escanaba, Mich., before a basketball game at Manistique (Mich.) High School.

KNOW YOUR ZONES

New Definition Highlights NFHS Rule Changes

By Brad Tittrington

The NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee met in January in Indianapolis and recommended five rule changes for the 2023-24 season, which were subsequently approved by the NFHS Board of Directors. The most significant rule change creates a new definition for the coaching zone, which defines and clarifies where a coach may stand.

Other rule changes include allowing one assistant coach to stand and communicate with

players during dead-ball situations, allowing players to wear certain jewelry, allowing substitution requests by head coaches to be verbalized or signaled, and eliminating the use of uniform numbers with a leading zero (01, 02, 03, etc.) starting with the 2028 season.

“The NFHS continues to state that volleyball is in a great place from both a participation and rules perspective,” said Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS director of sports and liaison for volleyball. “The NFHS

Volleyball Rules Committee continues to prioritize risk minimization, adjudication and level of play/ skill development when discussing potential rules changes. In addition, from a relationship standpoint, the NFHS and the other volleyball rules writing and officiating bodies continue to have strong working relationships that help to ensure the health of the sport at all levels.”

Below are the rule changes in perceived order of importance. Referee would like to thank Atkinson for reviewing this article.

The NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee created a definition for a new coaching zone that expands the area where coaches can stand to coach a team. Previously, a coach could only stand in the libero replacement zone, but a new rule for 2023 allows coaches to go beyond the endline extended. Char Carda, Huron, S.D.

The Court and Markings

2-1-9 (NEW), 12-2-5

The most significant change deals with the addition of a definition for the coaching zone. In the past, the head coach was only allowed to stand in the libero replacement zone. The new definition expands the area and now it extends beyond the extension of the endline. During play, the head coach is still required to be no closer than six feet from the sideline in order to allow line judges to see and move freely and to avoid interfering with play (as shown in MechaniGram A). When the ball is dead, a head coach and one assistant coach may move freely in the coaching zone (as shown in MechaniGram B).

Play 1: During play, team A’s coach stands in the (a) substitution zone, (b) libero replacement zone, or (c) roughly five feet beyond the endline extended. Ruling 1: Illegal in (a). The head coach may not come into the substitution zone. In (b) and (c), the coach’s actions are legal, provided the coach is no closer to the court than six feet. A yellow conduct card (warning) shall be assessed for the first minor offense and a red conduct card (penalty) shall be issued for the first serious offense or second minor offense and a loss of rally/point awarded to the opponent.

Conduct: Players, Coaches and/or Team Attendants 5-5-3b-11 (NEW), 12-2-6

Along with the addition of the new coaching zone, one assistant coach is

now permitted to stand in the coaching zone — during dead-ball situations only — to provide instruction to players. It does not have to be the same assistant coach during each dead ball and may change throughout the match, however only one assistant coach may stand at a time. This change allows for additional coaching of student-athletes as more and more teams utilize specialized coaches for different purposes and allows for position- or situation-specific coaching. Assistant coaches are not granted any additional rights, other than providing instruction, and must be seated when the ball becomes live.

“The NFHS Volleyball Rules Committee approached these rules changes from an interscholastic, education-based perspective by providing more opportunities for coaches to coach and players to be coached during competition while not impeding the pace or administration of the match,” Atkinson said. “The committee hopes these changes have a positive impact on the game and that coaches use these ‘coach-friendly’ rules to teach and create positive learning opportunities for their studentathletes.”

Play 2: Team A’s head coach and one assistant coach stand in the coaching zone during a dead ball to relay information to the players on the court. After the first referee blows the whistle to authorize service, the assistant coach (a) returns to the bench and sits down, or (b) continues to

SIDELINE

PAVO Camp Dates

Are you looking to join the collegiate ranks or improve your schedule?

Attend an upcoming PAVO camp to make that happen.

Camp Dates

Registration Deadline Location Camp Type

April 21-22

April 20 Villanova University Villanova, PA

Collegiate Referee Camp

April 21-22

April 20 Villanova University Villanova, PA

Line Judge Training Camp

April 28-29

April 27 Cedar Point Sport Center Sandusky, OH

QUICKTIP

Referee Training Camp

Do not interact with fans before, during or after a match. If there is an issue with a fan, ask for game management to deal with the situation and do not deal with it directly yourself. Remember, the fan is likely yelling at the uniform and not you personally. Also, if you happen to know someone in the stands, refrain from talking with them. This could give the appearance of favoritism. Save the salutations and conversations for another time.

THEY SAID IT

“Female referees started appearing on the volleyball scene in the 1990s, but I believe the position is not yet fully established as being double gender. I believe if a person works with courage and in a healthy manner in accordance with the sporting spirit, he or she can be a referee. Gender doesn’t matter. What matters is the ability to judge and officiate.”

— International volleyball official and former Korea national women’s team player Kang Joe-Hee, who became Korea’s first female international volleyball referee in 2002, on what can be done to encourage more females to become referees

TEST YOURSELF

In each of the following, you are given a situation and possible answer(s). You are to decide which answer(s) are correct for NFHS, NCAA or USAV rules, which might vary Solutions: p. 85

1. A1 spikes the ball to the floor on team B’s court. After the ball hits the floor, which of the following will result in a fault?

a. A1 steps completely across the centerline and touches the team B court.

b. A1 touches the net.

c. A1 touches the antenna.

d. B2 touches the net.

e. None of the above will result in a fault by A1 since the play immediately becomes dead when the ball contacts the floor.

2. Following the third team hit by team A, a team A player and a team B blocker simultaneously contact the ball above the top of the net in the plane of the net (joust).

a. No fault has occurred. The team receiving the ball after the joust will have three hits remaining.

b. Because team A has used its three team hits, team B must be allowed to touch the ball before team A can legally play it again. The result is a “four hits” call against team A.

c. Team B has committed a blocking fault. After team A’s third hit, the ball must cross completely beyond the net before team B can contact it.

3. Not including the libero, the team A players are wearing blue uniform jerseys. Some of the players are wearing T shirts that are visible beneath the blue jersey. Which of the following statements is true about those visible undergarments?

a. Any visible undergarment worn beneath the uniform jersey must be a single, solid color that is similar to the predominant color of the jersey.

b. The visible undergarment must be a similar style and the same color for any team members who wear such an undergarment. The undergarment does not need to be the same or a similar color to that of the predominant color of the jersey.

c. If more than one team member wears the same type of visible undergarment, the undergarments must be identical.

d. Visible undergarments of the same type may be different colors or styles if worn by more than one team member.

stand in the coaching zone, but does not say anything else to the players. Ruling 2: Legal in (a) as the head coach and one assistant coach may stand during a dead ball in the coaching zone to relay information to players. Illegal in (b) as only the head coach may stand in the coaching zone once the ball is live and the assistant coach must return to the bench to sit down. A yellow conduct card (warning) shall be issued for the first offense.

Play 3: Team A’s head coach and an assistant coach both stand in the coaching zone during a dead ball to relay information to the players on the court. After the first referee blows the whistle and authorizes service, the assistant coach returns to the bench and sits down. After the next rally, a different assistant coach stands in the coaching zone along with the head coach to relay information to the players on the court. Ruling 3: Legal. Only one assistant coach may stand along with the head coach during a dead ball, but it does not have to be the same assistant coach each time. Provided only one assistant coach is standing alongside the head coach, it does not matter which one stands, as long as that assistant returns to the bench and sits down once the ball is made live again.

Equipment and Accessories 4-1-7, 4-1 Pen. 1

Another major change adopted for the 2023-24 season deals with jewelry. Players will now be permitted to wear small, secured stud or post jewelry above the chin (as shown in PlayPics B and C). The rule change maintains consistency with current trends of other NFHS and volleyball rules codes. Hoop-style jewelry, earrings that dangle and any other jewelry worn below the chin (such as necklaces and watches) are still illegal and must be removed (as shown in PlayPics D and E).

Play 4: During warmups, the referees notice a team A player wearing (a) multiple diamond stud earrings in each ear, (b) a stud earring in one ear and a hoop earring in the other ear, (c) a stud

nose piercing, (d) a necklace, or (e) a watch. Ruling 4: Legal in (a) and (c). Illegal in (b), (d) and (e). Piercings above the chin that are stud-like are legal. However, hoop-style jewelry and any jewelry worn below the chin are illegal. Referees should tell the team A coach to direct the player to remove the illegal jewelry and any player refusing to do show shall be charged with unsporting conduct.

Procedure for Substitution 10-2-1

Head coaches are allowed to request a substitution through signaling as well as through a verbal appeal (as shown in PlayPics F and G). In the past, the coach had to signal for a substitution and the rules did not specifically allow a verbal request. Due to a clerical error, last year’s rulebook inadvertently showed this rule change, even though it had not been voted on by the committee. The committee officially voted on the rule change this year and it is now officially a part of the rules.

Legal Uniform 4-2-4b

While not taking effect until the 2028-29 season, uniform numbers may no longer start with a leading 0 (01, 02, 03, etc.), as shown in PlayPic K.This clarifies legal numbers and eliminates confusion when signaling while aligning with other rule codes.

Legal Uniform 4-2-4c

While not an official rule change for this upcoming season, a previously approved rule change takes effect this season. The body of the uniform number must clearly contrast with the uniform top regardless of the border/ trim (as shown in PlayPics I and J). Simply having a border around a number does not make the number legal (as shown in PlayPic H). The reason for the rule change was because it was hard to read the numbers on uniforms when the body of the uniform number was the same color as the uniform. This change makes it easier for both referees and coaches to see the number clearly.

Play 5: Team A is wearing white uniforms with (a) white numbers outlined with a black border, (b) red numbers with a black border, or (c) black numbers with no border. Ruling 5: Illegal in (a) and legal in (b) and (c). The number on the jersey must be clearly contrasting and since white on white is not clearly contrasting, even with a black border, those jerseys would be illegal. Assuming all players are wearing that style of jersey and the team cannot begin the match with six players wearing legal uniforms, a loss or rally/point shall be awarded to the opponent at the beginning of the match and the state association shall be notified to determine further action or penalty, as deemed necessary. Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. He referees college and high school volleyball, umpires D-I softball and officiates women’s college and high school basketball and high school football. *

CASEPLAYS

Back-Row Block?

Play: Team A overpasses the first ball and the back-row setter, who is standing near the net, raises her hands over her head in a blocking stance. A player from team B attacks the ball and it hits the setter’s hands while they are lower than the top of the net. The first referee allows play to continue. Ruling: The referee’s decision is correct for all codes. The setter does not meet the definition of a blocker since she is not reaching higher than the top of the net. That would be considered the team’s first contact (NFHS 9-51c; NCAA 14.6.1; USAV 14.1.1).

External Interference

Play: A ball retriever loses control of a ball and it rolls across the back corner of the court on the side of the net opposite where the ball is being played. The ball does not cause a distraction or interfere with play and the ball retriever is able to retrieve the ball and move away from the court safely. The referees allow play to continue. Ruling: Correct for all codes. If the ball does not cause any distraction or interfere with play, there is no reason to stop play. If the ball causes a distraction or interferes with play, the referee should blow the whistle and signal a replay (NFHS 9-8-1g-1; NCAA 11.4.1; USAV 17.2).

Assistant Coach on Court

Play: During a timeout, an assistant coach enters the court to demonstrate a technique to a player on that team’s side of the court. The referees allow the assistant coach to enter the court. Ruling: Legal in NFHS and NCAA (NFHS 11-24, 11.2.4, NCAA 11.2.4.1). Teams may confer with their coaches as long as it is not in the opponent’s team area. Illegal in USAV as coaches and non-playing team personnel are prohibited from entering the court during a timeout (15.4.2).

Touch or No Touch? That Is the Question

By Ben Goodwin

Picture this scenario: It’s the deciding fifth set with the score 13-12 and there’s a long, athletic rally. The libero makes a spectacular dig, there’s a great set to the outside and a big swing. Everyone on one side of the net starts yelling, “Touch!” And their opponents plead, “No!” As the line judge, do you see that little finger move? You think you did, but are you sure enough? Nobody else has the touch. At the collegiate level, the team has no challenges left. What’s your call?

My heart starts to pound just thinking about that play, and it’s something we experience as line judges all the time. As volleyball players have become taller, faster, stronger and more skilled, the touches seem to get smaller. Even with the increasing quality of the Challenge Review System (CRS), touches remain the hardest play to judge in replay. As the pressure to be accurate in real time mounts, here are some tips and tricks to nail all those close touch/no touch calls with more consistency.

Positioning

First, focus on your feet. You always want to be in good position, slightly off the corner at a 45-degree angle to the center of the court. If the ball is going away from you down your sideline and the hitter is hitting down that line, square up a bit more to your sideline.

When the ball is coming toward you, hold your base position, so you have a good view to judge both lines and are in the best position to see all the back-row players with a potential play on the ball and catch any of those glancing touches off the defenders in your peripheral vision.

It’s All About Angles

How low should you get? The answer is not as low as you think. I like to be in an athletic position when

I’m on the corner and typically, I like to get into a low stance to judge my lines. However, this is not the best view to judge touches off the block. Thinking about the physics of the attack, the lower you get as a line judge, the steeper the angle is looking up at the play. As you get lower, the angle of view gets steeper. This angle can be very deceiving as you tend to think there are more touches than actually occur. In a perfect world, being at the height of the ball would be the best angle to judge the play, so staying a little bit more upright can be helpful. There is a happy medium, being in an athletic position, ready to move if needed and in good position to make an in/out call on your line, but not bent too far down where you make seeing touches a challenge.

Glenn Reed, Laguna Hills, Calif., gives a strong touch signal to his first referee. Judging touches is one of the most difficult jobs for line judges and the best do it seemingly effortlessly.

Being Stationary

The most important thing about positioning and getting in your ready position is being stationary as the play is happening. No matter what happens in a play, you always want to be stationary to judge the play at the net. This makes accuracy go up and you are not fooled by the movement of your head, eyes or body. The players and the ball are moving fast enough; we don’t need to make it harder on ourselves by also being in motion.

Being stationary means also being set in your ready position. Watch yourself on video next time you are line judging. Are you getting down into your athletic position as the setter is setting, the hitter makes her swing or even later?

Getting in position when the setter is making her play is the most helpful. Now you are ready to react if the setter dumps and you won’t be late on a quick set. You are stationary

(not moving up or down) and giving yourself the best chance to accurately judge the play at the net.

Where Should I Focus?

Like our technique to “beat the ball to the line” so our eyes are focused on the line when the ball is hitting the ground, the best technique for seeing touches is to focus on the hands of the blockers as soon as possible. I focus my eyes on where the hands of the blockers will be before they get there. With so much action happening at the top of the block, seeing touches is easiest when our eyes are still and focused on the hands.

Mental Game

The most important tip of all: Relax. Trust yourself. Trust your team.

I’ve seen too many line judges thinking on the corner. The more your mind is going, the slower your eyes move, and your processing speed is diminished. In those tense moments,

trust your technique and be comforted you are part of a team. We all work extremely hard to hone our skills and all that practice pays off when we are in the action of the game, and we allow ourselves to react. Allow the play to come to you, and don’t go looking for the micro touch. This will allow you to judge the play more accurately.

The next time you go out to line judge, work on only one thing. Whatever that one thing is for that match, have that in mind, let the rest go, and allow yourself to react. Then the next match, work on the next thing. You will get more close plays right when you allow yourself the freedom to take a deep breath, trust your practice, see the play happen and react.

Ben Goodwin, Spokane, Wash., is co-author of “Ask the Judge” on the NCAA Women’s Volleyball Central Hub. He is a certified national line judge and worked the women’s 2020 D-I national championship match. *

Where Gurell Goes, Officiating Follows

By Steven L. Tietz

In the mid-1960s, wanderlust sent multisport Florida official Gerson Gurell and his newlywed wife, Marsha, from New York City to beautiful Ibiza, Spain, on their honeymoon.

They made their home in Puerto Rico, where they stayed for close to 50 years. There he found a niche as a teacher and sports official for

I had no job, but Marsha said we could go to Puerto Rico and find work there. We kept the New York apartment just in case.”

He said when they settled in Puerto Rico, he met an Army colonel who told him Fort Buchanan was only a few minutes away and would hire him as a teacher.

“I went there and they hired me,” he said. “And I stayed for 49 years.”

Gurell taught on multiple levels and started officiating in the 1970s, working almost every sport he could find including high school baseball, softball, soccer and basketball, as well as pee wee and flag football.

“I wasn’t the world’s greatest official, but I did what I thought was an adequate job,” he said.

He’s always loved baseball and made his Army base team back in the 1950s, playing against the likes of major leaguers Willie Mays and Dick Groat.

While in Puerto Rico, Marsha earned her master’s degree, taught for a time and became an artist. They moved to Florida when they retired. Marsha was 94 when she died a few years ago. Gurell’s kept busy ever since.

Behind the Mask, Out In Front

Brian DeVos Waseca, Minn.

In 2019, Brian DeVos realized the pool of young softball and baseball umpires in his area was drying up. So, along with fellow umpire Joel Schmidt, he created Behind the Mask, a program designed to recruit, mentor, train, equip and retain new umpires.

That effort, along with his long umpiring career, resulted in the St. Paul Saints independent minor league baseball team presenting DeVos with their Lifetime Achievement Umpire Award.

Behind the Mask also aims to create funding for community and individual subsidies through partnerships and its tournaments.

SOURCE: WASECA (MINN.) COUNTY NEWS

A Different Perspective

Zach Morley Middleton, Wis.

servicemen and their children at Fort Buchanan, the island’s Army base.

They moved back to the mainland about a decade ago where he now lives with family in Palm Coast, Fla.

Gurell, now 93, still officiates all manner of sports. He says he remains healthy and says with a laugh that he’s always been able to avoid doctors. Gurell remembers every detail of his odyssey as if it were yesterday.

“I went to New York University and got a physical education degree,” he said, “but I didn’t do much with it. We got married and Marsha and I had something like $5,000 when we went to Ibiza.

“We stayed eight months and when we came back to New York

“I was about 83 when we moved back and I started officiating again, high school and rec stuff,” he said. “Mostly soccer and baseball. I feel well, and I think I’m still functional.”

He officiated his first girls’ softball game in mid-February and has also picked up girls’ flag football. He works hard to stay licensed.

“I get a little grief about my age,” he said. “People ask, ‘How old are you?’ But I keep going.”

Gurell also volunteers at elementary schools, constructs fences and does some educational writing.

He is delighted to still be officiating.

“I’m not thinking of quitting anytime soon,” he said. Steven L. Tietz is an award-winning journalist from Milwaukee. *

Big crowds at high school basketball games don’t faze Zach Morley. He was a member of the University of Wisconsin teams that played in the 2004 and 2005 NCAA mens’ basketball tournaments. As a referee today, his focus is different.

“There is noise you hear. You sort of block it out,” he told the Wisconsin State Journal. “I feel I have the ability as an official that you hear the noise but you have to be able to ignore it.”

Morley began officiating in 2016 due to his love of the game and his desire to give back. “For me, it’s a chance to stay involved in basketball without getting into the coaching side. Basketball gave me a lot through my life, between a college education, a free education, seeing the world, making money, meeting a lot of great people.”

COURTESY WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL; COURTESY BRIAN DEVOS

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Gerson Gurell has officiated multiple sports in Puerto Rico and Florida. At 93 years old, he remains active and doesn’t intend on retiring anytime soon.

EXCUSES,

By Scott Tittrington

EXCUSES

Does It Really Have to Be This Difficult to Get Paid?

Dear School or League Administrator:

It’s no secret there’s a crisis in youth and high school sports — too many games and not enough officials.

Plenty of well-intentioned time and energy has been devoted to trying to figure out a variety of solutions for the problems that have created our current officiating shortage. As someone who works for a company and national organization devoted to all things officiating, and who is also a three-sport official, I want to delve into one area that doesn’t receive as much attention as bad sportsmanship and low pay, but it should.

It's not just what we are paid that bothers many officials. When we are paid can cause significant heartburn as well.

It is enormously frustrating when we’re still waiting for a check or electronic payment many weeks after the contest.

There are some points during a season when I’ve been owed hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars in pending payments for officiating services that have been rendered. And don’t think the money doesn’t matter. Yes, we’re partly doing this “for the kids,” but it’s a part-time job with the expectation that we’ll be paid for our services.

Like any job, we shouldn’t have to chase after our paycheck.

Far too often, officials have heard the following when they have had to expend additional time and effort to secure payment for services rendered:

• You didn’t fill out a W-9.

Not every school requires a W-9 to pay officials — and those forms contain

sensitive information, so we don't want to hand them out to just anyone unless they’re needed.

It would be nice if those schools or leagues that needed a W-9 or direct deposit info asked for them before the contest or when the official arrives. And if that’s initially missed and it’s holding up payment later, couldn’t someone pick up a phone or send an email to get that information?

And if we hadn’t reached out, does that mean we never would have been paid?

Earlier this year, I worked a varsity basketball game for which I had not been paid after three weeks, so I inquired. I got passed around to several different people at this school/district, but received no answers. Fortunately, I had also cc’d my two officiating partners who also worked that game, as I customarily do in these situations. One of them saw the email and mentioned he had been paid via direct deposit. Armed with this information — mind you, it came from my partner, not the school or district — I reached out again.

“Ah, yes,” came the reply. “We didn’t have your W-9 or your banking information, so we could not process your payment.” No one at the school asked for this information in the days leading up to the game. No one asked for it on site when I arrived or before I left. And perhaps most troubling of all, no one asked for it in the ensuing three weeks between the game and when I sent that first email.

If I hadn’t done this district’s job for them in figuring out the issue, how long would I have had to wait to get paid? Would I ever have been paid?

EXCUSES, EXCUSES

Having to reach out multiple times to sort out payment for a game fee is infuriating and unacceptable.

•The school board hasn’t yet approved the payment.

We had a contract, right? It said I’d be there to work the game and I’d get paid a certain amount of money. We understand not every school district or league pays the same way. There are going to be different financial controls in place and different time frames for processing payment to independent contractors. But don’t think it’s not frustrating when school district X manages to process officiating payments within a week while school district Y always gets held up weeks waiting for board approval. That shows it can be done more promptly. Heck, in some parts of the country, schools and leagues find ways to have payment made on game day.

What helps is getting some upfront information about how a school or league operates. If we have insights into the process, we’re typically quite accommodating. At the very least, we can then make decisions as independent contractors about whether we want to work those games under those payment conditions. Don’t leave us in the dark about how payment processes work.

•The check is in the mail or the online payment is processing.

If it really is and you know that’s the case, great. But nothing is worse than being told that only to wait another couple weeks with nothing arriving. Then, we call and we’re told, “Sorry, we didn’t have your W-9.”

So how could the check be in the mail?

If you don’t really know, we’d rather hear that than get told something merely to placate us. And if it has been a while since the game, we’d appreciate someone with the power to check on the status to actually check on it. We worked the game; we shouldn’t have to do this much work to get paid for working the game.

•We have had a change in our business office.

When we call to check on payment, we hear this with incredible frequency. We understand this can sometimes be a real hiccup. Delays can happen with new procedures and new people. But this is heard often enough there’s either a national crisis in turnover in school business offices or we’re being put off a la “the check is in the mail.”

•The administrative assistant is on leave. While we do have sympathy when unexpected things happen, it’s not the best business practice when only one person is capable of handling essential tasks — like paying those who rendered services. Especially when the leave is something anticipated in advance, it’s hard not to be frustrated when we now have to wait for someone’s return (which we’re sometimes told could be weeks).

Again, being upfront about what’s transpiring and how you’re working to take care of business helps. But what really satisfies is ensuring that when we take care of the business of officiating games, you’re able to take care of the business of paying us for those services in a timely manner.

It comes down to this: Failing to pay sports officials in a timely manner is emblematic of what’s created this entire officiating shortage in the first place. It sends a message sports officials aren’t valued. It’s simply another way we are being disrespected as sports officials, piled on top of out-of-control spectators, sub-standard or nonexistent locker rooms and stagnant game fees.

As I write this, I’m still waiting to get paid for a game I worked three months ago. That’s simply unacceptable. And don’t think that’s not in my mind when I’m considering accepting games from that school or league the next time they’re offered.

For what we’re paid, we shouldn’t have to endure additional struggles getting that payment. Scott Tittrington is an associate editor at Referee. He officiates college and high school baseball, college and high school basketball, and high school football. *

Failing to pay sports officials in a timely manner is emblematic of what’s created this entire officiating shortage in the first place. It sends a message sports officials aren’t valued.

Where’s My Money?

So you haven’t received payment for working a game and a reasonable amount of time has passed. What can you do?

First, make sure you know the funding source, mechanics of payment, timing of payment and terms of payment. No sense pursuing money from a school if the league is the payment source. Knowing the mechanics of payment can help track down where things might have gone wrong. Knowing timing and terms will help you avoid embarrassment of seeking payment when the contract specified it wouldn't be due for another three weeks.

Send an email or make a phone call to the athletic director or appropriate league o cial. Be polite. Be cordial. And be understanding. Just like with calls on the field or court, mistakes can

happen. Hopefully, in both cases, they’re not frequent. And as the saying goes, you'll catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Yes, you're frustrated you’re having to take extra steps to get what’s owed for services rendered, but taking that out on the person might make them less inclined to be particularly helpful. Most issues can be resolved with a single reach-out.

But if that initial reach-out doesn’t get you anywhere, and a follow-up leads nowhere as well, it’s time to get your association or assigner involved. Let them know you’re having issues getting paid and ask if they can intervene on your behalf. Good associations have a sense of which buttons can be pushed and when to help get that check written.

If, after involving your association or assigner, you’re still not getting

results, it might be time to escalate your concerns to a school principal, league governing body or state association. This is often best done by the association.

Finally, if you’ve tried everything else, small claims court is an option to consider as a last resort. The information you gathered in the first step — about the funding source, mechanics, etc. — will be needed for this stage. No lawyers are necessary and the filing fees are nominal. The average small claims court's jurisdictional limit is about $5,300, representing the maximum claim that can be collected. There’s a lot more time and e ort involved, so you’ll ultimately have to assess if it's worth it. But at the end of the day, only a court can order someone to pay.

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• The Officiating Shortage Crisis

• The Realities of Post-Pandemic Sports

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ONE OR MORE? Pluses and Minuses of Working Multiple Sports

By the Referee editors

Multisport and single-sport officials have their own reasons why they’ve made those choices. Many single-sport officials would rather be the best they can be in one

sport than simply being average in two or three. It’s the same concept you’ve likely seen some overzealous parents use in steering their children to a specific sport. Little Johnny or Jenny needs to get that college scholarship, so they must pick one

sport and “concentrate” on it. It doesn’t matter the poor kid is only 9 years old.

On the flip side, others feel working multiple sports improves their overall officiating. For example, learning how to defuse a situation

Chad Smith, Lake Stevens, Wash., works college softball (as seen here) as well as high school softball. It may be the same sport, but the rules and mechanics differences mean he has to keep things separate in his mind. It’s almost like working multiple sports.

with an angry baseball coach can be very beneficial when you find yourself on a hostile sideline in football or basketball. Having aboveaverage “people skills” is what often separates top-tier officials from the others. Honing that skill in different environments can only help your officiating.

This is not to imply working a single sport should be frowned upon. Single-sport officials can get variety by working multiple levels within that sport — usually but not always college and high school. It works for them, and they can be very skilled at both levels.

If you officiate a number of different sports, or if you work multiple levels within a sport, there are a few things you need to remember.

Above all else, you need to be attentive to detail. When you fail to pay attention on or off the field or court, even for a moment, bad things tend to happen. Knowing what rules apply when, setting goals and engaging in self-reflection are a few things that multisport and multilevel officials must consider.

If you work multiple levels within the same sport, it is imperative you are able to differentiate between the different sets of rule codes. A penalty in a high school football game might be enforced completely differently in a college game. Many officials throughout the country work a high school game on a Friday night and a small-college game on Saturday. In addition to rules differences, consider the varying levels of intensity, the skills of the athletes, the dissimilar mechanics and different officiating philosophies. All are important ingredients in making that transition.

Most officials set goals for themselves. Officials might have different goals in the different sports they work. A young soccer referee’s main goal might be to work a full schedule of varsity games. A 25-year volleyball veteran might want to work the state championship match. Whatever your goals are, try to keep everything in perspective. And be realistic.

Every official has dreams of where he or she wants to go, but it often requires catching a break. You can’t control everything, so worry about the things you can. You can manage your attitude, preparation, conditioning and work ethic. And when you catch the break that gets you closer to your goal, in whatever sport you’re working, take advantage of the opportunity.

Juggling different sports and/or levels can be very time-consuming. Responsible officials who are effective time managers set themselves up for success. Those officials are usually able to critique their work through a productive self-assessment. Officials are often hardest on themselves, and being able to take a serious look in the mirror will help in your development.

If you are able to get your hands on video of your games, do it. There is no better way to learn than by watching yourself work. We all have an idea of how we look, how we move on the field, etc. However, what we see on video might be completely different than what we picture in our mind. We can tell if we are really getting into correct position. Feedback from a partner or supervisor is one thing, but seeing it for ourselves really hits home.

An honest self-evaluation cannot be overlooked. As you often rush to leave the field or gym to get to the next game or as you move into the next sport season, don’t forget to take some time to reflect. The best in the business have the ability to critique themselves and make changes where necessary. They know what works well for them and what they need to improve upon. Sitting down and seeing the “little things” on video gives officials the chance to make proper adjustments. It will pay dividends in the future.

Being able to balance different sports and levels takes a high level of commitment. It is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. If you work a single sport or many (or multiple levels), take the time to make sure your house is in order. Once the chaos of your season(s) arrives, you’ll be ready. *

SURVEY SAYS …

Are the majority of assigners for whom you work ethical and professional?

Yes93.8%

No

6.2%

SOURCE: SURVEY OF 65 REFEREE READERS

QUICKTIP

When studying the rulebook, read some part of it each day, including during the offseason. Make it as much a part of your daily routine as brushing your teeth. If possible, read it right before you go to bed. Some studies have proved memory retention is enhanced by studying right before sleeping.

THEY SAID IT

“It’s the greatest relief in the world. Now I can take my glasses and put them on and see what’s going on in the world.”

— Dusty Boggess, upon his retirement as an MLB umpire in 1963. He went out on top; he was named the NL’s top arbiter that year

SOURCE: SPORTS ILLUSTRATED

DID YOU KNOW?

Three of Dr. James Naismith’s original 13 rules of basketball were written with instructions to the officials in them. Rules 9, 10 and 11 gave specific mention of the duties of either the “referee” or the “umpire.” The referee was originally responsible for keeping track of the time during the game.

Some Don’ts You Shouldn’t Do

By Bill Welker, EdD

Whendiscussing how officials should conduct themselves, we sometimes neglect to consider what not to do. Here are some “Don’ts” officials should consider.

Don’t be disdainful. There are no redeeming qualities of arrogance. Contests involve three human components. Foremost are the athletes, then the coaches and finally the officials. Be respectful when addressing coaches. You’re not above error.

Don’t seek approval. Never glance at coaches when you make a call, checking their reaction. Be assertive when making judgment calls and keep your attention on the participants.

Don’t coach. Your duty is to enforce the rules of the game. Telling players how to execute moves or plays is the coach’s job.

Don’t gossip or ridicule. Never “bad mouth” a fellow official, coach or athlete in public. If you have a problem with another referee, meet with him or her privately to discuss your concerns. If that doesn’t solve the conflict, don’t accept future assignments together. Don’t use social media to discuss specific plays, coaches or athletes.

Don’t appear doubtful. The tougher the call, the more assertive

you should be. If you appear unsure, everyone will question your decision. It is important to exude confidence when making a difficult judgment call.

Don’t act too friendly with coaches. Refrain from longer conversations with one coach than the other. Fans may interpret that as favoritism. Keep discussions brief and formal.

Avoid conflicts of interest. Don’t accept assignments at a school at which you teach, your children are enrolled or you are a recent graduate. Also, if you hold a public position in the town, you should avoid games in

that town. One set of fans will think you’re favoring the opposing team as a means of not showing bias toward the local team, while the opponents will perceive you as being a “homer.”

Don’t linger afterward. Nothing can be gained by waiting around for compliments on your performance. More than likely, spectators of the losing squad will want to express their negative opinions. Become a magician and disappear once the game ends.

Don’t break a contract. If you get a chance for a higher-profile contest when you already have one scheduled, check with your assigner. Most will work with you to release you from the commitment. To lie to get out of a contract or simply not show up for a contracted event is unethical.

Officiating is viewed as an honorable avocation. To earn the respect of the athletes, coaches and fans, officials must demonstrate ethical practices and perform their duties with passion and integrity.

Dr. Bill Welker, Wheeling, W.Va., officiated wrestling for 25 years. During his career, he was named the National Official of the Year by Wrestling USA magazine, the West Virginia and Ohio Valley Athletic Conference Official of the Year and NFHS Mideast Section Distinguished Active Official. He has also served as a rules interpreter, clinician and supervisor. *

Are You Feeling Defeated When They Say You Have Cheated?

Coaches have all sorts of creative ways to question our ethics and integrity. During the pregame meetings, they are often curious where we’re from — the unspoken implication is if the opposing team hails from the same city, the coach will be looking out for any hint of homerism.

The old feeling among coaches of, “I’m going to get screwed on the road,” is not quite as prevalent as it used to

be. But certainly a few coaches may still get that feeling before they step off the bus and they may even convey that to their players.

Your integrity is your calling card and you need it to be successful at every level. It’s the catalyst for everything in officiating, from maintaining control during the game to moving up the ladder. If our integrity is in question, so is our judgment and

the whole scheme of being fair. That’s why officials need to be extra protective when it comes to challenges to their character.

The best way to avoid giving a coach any ammunition to attack your integrity is to work every game with a simple four-point plan:

• Arrive, saying little.

•Treat each coach the same before the game.

Kacie Moorehouse of Bellevue, Wash., confidently makes her call and doesn’t leave doubt about her judgment.

•Work hard during the contest.

•Leave, saying less than when you arrived.

But what do you do if you feel your integrity is being questioned? Most officials agree you must address the coach immediately.

Most officials don’t appreciate it when a coach tells them to call it both ways. They don’t tolerate it and immediately remind the coach they are calling it both ways. That sends a message you heard the coach and you’re not going to be so cordial if the topic comes up again.

Say a coach questions you about a foul total discrepancy, implying there is some favoritism going on. A good response might be, “Coach, what are you trying to say?” Put the onus back on a coach who’s hinting around about your integrity. Make the coach come out and say it if that’s what is intended. Most coaches will back off before it gets to a penalty stage.

Comments like, “Call it both ways,” and questions about why the foul totals aren’t even are indirectly hinting at your integrity, but coach comments aren’t always that clear. If you have a coach questioning every single call, in a manner of speaking that coach is questioning your integrity, too. You have to stop that type of behavior. Don’t be afraid to ask point blank, “Are you questioning my integrity?” Most coaches know that is a line not to be crossed and will then rephrase their comments.

If they don’t back off, if they directly accuse you of cheating, how should you handle that? That’s actually easier to deal with than all those roundabout hints regarding your integrity. Hit the coach with the proper unsportsmanlike penalty — which may include ejection.

Those blatant accusations are rare, but they happen. If charges are

made during or after a game by a coach at any level, documentation of the incident is important. Follow procedures and keep your cool. Notify your appropriate league office or supervisor and document the comments in your game report.

Officials at all levels have a responsibility to strive for integrity, not only during their games, but also in their communities and in their lives. Because officials work so hard to uphold their standards of character and impartiality, and because those standards are the only things that allow us to do our jobs with credibility, attacks on our integrity are especially heinous.

Officials are part of a unique community. We are in an avocation that mandates impeccable integrity. Most people realize officials as a group have a great history of integrity and because of that, you should be able to be proud to be an official. *

No matter how many games you’ve worked there’s still STUFF nobody told you. Until now! Referee has collected all the STUFF you need to know to polish your game and present a professional image. Don’t work another game without all this valuable STUFF.

FOR THE RECORD

AWARDS, ROSTERS, NOTABLES

POSTSEASON ASSIGNMENTS

PROFESSIONAL

• Kansas City defeated Philadelphia, 38-35, to win Super Bowl LVII. Officiating the game were (crew order is referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge, back judge, replay official, replay assistant) Carl Cheffers, Roy Ellison, Jerod Phillips, Jeff Bergman, John Jenkins, Eugene Hall, Dino Paganelli, Mark Butterworth, Frank Szczepanik.

NFC Wild Card — San Francisco 41, Seattle 23: Alex Kemp, Mark Pellis, Frank LeBlanc, Julian Mapp, Dyrol Prioleau, Dale Shaw, Scott Helverson, Mike Chase, Durwood Manley. N.Y. Giants

31, Minnesota 24: Adrian Hill, Tab Slaughter, Mike Carr, Mark Stewart, Ryan Dickson, Dominique Pender, Matt Edwards, Matt Sumstine, Tim England. Dallas 31, Tampa Bay 14: Craig Wrolstad, Steve Woods, Derick Bowers, Kevin Codey, Mearl Robinson, Dave Hankshaw, Grantis Bell, Kevin Stine, Gavin Anderson

AFC Wild Card — Jacksonville

31, L.A. Chargers 30: Shawn Smith, Barry Anderson, Tom Stephan, Mike Dolce, Joe Blubaugh, David Meslow, Tony Josselyn, Mike Wimmer, Sebrina Brunson. Buffalo 34, Miami 31: Brad Allen, Terry Killens, Sarah Thomas, Mark Perlman, Anthony Flemming, Keith Washington, Greg Yette, Andrew Lambert, Kirt Shay Cincinnati 24, Baltimore 17: Clay Martin, Fred Bryan, Patrick Holt, Tom Eaton, Aaron Santi, Jonah Monroe, Greg Wilson, Brian Matoren, Rick Loumiet.

AFC Divisional — Kansas City 27, Jacksonville 20:

Shawn Hochuli, Paul King, Danny Short, Greg Bradley, Terry Brown, Chad Hill, Greg Meyer, Tyler Cerimeli, Mark Bitar. Cincinnati 27, Buffalo 10: Cheffers, Ellison, David Oliver, Bergman, Jenkins, Anthony Jeffries, Dino Paganelli, Kevin Brown, Larry Hanson. NFC Divisional —Philadelphia 38, N.Y. Giants 7: Clete Blakeman, Carl Paganelli, Phillips, Walt Coleman IV, Nate Jones, Eugene Hall, Perry Paganelli, Chad Adams, Ken Hall. San Francisco 19, Dallas 12: Bill Vinovich, Bryan Neale, Mark Hittner, Rusty Baynes, Rick Patterson, Don Willard, Brad Freeman, Butterworth, Gerald Frye

AFC Championship — Kansas City 23, Cincinnati 20: Ron Torbert, Ramon George, Kent Payne, Jeff Seeman, Tom Hill, Boris Cheek, Todd Prokop, Roddy Ames, Joe Wollan. NFC Championship — Philadelphia 31, San Francisco 7: John Hussey, Alan Eck, Dana McKenzie, Tim Podraza, Jabir Walker, Allen Baynes, Terrence Miles, Jamie Nicholson, Larry Hill Jr.

COLLEGE

•Crews for FBS conferences that staged championship games are listed here. Crew order is referee, umpire, head line-judge, line judge, field judge, side judge, back judge, center judge, replay official, replay communicator.

Big Ten (Michigan 43, Purdue 22)— Jerry McGinn, Mike Pilarski, Kristopher Loving Sr., Rudy Studd, Lamont Simpson, Steve Thielen, Jake Kemp, Mike Stumberg, Tom Fiedler, Brian Smith.

MAC (Toledo 17, Ohio 7)— Tom Stapleton, Keith Vaverchak, William McKoy, Gary Schildmeyer, Nicole Randolph, Brett Henninger, Larry Neal, Darren Haas, Dennis Jackson, Andrew McGrath.

Pac-12 (Utah 47, USC 24)— Chris Coyte, Roscoe Meisenheimer, Darryl Johnson, Cravonne Barrett, Bernie Hulscher, Brad Glenn, Johnny Morton, Jim Wharrie, Jim LaBorde, Brian Brown.

SEC (Georgia 50, LSU 30) — David Smith, Walt Hill, Ryan Hagan, Walter Flowers, Justin Larrew, Phillip Davenport, Tom Fimmen, Marc Curles, Mitch Wilkens, Caz Kosciolek.

Big 12 (Kansas St. 31, TCU 28 OT) — Kevin Mar, Marlo Fitzgerald, Andy Warner, Darren Deckard, Jason Ledet, Gabriel DeLeon, Donnie Aultman, Stacy Hardin, Brad Van Vark, Gerald Austin.

ACC (Clemson 39, North Carolina 10) — Mike Roche, Johnnie Forte, Josiah Ford, Steve Matarante, Ken Bushey, Ryan Flynn, Richard Wilborn,

Ryan Wingers, Keith Roden, Frank Overcash.

AAC (Tulane 45, UCF 28) — Hank Johns, Mike Stevens, Todd Riddick, Alex Amaya, Eric Hartman, Jerry Walter, James Sima, Patrick Oldham, Mike Stevens, Jonathan Schwanbeck.

Conference USA (UTSA

48, North Texas 27) — Rory Bernard, Jeremy Epps, Jerry Harris, Jeremiah Harris, Jonathan Bullock, Danny Fowler, Aaron Hochuli, Brad Smith, Todd Rath.

AWARDS & HONORS

•The Georgia High School Association (GHSA) presents Contributor to the Cause in Officiating Awards to persons in each GHSA-sanctioned sport/ activity for their contribution to recruiting, training and retention of contest officials. The 2021-22 recipients were (photo above, from left): Justin Russell, Vidalia (soccer); Neal McKinney, Lilburn (swimming and diving); Colbie Wilson, Ringgold (dance); Amy Eubanks, Smyrna (gymnastics); Al Dattolo, Jackson (softball); David Reynolds, Lilburn (girls’ flag football); Bob Earwood, Powder Springs (NFHS Lifetime Achievement Award); Darrell Lane, Albany (basketball); Dr. James R. Hines Jr., GHSA executive director; Rick Elrod, Augusta (baseball); Andy Cowart, Milledgeville (multisport) Patrick Ingram, Kennesaw

MORE

The GHSA presented Contributor to the Cause in Officiating Awards. See Awards & Honors below.

(football). Not pictured Wayne Pinkham, Flowery Branch (volleyball); Lynda Martin, Marietta (cheer); Shawn Fields, Flowery Branch (wrestling); Michael Hannah, Ackworth (lacrosse).

•The Minnesota High School League presented Officials Service Awards to those with decades of experience. Recipients included: 60 years — Warren J. Bailey, Pipestone. 50 years — Tony Bartovich, Eveleth; James S. Erzar, Grand Rapids; Babe Glumack, Hibbing; Edwin E. Homan, Hutchinson; Mark E.Stange, Shoreview. 40 years — Lori Ard, Dent; Terry Bumgarner, Richfield; Henry Gerth, Winona; Thomas M. Highum, Brainerd; Richard P.Hommerding, Waite Park; Guy T. Kimball, Fargo; David Lundquist, Woodbury; Kevin

ROSTERS USFL

G.Merkle, Northfield; Jeffery H.Moberg, Russell; William G. Rothstein, Sauk Rapids; Paul Seaton, Foley; Lee Ann Steen, Sherburn; Rick Tibesar, St. Paul; Julian Tuominen, Duluth; George Winn, Maple Grove. 30 years — Brad R. Augustin, Comfrey; Alan Baloun, Windom; Scott Beekman, Marshall; Jim Bennett, Hermantown; Susan A.Bennett, Hermantown; Craig P. Boysen, Buffalo; Wayne K. Erbes, Cottonwood; Jim Fall, Pine Island; John M.Fondurulia, Hoyt Lakes; Rodney A. Frost, Farmington; Dennis Hammann, Chaska; Deborah Hiestand, Maple Grove; Joel Hokanson, Fairmont; John A. Jacobson, Duluth; Steve T. Johnson, Marshall; Kathleen W. Kalenberg, Buffalo Lake; James J.Kirshbaum, Maple Grove; William T. Kozik, Bloomington; Brent M. Kuphal, Corcoran; Brian Masyga, Winona; Timothy I. McConnell, N. Fort Myers; Thomas J. McDonald,

Ely; Charles Moore, Maple Grove; Darrell Olson, Fargo; Rachel M. Palmer, N. Mankato; Scott J. Patten, Carlton; Sam H.Ricker, Iron; Michael J. Roff, Champlin; Ronnie Schneider, Roseville; Gerald W. Sillanpa, Duluth; Scott Tschimperle, Brownton; Jeff M. Vlatkovich, Hibbing; Wayne D. Weller, New York Mills; Richard A.Williamson, Owatonna; Clarence Winter, Lakeville; Dave Wisnieski, Elk River.

•The 2023 inductees into the Ohio High School Athletic Association Officials Hall of Fame are Rick Bayless, Delaware (basketball); Dave Campbell, Cincinnati (basketball, football, cross country, track and field); Phil Colflesh, Dublin (football); Charles “Ron” Golemon, Van Wert (basketball, baseball); Andrew Holloman, Orwell (baseball, softball, basketball); Carl Jordan Sr., Pepper Pike (basketball); Bill Mason, Granville (basketball, lacrosse);

Donald Mason, Zanesville (wrestling); Cheryl Opperman, Wellington (softball); Michael Porpora, Wadsworth (soccer); Michael Rauch, Beverly (basketball); Katie Roesch, Galion (volleyball, track and field, basketball); Kevin Schwarzel, Athens (basketball); John Whitson, Newark (basketball, football, baseball).

OBITUARIES

• Rodney “Luau” Bowers, 72, Hummelstown, Pa., died Aug. 22, 2022. He was Pennsylvania’s ASA (now USA Softball) umpire in chief since 2000. He worked a number of state and national championships and the 2001 men’s world championship in Australia.

Do you have any rosters, assignments or awards that warrant mention?

Send info to us at ForTheRecord@referee.com

The 2023 USFL crews. Order is referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge, back judge. Shared position denoted with a star.

Larry Smith

Scott Walker

Brian Sakowski

Quentin Given

Glen Fucik

*Michael Kennedy/ John Morton

Joe Johnston

XFL

Adam Savoie

*Amanda Sauer/

Krystle Appelaniz

Sergio DeHoyos

Walter Flowers

Daniel Gautreaux

Raymond Daniel

Donnie Aultman

James Carter

Tuta Salaam

*Jeremiah Harris/ Ryan Hagan

*Catherine Conti/Monique

Washington

Jimmy DeBell

Phillip Hicks

Tyree Walton

Bryan Banks

Scott Campbell

Steven Ray

Brian Perry

Michael Griffith

Frank Steratore

Martin Hankins

Stuart Mullins

Ron Turner

Chad Green

Kristopher Loving

Jason Ledet

*Josh Aragon/ Karina Tovar

Jacques Hooper

The 2023 XFL crews. Order is referee, umpire, down judge, line judge, field judge, side judge, back judge. Also included is each league city’s replay official and ball spotter.

Jason Autrey

William Thomas

Andy Warner

Catherine Conti

Eric Hartman

Sean Petty

Justin Staehr

Chris Coyte

Jim Wharrie

Nick Theriot

Monique

Washington

Jose Martinez

Wes Booker

Justin Nelson

Jeff Heaser

Amanda Sauer

Cravonne Barrett

Steven Matarante

Kendal Smith

Gabe DeLeon

Peter Buchanan

Reggie Smith

Dan Scanlan

Marcus Allen

Jay Bilbo

LaShell Nelson

Ryan Flynn

Brett Toney

Michael Vandervelde

Krystle Appellaniz

Rod Ammari

Darren Deckard

Conor Clougherty

Raymond Tate

David Ross

Frank Villar

Chris Snead

Dale Keller

Kole Knueppel

Karina Tovar

Milton Britton

Fred Dimpfel

Derek Anderson

Robert Richeson

Josiah Ford

Brett Bergman

*LaShell Nelson/ Nicole Randolph

Justin Larrew

Jake Kemp

Location Replay OfficialBall Spotter

Arlington Chad WakefieldCrystal Cooksey

D.C.

Russell GiglioMichael Kennedy

Houston Yvette MatchetteJason Laborde

Orlando Andrew McGrathJoey Calcagino

San Antonio Brian Jones

Austin Wright

Seattle Steve KovacCharles Giles

St. Louis

Las Vegas

Eric Oliver Austin Hills

Brian BrownEddie Garcia

Write Them Right

By Donald C. Collins

The game report is the key piece of evidence for a number of hearings, injunctions and other legal proceedings. It is also a vital administrative tool, letting leagues and governing bodies know what actions the officials took, whether those actions impact the playing, not playing, forfeiture or suspension of a game, and whether those actions involved rulings that impacted the playing status of any player or coach. The administrative details should also include timing, scoring and scorebook data where a game has been suspended or forfeited; after all, league officials can’t restart a game if they don’t have basic scorebook information.

Unfortunately, most officials associations don’t do a lot of training on report writing. But reports are

short amount of time is exceedingly difficult. After all, if the coach yells and screams every time the official sees him or her, the official may believe it’s important to note that and to inform the league the coach always exhibits poor sportsmanship. But the coach’s past actions are not germane to the action the official took today, and the conclusion that the coach is unsportsmanlike is an opinion. These things seem like facts to the writer.

The net result of flawed reports — whether they be screeds or merely stray into facts or opinions that aren’t germane to the actions taken in the game being reported on — is reducing the value of the game report. The report isn’t quite as useful as an administrative tool. Worse, if the matter being reported at hand results in litigation, the official appears to be a biased witness.

Contract Not in Writing

Just because you didn’t receive a formal written contract for a game assignment doesn’t mean you haven’t entered into a contract.

Generally speaking, a contract is really no more than an agreement or mutual exchange of promises. The philosophy of contract law is that people should honor their agreements and keep their promises. When there is some confusion over the terms of the agreement, the law normally tries to enforce the reasonable expectations of the parties, taking into account any prior dealings.

needed on those occasions when officials make rulings that may require some administrative action. At the very least, associations should inform their members that league administrators will require reports when there are ejections, fights, suspended games or forfeited games.

When associations train their officials how to write a game report, they often issue a “Dragnet” instruction. The official is told to stick to the facts and just say what happened.

This “Dragnet” instruction is helpful, but it does have a flaw. Officials often don’t make the distinction between relevant facts, extraneous facts and opinions.

This flaw leads to an excessive amount of game reports that sometimes read as screeds where an official issues a discourse about the ongoing misconduct of a coach or opines about the attitude of a player. Convincing an official a screed isn’t a fact in a

Ultimately, associations must supplement the “just the facts” instruction. Officials should be told the game report is a recitation of the things that occurred in that specific game — and only that game — that led to the actions the official took in that game, combined with the declaration of the actions the official took. There should be no attempts to show a participant or coach is more or less credible. The actions speak for themselves. The actions should be supplemented by any needed administrative notes such as time, score and fouls or cards issued.

Finally, officials should note ejections, fights and suspended games merit an immediate report as administrators may need to take actions based on the official’s rulings. However, a word of caution: Officials should seek advice before issuing reports on injuries. Injuries don’t necessarily lead to administrative actions, and the legal interests of leagues may not always square with the legal interests of officials when an injury occurs.

Donald C. Collins is a longtime basketball official and lawyer, and former commissioner of the San Francisco Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. This article is for informational purposes and is not legal advice. *

So, a phone call from the assigner asking an official to run over to South High and cover a JV game is really an offer for a contract, which is accepted when the official says he or she will cover the game. The situation is similar when an official goes online and agrees to work a game by clicking in the appropriate place. The remaining terms of the contract (fees, obligations of the official to show up on time, etc.) are implied from prior dealings.

SOURCE: REFEREE LAW COLUMN BY PATRICK ROSENOW

Judged for Negligence

In most cases, an official who is sued for negligence can expect his or her actions or failure to act to be judged against at least the following items:

1.The rulebook.

2.The casebook.

3.The officials’ manual.

4.Training materials or documents containing written modifications to any of the above.

5.The officials’ written contract to officiate.

6.Facilities and equipment specifications promulgated by outside groups.

7.The Officials’ Code of Ethics.

The import of most of these is selfevident, but some may be surprised by the importance of the code of ethics, which for high school officials can be found in an appendix of the rulebook. It places responsibilities upon officials — many that seem obvious, but it places the areas of “unreasonably hazardous” and “emergency conditions” within the orbit of the officials’ responsibilities.

SOURCE: SPORTS OFFICIATING: A LEGAL GUIDE BY ALAN GOLDBERGER

PRESENTED BY

Unfortunately, most officials associations don’t do a lot of training on report writing.

CLASSIFIEDS

CAMPS/CLINICS/ SCHOOLS

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LEADERSHIP RESOURCES

* Association Advantage Membership to Association Advantage provides officials, associations and their leaders the tools to conduct wellrun meetings, education resources for officiating training and access to years of association management articles. Member associations also receive 12 issues of

Referee magazine, monthly Advisor newsletters, Click e-newsletters, massive discounts on training materials and optional insurance coverage exclusive to membership. For additional membership information, contact Ken Koester at 262-632-5448 or visit the Association Advantage website at nasoadvantage.com.

EQUIPMENT/APPAREL

* Purchase Officials Supplies — Everything for Life Inside the Lines. Call 800-767-2233 or visit our website purchaseofficials. com for the best products and prices in the market.

* Ump-Attire.com — The #1 website for officials’ sporting goods. Now serving free returns to go along with more brands, product

QUIZ ANSWERS

BASKETBALL

1 — NFHS – d (2-14, Guideline Shot Clock Operator 6b[iv]); NCAAM/W –a (2-11.6.d.1)

2 — NFHS – b (5-8-3a); NCAAM – d (5-14.1, 5-15.1.c); NCAAW – c (5-14.1, 5-15.1.c)

3 — NFHS – d (3-4-3d, 10-6-4); NCAAM/W – a (NCAAM 10-2.3.b; NCAAW 10-12.2.c.2)

4 — All – d (NFHS 4-31, 4-42-5a, 4-42-5b; NCAAM 4-25; NCAAW 4-19)

BASEBALL

1 — All – b (NFHS 8-1-1e; NCAA 8-2e1; pro 5.05b3)

2 — NFHS, NCAA – b (NFHS 2-36-3, 3-1-1; NCAA 5-5j2); pro – d (5.10d)

3 — NFHS – a (2-16-1g); NCAA, pro – c (NCAA 7-1f, 7-11l; pro 5.04b5, 5.09a7)

MISSION

SOFTBALL

1 — All – b (NFHS 2-251g; NCAA 11.6.1, AR 11-6; USA Softball 1-Foul Ball G; USSSA 3-Foul Tip)

2 — All – a (NFHS 2-25-2, 7-2-1d; NCAA 11.6.1, 11.6.2 Eff., AR 11-6; USA Softball

1-Foul Tip, 7-4e Eff.; USSSA 3-Foul Tip)

3 — All – b (NFHS 2-110; NCAA 7.1.1.2.5b; USA Softball R/S 1L; USSSA 8-6d, 9-1a, Feb. 2018 Interp.)

4 — All – b (NFHS 8-6-10a; NCAA 12.17.2.1.5.2, AR 12-56; USA Softball 8-7j-1; USSSA 8-18g)

VOLLEYBALL

1 — All – e (NFHS 9-3-3-g; NCAA 16.1.2, 16.2.1; USAV 8.2)

2 — All – b (NFHS 9-4-3, 9.4.3C; NCAA 14.3.2.1; USAV 9.1.2.2)

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TRAINING RESOURCES

* Referee Training Center

— The largest library of officiating training materials in the world. Rules study, mechanics updates and materials on important topics can all be found in one location 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with sample chapters and video samples. Discover it all at store.referee.com.

FLASHBACK MAY

40 YEARS AGO … 1983

•The late Lloyd Leith, considered the “dean of officials” on the West Coast, is enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame during ceremonies May 2. Leith became the 10th basketball referee to be honored for his accomplishments.

30 YEARS AGO … 1993

3 — NFHS – a (4-2-1h-3); NCAA – c (7.1.1.3); USAV –b (4.3)

SOCCER

1 — All – b (NFHS 9-2-1c; NCAA 9.3.2; IFAB 8.2)

2 — All – c (NFHS 11-1-1-4; NCAA 11.2; IFAB 11.2)

3 — All – b (NFHS 1.4.1D; NCAA 10.1.1; IFAB 10.1)

4 — All – b (NFHS 11.1.2C; NCAA AR 11.2.c; IFAB 11.4)

FOOTBALL

1 — Both – c (NFHS 6-2-6; NCAA 6-3-1b)

2 — Both – d (NFHS 1-53m; NCAA 1-4-5b)

3 — Both – c (NFHS 7-5-10; NCAA 7-3-8c)

4 — Both – a (NFHS 7-1-7a; NCAA 7-1-2b-4c)

•Two former NFL officials divide $67,500 in back pay after a December 1992 settlement is reached by the NFL and the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). The EEOC, on behalf of ex-officials Jack Fette and Fred Silva, filed an age-bias suit against the NFL. In agreeing to the settlement, the NFL said it “has denied and continues to deny all allegations of age discrimination asserted by the EEOC.”

20 YEARS AGO …

2003

•Referees Annalee McPhilomy, Shannon Mostellar and Karen Gruca call an NCAA Division II men’s basketball game. It was the first time three women officiated an NCAA men’s contest. After they officiated a women’s game between the University of North CarolinaPembroke and North Florida, they were notified the officials for the men’s game had not arrived because of a miscommunication in the start time.

10 YEARS AGO …

2013

Referee is a magazine written from an officiating perspective, blending editorial credibility and business viability. It educates, challenges and inspires officials at the youth, recreational, high school, collegiate and professional levels in all sports, with an emphasis on baseball, basketball, football, soccer, softball and volleyball. Referee is the journal of record for officiating and takes informed positions on selected issues. The magazine provides a forum for its readers, facilitates the flow of information, raises public consciousness about officials’ roles and serves as a catalyst for improved officiating worldwide.

•Three MLB umpires — each a crew chief for the 2012 season — retire from the field and three new umpires are hired to the fulltime staff. Former crew chiefs Tim Tschida, Ed Rapuano and Derryl Cousins retired during the offseason. Manny Gonzalez, Vic Carapazza and Alan Porter were hired to replace them.

Take Care of Each Other

I first met Gordon Corsetti the very same way most of us officials meet each other. We were assigned a game together. I had never worked with him and never heard of him. But there he was, a name on a piece of paper for the next day of assignments at a summer training camp for lacrosse officials. The next day on the field he made an impression, let’s just say that.

A few years later, we hired Gordon at USA Lacrosse to evolve our training program for our 16,000plus officials across the country. Not only did he evolve it, Gordon revolutionized it. He created videos, trainings, programs and countless other resources to help officials everywhere. He truly made an impact

this very magazine. One commenter on his story said, “I have worked in the mental health field for almost 30 years, and I have never read a more powerful personal story. We all have demons, but most of us don’t have the courage to put them up there on a wall for others to see.” Another wrote, “You compel me to reflect on depression in my family — the choices I’ve made and need to make — to be there for others.”

He shared his story during a Referee Voices session at the NASO Summit, and I will never forget how silent and awestruck that room was when he left the stage. Gordon shone a light and normalized a conversation around mental health with his written and spoken words. It was one of the most impactful and courageous officiating presentations most of us in the room had ever seen. The video is still available today at referee.com/ voices and is worth a watch.

Soon after, he took up the challenge to help others with this illness through his company, Mental Agility. He spoke to high school and college students, officiating groups and industry professionals. He was onto something; he was making an impact everywhere. He came up with the slogan, “Take Care of Your Crew.” He made up bracelets and passed them out to officials all over the world. Officials loved them. We are the third team on the field, and we are a crew. He was making an impact on people every single day, he knew it and we all saw it.

story and his struggles has, without doubt, saved lives.

If we all follow Gordon’s advice a little closer and “Take Care of Our Crew” we can continue his legacy of helping others. When he was struggling, he would say the simple questions, “How are you doing?” and “How can I help?” were often some of the most powerful someone could ask him. If we all do this, we can make sure Gordon’s sentence is not over and his words, both written and spoken, continue to have an impact on and off the field.

What started as a name on a piece of paper became so much more. Gordon made the best call I have ever seen by an official. He chose service, compassion, love and empathy to everyone he met. In Gordon’s own words:

“I write this to debunk the notion that no one cares, that no one understands — so that someone in a dark place can find hope in my words, and so I can finally be free of my silence.

“For those of you suffering alone, I do not know your pain. I know only the extent to which I have experienced mine. I felt alone. I felt as if I wasn’t worth the companionship of others. If I found help from those around me, that means you can too. Give voice to your pain.” — Gordon Corsetti (1988-2022)

that so many in our community have benefited from knowingly and unknowingly. He found a passion in helping others.

Throughout Gordon’s life, he battled mental health and depression. He found many ways to cope with this battle. In 2018, he found the courage and went public with his struggles in an article for USA Lacrosse Magazine, titled, “Lacrosse Saved My Life.” It was later republished in

On Dec. 2, 2022, Gordon James Corsetti died by suicide. “Gordon fought this disease bravely, courageously and with everything he had for 20 years,” his sister, Caitlin, wrote. “He did everything he possibly could to manage his depression and live through it with vigor.”

Gordon had a tattoo of a semicolon on his wrist, which represents where writers could have ended a sentence but chose not to. He often told me it was his daily reminder his sentence was not over. His strength and courage to share his

If you or someone you know feels hopeless or like they have no reason to live, call, text or chat 988 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. If you or someone you know is seeking help for mental health concerns, visit the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI) website, or call 1-800-950NAMI (6264). In an emergency, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or call 911.

Charlie Obermayer, Hampstead, Md., is the former US Lacrosse senior manager of officials development and is an NCAA men’s lacrosse official. *

Do you have a personal officiating story to tell?

Send your story or queries to lastcall@referee.com

Gordon had a tattoo of a semicolon on his wrist, which represents where writers could have ended a sentence but chose not to.

IT’S OFFICIAL

Palmer Selected to Receive Officiating’s Highest Honor

Although Violet Palmer blazed many a trail in her officiating career, recognizing her solely for her “firsts” doesn’t begin to tell the whole story. In addition to what she accomplished as a basketball referee, her efforts as an assigner, trainer and camp leader are being recognized with this year’s Gold Whistle Award.

The award will be presented by NASO at the conclusion of the Sports Officiating Summit in Riverside, Calif., Aug. 1. The award is presented to an individual or group that has made significant contributions to the betterment of officiating, demonstrated a high degree of integrity and ethics — qualities that are held in high regard by the industry — had a consistent record of presenting officiating in a positive light, have exhibited a “service above self” attitude, have provided public service to officiating and have had a motivating effect on others and/or strong community involvement.

Upon being informed of the honor, Palmer said she was “on top of the world. This is an amazing award and I am happy and excited.”

Palmer officiated women’s college basketball, including

five NCAA Final Fours and two NCAA Championship games. She was a WNBA referee and worked the league’s 1997 finals.

On Oct. 31, 1997, Palmer made history when she officiated the NBA season opener between Vancouver and Dallas, becoming the first female to officiate an American major league sport. In 2006 ,

she was the first woman to officiate an NBA playoff game and in 2014 broke another barrier by working the league’s all-star game. She officiated nine postseason games in six different seasons.

On Sept. 22, 2016, Palmer retired due to knee issues. At the time of her retirement, she had officiated 919 NBA

games. She currently serves as coordinator of women’s basketball officials for the Pac-12, West Coast, Western Athletic, Big Sky and Big West conferences.

In 2001, Palmer established what is now known as the Basics Referee School to identify and train officials.

“Violet Palmer has shined a positive light on officiating for decades,” said NASO President Barry Mano. “She broke trail in the NBA. She has become revered as a collegiate coordinator for a plurality of conferences. She served for four years on the NASO board. All these things show her commitment to make officiating better. Her

Editor: Julie Sternberg

Sports Editor: Brent Killackey

Graphic Designer: Dustin Brown

Contributors: Don Collins, George Demetriou, Alan Goldberger, Luke Modrovsky, Patrick Rosenow, Tim Sloan, Jeffrey Stern, Brad Tittrington, Scott Tittrington, Bill Topp

NASO BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Dana Pappas, Lebanon, Ind., Chair

Robert Smith, Waterloo, Iowa, Vice Chair

Barry Mano, Racine, Wis., President

*Bill Topp, Racine, Wis., Secretary

*Bill Carollo, Shorewood, Wis., Treasurer

*Ron Foxcroft, Burlington, Ontario, Special Adviser

Dean Blandino, Santa Monica, Calif.

Lisa Jones, Phoenix

Paul LaRosa, Metairie, La.

Pati Rolf, Pewaukee, Wis.

Sandra Serafini, Yachats, Ore.

Ron Torbert, Hanover, Md.

Mark Uyl, DeWitt, Mich.

Rob Wigod, Los Alamitos, Calif.

*Non-voting members

NASO MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of NASO is to:

• Serve members by providing benefits and services.

• Improve officiating performance through educational programs.

• Advocate opportunities for officials and engage in programs to recruit and retain officials.

• Create alliances with organizations that benefit from healthy officiating programs.

• Enhance the image of officials.

© 2023 NASO/Referee Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. It’s Official is published by the National Association of Sports Officials and Referee Enterprises, Inc.

Find NASO @ facebook.com/NASOofficiating

unanimous selection was fated by the work she has done. Few have blazed such trails and in a manner that makes all of us in the officiating world proud.”

Palmer is the fourth NBA referee to receive the award, joining Joe Crawford (2014), Bob Delaney (2003) and Tommy Nunez (1999).

“Bob was one of my mentors,” Palmer said. “He’s always been very supportive

of my career even to now. I can call Bob Delaney for anything.”

A bonus for Palmer, a Los Angeles resident, is the location of this year’s Summit. “Having it in Riverside and being able to celebrate with family and friends is extra special,” she said. “It’s just a drive up the freeway.”

Palmer served on the NASO board of directors from 2005-08.

Gold Whistle Award Recipients

In chronological order, here are the previous Gold Whistle Award recipients:

1988: Art McNally

1989: Ed Myer

1990: Pete Pavia

1991: Larry Barnett

1992: Jim Tunney

1993: Steve Palermo

1994: Ron Asselstine

1995: Ed Hightower

1996: Bernie Saggau

1997: Ted Butcher

1998: Durwood Merrill

1999: Tommy Nunez

2000: Tom Dooley

2001: Paul Stewart

2002: Larry Young

2003: Bob Delaney

2004: Bob McElwee

2005: John W. Keys

2006: Blow the Whistle on Cancer Campaign

2007: Jerry Markbreit

2008: Marcy Weston

2009: Mills Lane

2010: Emily Alexander

2011: Esse Baharmast

2012: Terry Gregson

2013: Bill LeMonnier

2014: Joe Crawford

2015: Marcia Alterman

2016: Ron Foxcroft

2017: Ralph Swearngin

2018: Bill Carollo

2019: Tom Lopes

2020-21: UMPS CARE

2022: Joan Powell

Riverside Summit Program To Focus on Sportsmanship

After a successful trip to Westminster, Colo., last year, the NASO Sports Officiating Summit heads farther west to Riverside, Calif. The event will take place July 30-Aug. 1 and will bring together some of the brightest minds in the officiating industry.

This year’s theme, “Good Sports, Bad Sports, Better Sports Through Officiating,” focuses on sportsmanship and all that it encompasses.

“We are excited to be returning to California and tackling this important issue,” said Bill Topp, REI chief operating officer and executive director. “That area is rich with talent and we look forward to hearing the thoughts and insights of a number of leaders on how we can deal with the issues we are currently facing.”

One of the highlights of the Summit will be “The Results Are In: The 2023 National Officiating Survey Powered by Referee.com.” This session will reveal what the officiating industry had to say about a number of topics and is a follow-up to the 2017 national survey. With more than 35,000 respondents to the survey, this session will be both entertaining and enlightening.

Other sessions scheduled for the 2023 Summit include:

Sports is life with the volume turned up — If you agree the title above is true, that then becomes the basis of hammering out an understanding of today’s officiating environment. Not a particularly pretty sight! It has never been more challenging

to navigate the behavioral waters that each athletic contest presents to officials. This session focuses hard on those very things.

too few of us — No two ways about it: More officials are needed! Finally, a strategic approach to this topic, going well beyond the usual conversations about sportsmanship and the lingering effects of the pandemic. 2023 National Officiating Survey data will detail what other factors play an outsized role in the current world: unrealistic barriers to entry, onerous requirements, weak and nonexistent mentoring, woeful lack of organizational support from within the officiating community. Hard discussions to be had. Strategic thinking required. Time for action.

how we make things worse

— Let’s start with this: “What is permitted, is promoted.” As officials we most often must draw hard lines. We are in the enforcement division. Sport relies on us to ensure the game is played by the rules, while emphasizing fairness and safety. Seems, though, there are times when we ourselves do not measure up to that challenge. Then there are the assigners, the local officials associations, the trainers and the administrators who collectively sometimes make things worse. This session is one of introspection.

innovation by invitation—

Fast-paced and fact-based on the main stage. Speakers introduce, enlighten and communicate

what is key about the product/ service they have brought to market. Each one has made, is making or might make an important contribution to the officiating industry. One of the Summit’s most unique sessions. Think of it as a “Shark Tank” for officiating. Entrepreneurs detail their dreams.

Referee Voices — The concept is simple: speakers under the lights, each telling a story, giving an insight, sharing a moment — each that will help you reflect, think deeply and reconnect to what is important in officiating. Dramatic and sometimes heartrending. Not to be missed and only presented at the NASO Summit. Referee Voices will put words in your mouth.

One of the main attractions of the 2023 NASO Summit will be the Officiating Industry Luncheon, which will feature words from NFHS leadership and NASO leadership on the state of the industry.

The Summit will also feature sport breakout sessions, to allow attendees to immerse themselves in sport-specific training, and workshops that will focus on sportsmanship issues.

The Summit will wrap up with the Celebrate Officiating Gala, which will recognize this year’s Gold Whistle Award and Mel Narol Medallion Award recipients.

To register for this year’s NASO Summit, go to sportsofficiatingsummit.com. 

NASO Participates in NFHS Officiating Events

NASO was at the forefront of two recent events hosted by the NFHS. NASO President Barry Mano participated in a virtual media availability session on Jan. 17 and NASO chief operating officer Bill Topp and NASO chief business development officer Ken Koester were invited presenters of NFHS Officials Consortium 2.0 held Jan. 26-28 in Indianapolis.

Mano joined Dr. Karissa Niehoff, NFHS chief executive officer; Dana Pappas, NFHS director of officiating services and NASO board chair; and Erin Trujillo, who has officiated high school basketball and volleyball in New Mexico and Colorado for 26 years. The four panelists detailed how unruly behavior from spectators, coaches and players has chased officials from the officiating ranks.

One of Mano’s key comments called for better education and training for officials while also tasking sports organizations to “put a line in the sand” on certain behaviors that should not be tolerated.

The NFHS highlighted its Bench Bad Behavior campaign, which is designed to be an “edgy” campaign — as Niehoff describes it — targeting unsporting behavior.

Topp and Koester kicked off day two of the NFHS Officials Consortium 2.0 with a presentation titled, “The State of Officiating.”

Topp presented data from NASO’s 2017 National Officiating Survey and he mentioned a new survey slated for 2023.

The challenge of sporting behavior at the youth levels was one of many topics covered.

“How do we help create a good environment for people to

start?” Topp said to the group of more than 70 representatives in the room. “At the recreational youth level … it’s a toxic environment. How do we and all these other levels of sport help deal with that?”

Koester spoke about the frustrations that local assigners and associations face in trying to cover games and tailoring training to officials by level.

“What can we do for the officiating community?” Koester said. “What can we do to better handle this behavior?”

Koester said one factor is training officials differently than most associations have ever done before.

“Many (associations) are doing what they were doing 25 years ago,” Koester said. “They’re meeting as one group. I’m not so sure we want those high school (students) in the same room as that 35-year veteran. One, they’d never get a chance to speak but two, can we tailor the training in such a way so that you have likeminded individuals together?”

Topp also joined the first panel, “Getting on the Same Page,” on day three. Topp joined Pappas, who moderated the panel. Also on the panel were Jack Furlong, The OSIP Foundation (Outstanding Sportsmanship Is Paramount) founder and president; Roger Harvey, Bose Public Affairs Group principal; and Ryan Virtue, Positive Coaching Alliance regional partnership manager.

Topp discussed assaults as they relate to sports officiating, specifically legislation across the United States. While the early months of the legislative session see a flurry of bills being introduced, Topp noticed something unusual about this

year as state legislatures swear in new members and take up new business.

“There’s never been more activity than in the last couple of years,” Topp said during the session. “There’s activity going on in about seven states right now and that’s something we’ve never seen before.”

Topp also shared how NASO has evolved in just the last few years, noting the number of media interview requests has skyrocketed. Additionally, Topp shared the need to better educate local associations on how to respond to crises, through a crisis management plan.

“You have to be prepared to do crisis management at the local association level,” Topp said. “This is something we never thought about years ago, but what are you going to say when the media is calling the local officials association for comment?”

To find the media availability session in its entirety, search “Media Availability, Mano, NASO, NFHS, YouTube.”

To find Topp and Koester’s presentation in its entirety, search “The State of Officiating, NASO, NFHS, YouTube.”

To find Topp’s participation on a panel in its entirety, search “Getting on the same page, NASO, NFHS, YouTube.” 

B2B Adding to the Officiating Ranks

Mike Pereira, Fox Sports football rules analyst and former NFL vice president of officiating, founded Battlefields to Ballfields (B2B) in 2016 not only to replenish the officiating ranks, but to help veterans get integrated back into their community.

Andrew Buczek, a 35-yearold high school football official from Charleston, S.C., is a walking advertisement for B2B.

“It’s having a sense of pride. Like being part of something bigger than myself,” Buczek, who served in the Marine Corps from 2016-21, said. As with his military training, officiating provides ‘”discipline and a sense of belonging,” he said.

B2B provides scholarships to veterans who return from defending our country. Dozens of officials have entered the officiating ranks in a number of sports. Some have even climbed the ladder into collegiate officiating.

B2B, through its partnership with NASO, provides each scholarship recipient in this partnership with an NASO membership, vital insurance coverages, educational materials and Referee magazine each month.

Buczek, formerly from Buffalo, N.Y., was a high school football player and joined the Marines shortly after graduating. He served two tours and, after his commitment ended, continued his education. He played two years of football at a junior college and two more at an NCAA Division III school.

“I got into coaching but with

a wife and three kids it took up too much time,” he said. “I was watching an NFL game and saw an advertisement from Mike about B2B.”

Buczek has benefitted from NASO training materials, onfield experience and tips and guidance from veteran officials. So much so the South Carolina Football Officials Association named him its rookie of the year for 2022.

NASO membership has been a benefit, he said. “The information that’s out there from other officials, the tips and tricks that help you become a better official.”

In December, Dana Pappas, director of officiating services for the NFHS and NASO board chair, was added to the B2B board of directors.

“Battlefields to Ballfields is an amazing program that provides the opportunity for men and women who are serving or who have served our country to continue their passion for service to others as sports officials,” Pappas said. “B2B is a great way to attract new officials into the avocation and the structure of B2B allows for strong retention because they are being mentored by other military veterans or active military who also officiate.”

For more information on B2B, log on to battlefields2ballfields.org. 

The 2023 Sports Officiating Summit will be in Southern California this year and theme is all about sportsmanship. You won’t want to miss the cutting edge discussion focused on real solutions. What is the officials role? How does poor sporting behavior impact our games? How does it impact our industry? Survey after survey confirms that sportsmanship issues are at the heart of the critical officiating shortage in our nation.

NASO in the News

NASO continues to be the leading voice for sports officials across the country. As a byproduct of that, various media outlets will contact NASO for comments on matters that affect sports officials. Here are recent examples of NASO coverage:

Longtime NASO member Victor Catalano, of Clearfield, Pa., died on Dec. 14, 2022. Catalano’s obituary not only marked his 39 years as a member of the U.S. Army Reserves, which included four assignments throughout Pennsylvania and Ohio, and referenced his 36 years as a basketball official for the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association, his obituary made reference to holding a membership with NASO. To read Catalano’s obituary, search “Victor Catalano, Clearfield.”

NASO survey data is often mentioned in the news in referencing to the officiating shortage. While typically it’s NASO’s 2017 National Officiating Survey that gains mention, in an article in the Muskogee Phoenix (Oklahoma), Mike Kays pens NASO’s estimate of registration of officials being down 30 percent at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, playing a role in the shortage of officials. The article surrounds the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association’s efforts to crackdown on behavior outside of the field of play. To find this article, search “NASO, OSSAA, 30 percent.”

As Battlefields to Ballfields continues it quest in recruiting former military veterans to become sports officials, NASO’s pinnacle “Say Yes to Officiating” campaign was mentioned alongside Battlefields to Ballfields’ increased membership numbers. They climbed from around 200 in 2019 to more than 700 in 2022. In addition, NASO’s 2017 National Officiating survey’s popular datapoint — citing a 57 percent of the 17,000-plus respondents indicating a decline in sportsmanship — was also referenced. To find this article, search “NASO, Battlefields to Ballfields, ESPN.”

Upon Art McNally’s death bringing a somber note to the new year on Jan. 1, widespread condolences spread across the United States and beyond. McNally, considered the “Father of Instant Replay,” had a career in the NFL that spanned five decades, which included installing the first formal training program for NFL game officials. Upon McNally’s death at the age of 97, many media outlets, including the Courier Times, made reference to McNally receiving NASO’s very first Gold Whistle Award in 1988. To find this article, search “NASO, McNally, Courier Times.”

Nearly 20 percent of soccer officials who responded to NASO’s 2017 National Officiating Survey indicated they have been assaulted at least once while officiating and around 73 percent indicated they have had a spectator removed at least once. These somber statistics were published in The Daily Evergreen ¸ Washington State University’s student newspaper. Several sports officials also recalled their own experience with referee abuse and called on spectators, coaches and players to step up and improve the culture in the sport of soccer. To find this article, search “NASO, The Daily Evergreen, Soccer Officials.” 

Baggage Transfer

By Donald C. Collins

If an official with some issues has left another area association and now wants to join your association, what can you do?

It would be rare for an association to have to take any person who just showed up. Associations generally have entry standards. Those standards are the roadmap to determine who gets in, and under what terms and conditions they can get in.

Generally, we look to the bylaws to determine an association’s entry standards. However, bylaws are not the sole source of association policy. Associations also occasionally enter lateral transfer agreements with other groups. One has to read association bylaws, but the bylaws are not enough. There’s a wide array of standards that can only be found by looking at committee records and reading agreements on lateral transfers.

Some associations don’t have entry standards. But the absence of an entry standard is not an open door for any applicant. In the absence of entry standards in the bylaws, the association would have to read its bylaws to see whether the board or membership has the power to alter the collective by adding a new member. Then, either the board or the membership would have to vote.

Associations aren’t the only entities that have to deal with entry standards. There are officials who contract through independent assigners. Those assigners have substantial latitude in determining with

whom they contract. There are also officials who get licensed by a state and contract directly with schools. Their entry standards are set by the state governing body.

Associations — and even independent assigners — do not usually have unlimited discretion. Most state governing bodies license or set standards for officials. Associations have to check with their state office to see how much discretion they have to reject a licensed official, and what standards the association has to enforce.

Next, associations that enter into lateral transfer agreements have a contract with other associations. The contract will impose some limits on an association’s discretion to reject a transferring member. Take care of the potential for a conflict by amending bylaws to authorize the terms and conditions of the transfer agreement to apply, and to review the transfer agreement before they sign it to make sure the agreement does not open the door for transfers who don’t meet a core standard.

ASSOCIATION ADVANTAGE

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Don’t reject officials from other groups off of vague notions of issues without knowing the issues. Groups should reference-check all transferring and new officials.

Associations should check with an attorney or an HR specialist to find out what questions one can’t legally ask in checking references. Prepare for the reality that many entities don’t like to say too much when a prospective employer conducts a reference check. But even the most reluctant former association should tell you what level the official worked, and whether they’d want the former member if he or she came back.

Finally, associations should ask an attorney or HR specialist how employment discrimination laws can impact the decision to accept or reject a lateral transfer.

Associations have discretion, but it is not unlimited.

Donald C. Collins is a longtime basketball official and lawyer from San Francisco. This article is for informational purposes and is not legal advice. 

assigning, legal issues and best practices specific to local officials association management.

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7 Things to Do While in Riverside for the NASO Summit

The Riverside Convention Center in California is home to the 2023 Sports Officiating Summit, presented by NASO. The event will be held July 30-Aug. 1. Attendees will experience three days jampacked with educational and inspirational sessions from some of the best in the industry.

The Convention Center is located near the historic Mission Inn and across the plaza from the Marriott Riverside and will make for an incredible officiatingvillage-feel for the event. As you venture out, you will find unique and modern dining, public parks, and great entertainment options.

Here are seven things to do while in the area:

2. Hit the links. Southern California is home to some of the best golf experiences in the country. Indian Hills Golf Club, Oak Quarry Gold Club, Jurupa Hills Country Club and The Victoria Club are just minutes away from the Riverside Convention Center.

venue. Visit Riverside Municipal Auditorium, the Fox Performing Arts Center, the University Village Cinema or the Van Buren Drive-In Theater, to name a few.

3. Shop for treasures. Riverside offers an incredible mix of local charm and national appeal in its shopping options. During your stay, be sure to visit one-of-a-kind shops at the Main Street Riverside or enjoy the fun atmosphere of the Riverside Plaza & Galleria at Tyler.

1. Dive into the arts & culture. Downtown Riverside is the cultural and entertainment center of the Inland Empire. The Riverside Art Museum, the Riverside Metropolitan Museum and the National Historic Landmark Mission Inn Museum are worth paying a visit.

4. Stroll the parks. The natural beauty of the Southern California landscape is captured near Riverside. Be sure to visit the University of California Riverside Botanic Gardens, the California Citrus State Historic Park, Sycamore Canyon Wilderness Park and the Santa Ana River Trail.

5. Take in a show. Experience some live theatre or film at a local Riverside

6. Find your thrill. Locally, have some fun at Castle Park, voted the “Favorite Family Attraction in the Inland Empire.” Or Summit Mt. Rubidoux some 1,337 feet above the city.

7. Venture out for the day. Before or after the NASO Summit, tour Southern California for a once-in-alifetime experience. Relax on one of the Orange County beaches, explore the vast deserts, visit the world-famous Hollywood, capture the magic of Disneyland (all within 100 miles of Riverside Convention Center).

For more details about the NASO Summit, visit sportsofficiatingsummit.com or call NASO at 800-733-6100.

sports section

Focus on the Task at Hand

By Rick Woelfel

One game at a time. That’s what coaches tell their players; “Don’t look past an opponent. Concentrate on today’s game, on the task in front of you.”

That’s the mindset we should embrace as officials as well. Every game matters to the participants. We owe the players and coaches our best work every time out.

But it’s easy to think ahead. We may be working a freshman game on Thursday afternoon but we’re already starting to think about our varsity game on Friday night or a college assignment on Saturday. That’s only natural. But it’s important not to let those thoughts distract us from the task at hand.

Here are some tips on how to stay focused on the game you have instead of letting yourself get distracted by thoughts about your next assignment.

• Take time to focus — Allow for enough travel time to get to an assignment early. Even if the rest of your crew hasn’t arrived, use the time to put aside issues concerning job, family, etc., and assume an officiating mindset.

• Review rules situations

— Go through the casebook and review playing situations from recent games or brought

up for discussion at your local association meeting. Visualize what these plays look like at actual game speed. Are there situations that are more likely to occur at this level of play than at other levels you work? Younger athletes, especially those below the high school level, are more prone to making mistakes. You don’t need to

on this assignment. Along the same lines, be sure you have the right uniform. Wearing a shirt with a high school logo on it to do a college match (or vice versa) looks bad.

• Conduct a thorough pregame conference — A good pregame gets you focused on the game you’re about to work. It’s also an opportunity to bond with your partner(s) and provide mutual support. If you have more experience than your partner(s), be approachable. That mindset will build cohesion on the crew, even if it’s just a “crew for a day.”

fixate on the situations you review, but be aware they can occur and prepared to rule correctly if they do.

• Review rule differences — The game you’re working today may be played under a different rulebook than the one you worked yesterday, the one you’ll work tomorrow, or the one you may be working later that day for that matter. Be sure you know what rules code you’ll be working with

• Give yourself a fresh start — If you had a problem in a game yesterday or last week, don’t take it onto the field with you today. Focusing on the call you may have missed or the rule interpretation your crew may have handed incorrectly will do you no good and could lead to additional problems. It’s always best to start a game with a clean slate and the players and coaches you’re working with deserve your full attention.

• Take in the environment — To you, this may be just another game on the schedule. But to the coaches and, most importantly, the athletes, this is the most important game on the schedule today. Take a moment to take in the atmosphere, the enthusiasm

If you had a problem in a game yesterday or last week, don’t take it onto the field with you today.

of the players, coaches and fans. As officials, we’re doing our part to make the occasion special for them.

A new game is a new beginning, a new opportunity for players, coaches and officials alike. And each game you work will have some unique elements. It’s important to view every game you work, whatever the level, as a unique experience and an opportunity. Tomorrow is another day. Rick Woelfel is a writer, broadcaster and podcaster from Willow Grove, Pa. He officiated baseball, softball, basketball, and football for 50 years. 

BASKETBALL

Stop Short of the Boiling Point

By the Referee

editors

When you step on the basketball court to officiate a game, chances are you aren’t thinking about how working that game is quite similar to boiling a pot of pasta. Please allow us to explain.

For every game, officials get an assignment, do their scouting, contact partners, verify details with the host institution, travel to the game site, conduct a pregame, get dressed, head for the playing court, conduct a meeting with captains, check the playing area and observe the teams warming up, confirm the lineups in the scorebook, meet the table personnel, shake hands with the coaching staff and take the floor. Each of these duties is required before the opening jump ball.

To use our pasta analogy, we’ve researched our recipe and made a grocery list,

traveled to the store, purchased the ingredients, prepared the cooking surface, taken out a pot and utensils, filled that pot with water, set it on the stove, and then lit the burner.

Once that happens, we have a different set of tools we can use to make sure that pot doesn’t boil over. And yes, we are talking about officiating again as well as pasta water.

Effective with the 201718 high school basketball season, the NFHS implemented an official administrative process for warning the head coach/bench personnel for misconduct. Rule 4-48 details the procedure, known as the bench conduct warning. The idea is to lower the temperature on a simmering coach before he or she boils over and creates enough of a mess where we as officials have to become more punitive and issue a technical foul. It allows us to give a slight turn to the stove’s dial and keep that pasta water at a temperature that we can work with.

To take the analogy one step further, when we’re making pasta, we also might do things like add salt to the water to change the properties of the water and influence the cooking process. While that may be good practice in the kitchen, not so much on the basketball court.

If we have a coach who’s approaching that boiling point, our only job is use the tools we have at our disposal to avoid the boil-over. As officials, we need to be the calming force in an otherwise hectic moment. We don’t want to add anything to the mix that might be counterproductive to that cause.

By finding the right temperature, and using the

right means of keeping things in that range, we can enjoy a much more satisfactory meal, and a much better basketball game. 

BASEBALL Be the Coach Whisperer

By the Referee editors

Coaches are like umpires, like teachers, like any other profession. Their personalities are as varied as there are different types of people. While there may no longer be many Billy Martins or Earl Weavers like back in the day, some of them can still be over the top, even in youth sports.

So, here’s a few words on dealing with coaches. You’ve likely heard some, if not all, of these tips before, but a good umpire, like a good coach or ballplayer, keeps going over the fundamentals time and time again.

Old Yeller

If you’ve been umpiring any length of time, you’ve dealt with this coach. The only time he’s not yelling is during pregame. He yells at you, your partner, his other coaches, his players, you name it. Every time he comes out to discuss a play, he comes out with his hair on fire.

The first piece of advice is do not respond in kind. That old expression, “I fight fire with fire,” can be very problematic Instead, try “a soft answer turns away anger.” Firemen don’t pull up to a burning building and start by pouring gasoline on the fire. They pull out their hoses and use water to put it out. If you carry yourself in a calm, controlled manner,

there’s a good chance coaches will see your maturity and rein themselves in. You might even want to try to approach the coach between innings, under the guise of getting some baseballs, and quietly explain that the excessive yelling will not be tolerated.

Worst-case scenario, you may have to eject the coach, but don’t do it in a showboat way. You may have to raise your voice a little bit — key word little — to be heard, but under no circumstance come down to the coach’s level by getting in a shouting match.

Dr. Phil

This is the type who tries to use psychology to influence you. Mind you, we’re not talking about the classic, “Good call, blue … good job, blue,” even when you make a call against him early in the game. That’s harmless. We’re talking about the coach who, when disputing a call made at the plate, keeps saying, “You’re better than that, you’re better than that!” While fighting back a smile, you may be tempted to respond by saying, “I appreciate the fact that you think so highly of me as an umpire, but that doesn’t change the fact that your runner is out. The catcher did not block the plate without the ball.” Sarcasm is good in a comedian, but it’s not such a good trait in an umpire. So again, do not respond in kind, no matter how tempting it may be. Stick to a response that points out the facts without getting fancy.

Better Call Saul

These are the coaches who seem to know every single rule in the book. In some quarters they’re known as rulebook lawyers. And that term is not

a compliment. Almost every other inning they’ll bring up some rule that nobody has ever heard of. Some will do it in a malicious, mean-spirited way. Others will do it in a smiling, trying-to-be-yourbest-buddy way. Regardless of which approach, the best way to handle them is to make sure you’re on top of the rulebook. And yes, sometimes it can be frustrating, especially if you’re working different leagues and different ages because the rules can vary so much.

The easiest way to deal with this is, when you get a game in a league you’ve never worked or haven’t worked in a while, go to the league’s website and go over the rules the night before or the day of the game so they’re fresh in your mind. Also, if you’re not familiar with the league, check with your partner (which you should be doing anyway) to see if he or she is. That way, you’ll both be on top of the rules. 

SOFTBALL

Time To Test

By Brad Tittrington

Let’s talk about testing for a minute. No matter what level you work, there is some sort of test you must take before the start of each season in order to keep your certification. And for some umpires, as soon as the test is released, it adds some anxiety.

However, the main reason for these tests is to get us into the rulebook. It isn’t meant to be a form of punishment, even though some umpires see it that way. So how can we turn what some view as a negative into a positive? For purposes of this article, we will talk about those

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exams that are released and you have weeks (or months) to finish them and turn them in. For those that are closed book and must be taken in a small time frame, not all of the information below will work.

The first and best way is to form study groups. There is absolutely nothing wrong with getting together with fellow umpires and discussing the exams. In fact, most organizations encourage it as it helps build camaraderie, it gets umpires talking about other scenarios, it helps build mentorship, and most importantly, rules knowledge is shared and everyone is bound to learn something.

In some cases, not every umpire will have the same test. There are those organizations that have a pool of questions and each umpire’s test pulls randomly from that pool. Umpires can still print out their exams ahead of time and get together with a group and go over those questions. Just because you don’t have it on your particular test doesn’t mean it isn’t something you should study.

In order to get the most of your test, you should go over the exam, read every question thoroughly, and try to answer each question without looking in the book. When you are on the field, you won’t have a book to look at before making a decision. Put a star or circle around questions you aren’t sure of on your first pass through. After you take the test without any help, use the rulebook and casebook to verify your answers. Then, get together with your study group and go through the questions and answers. Don’t be the umpire who shows up without looking at the exam and simply

circles the answers as the group goes through them. This does not help you learn the material at all and will not make you a better umpire.

While going over the exam, focus on those questions you had a star or circle around and try to come up with other scenarios that fit into the same category. Chances are, if you had trouble with a question, someone else did as well. By coming up with other scenarios, it will help to better understand the rule(s) surrounding that question.

Also, keep tests from previous seasons to assist you as well. These previous tests can serve as a study guide for the upcoming exam. Many organizations will utilize questions from a previous exam or use similar questions. By keeping all of your exams, it helps you build your own database of test questions.

One thing to remember when taking tests: read each question carefully. Often umpires miss a question because they misread it. Also, rules tests can sometimes feel like English grammar exams, and it is important to know exactly what a question is asking. Always be leery of questions that use the words “always” or “never,” and be mindful of questions that ask the opposite, such as, “Which of the following is not true,” which really means, “Which of the following is false.” Do not be afraid to take notes on your exam to help you understand the question, and ask fellow umpires for clarification if you are struggling to understand a question.

The most important thing with testing is to give yourself enough time. Too often umpires wait until the last minute to take a test, which will only add

to anxiety. As soon as the test is released, print a copy. Start thinking about it early and do a few questions a day. This will help alleviate some of the stress and will allow you time to ask others questions if you are stumped. If you wait until the last minute, you may not have time to get together with others and double check your work.

Finally, once the exam is submitted, if you missed any questions, take the time to figure out why you missed those. Then, create other scenarios and situations in the same vein and think about how to handle them. Get in the rulebook — this is the goal of most open book tests from the beginning. Don’t be afraid to use some of the questions as jumping-off points for pregame discussions as well.

In summary, start early, plan ahead, open your books, join a study group and look at previous exams. All of these things will improve your scores and your rules knowledge. It takes practice to get good at the rules.

Brad Tittrington is an associate editor for Referee. 

SOCCER

Should I Call That?

By Paul Rojas, Ed. D.

Almost without exception, referees have the ability to recognize fouls and call them as necessary. One of the areas that is reported by coaches and administrators is that referees recognize the fouls but fail to recognize persistent infringement and caution the offender(s). The topic of persistent infringement is often discussed at clinics and has been

a point of emphasis at the NFHS and NCAA levels.

Some assigners or referee administrators request verbal reports of matches from coaches and at the end of discussion ask, “How was the officiating?”

For example, say a coach states that her best player on the team, the one who scores the most goals and even sets up plays, was fouled over and over in the first half. After enough was enough, the coach asked the assistant referee to intervene and request the referee issue a caution, saying that persistent infringement is now obvious. The coach counted the fouls on one hand and noted the areas where they were committed. The assistant referee turned and said that the fouls on this player were committed by a different player most of the time. The assistant referee did not recognize that persistent infringement can be committed by more than one player.

Persistent infringement is a pattern of fouls no matter who is doing the fouling. Once the pattern has been identified, it is the referee’s duty to caution as appropriate. It is stressed at many clinics that the referee is to make sure all players are safe and can play to their best potential. In the scenario described above, the referee should have observed this pattern (the assistant referee should have at least talked to the referee).

The referee must either talk to a player or two and advise them should the pattern continue, a caution will be administered. It is imperative if the action continues that the referee follows up and administers a caution. If the referee fails to do so, the referee’s credibility will be severely diminished.

Persistent infringement could be one player committing multiple fouls. How many equates to multiple is a decision by the referee. This is based on the type of match (physical or not), skill level of the players, etc.

It can also be several players fouling the same player to prevent that player from developing plays or controlling the ball. This must be dealt with quickly to prevent retaliation and more serious situations. In all cases, the referee should be making a mental note of who is committing the foul and who is being fouled. This will help the referee determine when persistent infringement is occurring.

Referees are instructed at clinics and after a match when they are assessed or mentored, “If you follow the rules/Laws of the Game and apply them properly, you really can’t be wrong.” Referees can apply the spirit of the game when officiating but cannot look the other way if a situation needs to be dealt with according to the rules/Laws. The following are just a few examples: a player removes the jersey after scoring a goal — a caution must be issued. If it is the player’s second caution, the referee must display the yellow card followed by the red and the player is sent off. A defender on their goalline stops a shot on goal with a hand and kicks the ball away. This is an ejection for denying a goal scoring opportunity. There is no option, and the referee must perform this duty. The referee observes a player coming in late to tackle safely but makes contact with the opponent. This action appears to be a bit trifling, and the referee decides to let play continue. The referee could talk to the player involved

and warn that player to be more careful when making a tackle. If nothing happens for the rest of the match, the referee corrected the problem.

Please remember when in doubt, if you follow the rules/ Laws of the Game and apply them properly, you really can’t be wrong.

Paul Rojas, Ed.D, Morton Grove, Illiinois, has been a referee for more than 30 years, and is a high level Assessor and Instructor. 

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BASKETBALL

Wide Screen

Play: A1 is dribbling and is being guarded by B1. A2 sets a screen for A1 and does so three steps away from B1. A2 sets the screen with the player’s feet much wider apart than A2’s shoulders. As A1 is dribbling past screener A2, B1 makes contact (a) squarely in A2’s torso, or (b) with A2’s leg and foot. In both cases the contact is significant, and in (a), causes A2 to fall to the floor, or (b) causes B1 to spin down to the floor. As the contact is too much to ignore, what type of foul shall be called? Ruling: In (a), in NFHS, this is a common foul, as the illegal positioning of the feet are the determining factor in the screen being illegal. In NCAAM/W, because the contact by the defender was with the screener’s torso, and not with the screener’s legs and/or feet that were too wide, the screen shall be deemed legal, and B1 shall be assessed a personal foul for causing contact that sent A2 to the floor. In (b), since A2 set a screen with legs and feet that are beyond shoulder width,

and the contact was with those legs and/or feet, which resulted in the defender being tripped, A2 shall be assessed a common (NFHS/NCAAM) or personal (NCAAW) foul for an illegal screen (NFHS 4-40-2, 4-40-5, 10-7-11; NCAAM 4-35.2, 4-35.3.c, 10-1, Appendix III 2.2 and 2.4; NCAAW 10-5.2, 10-5.3.c, 10-10, Appendix III 2.2 and 2.4).

Bumping Into Person Who Is Out of Bounds

Play: A1 is dribbling up the sideline, and while A1’s feet and the ball are completely inbounds, A1 inadvertently bumps into (a) an official, or (b) a coach, who was completely out of bounds when the contact occurs. The contact was with A1’s arm, and the ball did not touch the individual in either (a) or (b). Does this contact result in a violation of any sort? Ruling: No. A player shall be out of bounds when that player touches the floor or any object other than a person on or outside a boundary line. The ball shall be out of bounds when it touches a player who is out of bounds, any other person, the floor, or any object on or outside a boundary. Since the player touched a person who was (a) an official, or (b) a coach, and the ball never touched that person who was out of bounds, then no out-of-bounds violation has occurred, and play shall continue without a whistle (NFHS 7-1-1, 7-1-2a2; 7.1.1A; NCAAM 7-1.1, 7-1.2, AR 174; NCAAW 7-1.1, 7-1.2, AR 209).

BASEBALL

Justified Passing Play: With R1 on first, B2 hits for extra bases. R1 is obstructed before reaching second and falls down. B2

passes R1, realizes his error and allows R1 to pass. When playing action ends, R1 is on third and B2 on second. Ruling: In NFHS and NCAA, it’s possible for the play to stand. It is only an “automatic” out when the passed runner is unobstructed. The umpires will have to determine if the obstruction played a role in the passing of the runner. In pro, B1 is out for passing R1. There is no exclusion for passing an obstructed runner (NFHS 8-4-2m; NCAA 8-3e, 8-5m; pro 5.09b9).

Kicking Game

Play: With R2 on second, F1 throws a wild pitch to B2 for “ball four.” The pitch deflects off F2 and rolls toward the dugout. While chasing the ball, F2 inadvertently kicks the ball into the dugout. Ruling: In NFHS, the base award depends on whether or not the ball would have gone into the dugout without F2’s kick. If the umpire judges the pitch would have gone into dead-ball territory without the kick, one base is awarded from the time of the pitch. If the kick is judged to have caused the ball to go into dead-ball territory, two bases are awarded from the time of the kick. In NCAA and pro, B1 is awarded second and R2 is awarded home (NFHS 8-3-3d, 8.3.3K; NCAA 8-3o4; pro 5.06b4H AR).

Gone Too Far

Play: With R1 on first and one out, F1 balks as he attempts to pick off R1. F3 misses the throw and the ball rolls along the fence in live-ball territory. R1 is able to score on the play, but misses second. The ball is returned to the infield and F6 immediately makes an appeal at second. Ruling: In NFHS, the ball is immediately dead on the balk; the balk is enforced and R1

is returned to second. In NCAA and pro, the balk is ignored and R1 is out. R1 is considered to have advanced one base on the play (NFHS 2-3, 5-1-1k; NCAA 9-3 Pen. 1 Note, 8-6a3; pro 6.02a AR 1 & 2, 5.09c2).

SOFTBALL

Two Runners Between Same Bases

Play: R1 is on first base with no outs as B2 hits a pop up just over second base. R1 is unsure if the ball will be caught so only goes about halfway toward second base. The ball ends up landing between the second baseman and center fielder, who both converge on the ball, and R1 sprints toward second base. F8 picks up the ball and sees B2 has now rounded first base. F8 fires the ball to first, trying to get B2 going back toward first. The ball sails over F3’s head and goes into the dugout. At the moment F8 released the ball, both R1 and B2 were between first and second base. Ruling: In all codes, the ball is dead when it enters the dugout. R1 is awarded third base and B2 is awarded second base. While the award is two bases from the throw on this play, since two runners are between the same bases, the award is based on the position of the lead runner. R1 is awarded second and third and B2 is awarded second (NFHS 8-4-3e Pen.; NCAA 12.12.8.3 Eff.; USA Softball 8-5g Note; USSSA 8-14c-3 Note).

Runner Passing Runner?

Play: With R1 on first and no outs, B2 hits a fly ball down the right-field line. R1, believing the ball will be caught, retreats toward first base. B2, believing the ball will land and thinking a double is an option, sprints

out of the box toward first. The ball ultimately drops in front of F9. B2 rounds first and sees R1 trying to stop and reverse direction to now head toward second. B2 ends up having her front foot and torso beyond R1, but has her back leg still behind R1. The base umpire rules B2 out for passing R1. Ruling: Incorrect in all codes. In order for a runner to be considered passing another runner, that runner must completely pass the preceding runner. In this instance, the trailing runner still had a leg that did not pass the preceding runner. The ball should remain live and play should continue. If the trailing runner completely passes the preceding runner, then the trailing runner is ruled out, but the ball remains live and play continues (NFHS 8-6-4 Pen., NCAA 12.4.3; USA Softball 8-7d; USSSA 8-18o).

FOOTBALL

Backward Pass Gone Bad

Play: First and 10 from team A’s 30 yardline. A1 takes the snap and throws a backward pass to A2, who is at team A’s 28 yardline. The ball bounces off A2 and hits the ground at team A’s 32 yardline. Ruling: That is a backward pass that turned into a muff. The ball remains live. The initial direction of A1’s pass was backward; the ball retains that status until it is either caught or recovered. Either team A or team B could recover and advance the ball (NFHS 2-27, 2-31-5, 2-31-6; NCAA 2-112, 2-19-2a).

Runner’s Helmet

Play: If the runner is in the open field with no one to catch him when his helmet comes completely off, can the referee use discretion to award a

touchdown? Ruling: No, the ball must be declared dead when that occurs. If the helmet came off due to a team B helmet-related foul, such as a facemask grasp and twist, the penalty would be added to the end of the run and the runner could remain in the game. If the helmet came off without benefit of a foul, the runner would have to leave for a timed down (NFHS 3-5-10d, 4-22k; NCAA 3-3-9a, 4-1-3q).

VOLLEYBALL

Libero Team Captain?

Play: Team A’s coach submits the starting lineup for the first set of the match and has indicated the libero as the game captain. The referees inform the coach that the libero may not serve as team or game captain because the libero is not always on the court. Ruling: Incorrect ruling in all codes. All three codes allow the libero to be a game captain. When the libero is not on the court, the coach or captain should designate another player to serve as the game captain until the original captain returns to the court (NFHS 6-4-2b; NCAA 12.1.1; USAV 5).

Net Contact

Play: Team A passes the ball into the body of the net (between the antennas), and the ball rolls down the net toward the floor. A1 attempts to play the ball out of the net and contacts the bottom of the net with her hands during that action. The referees allow play to continue.

Ruling: Under all rules codes, this is a fault. Players may not contact the net between the antennas in the act of making a play on the ball (NFHS 9-6-7a; NCAA 15.2.1; USAV 11.3.1).

Player Conduct

Play: During a rally, A1 feels the first referee should have whistled multiple contact or “double hit” when B2 set the ball. At the end of the rally, A1 mimics a double-hit motion with her hands and yells, “That was a double!” at the first referee. Ruling: In all codes, this is unsporting conduct by A1. Attempting to influence a referee’s decision, questioning a judgment call/ no-call or disrespectfully addressing a referee may result in a misconduct sanction. In that situation, A1 should be assessed an individual yellow card warning (NFHS 12-2-9; NCAA 6.1.2.1; USAV 21.1).

SOCCER

Quick Kick Opportunity

Play: A defender, B1, commits a reckless tackle against A2 outside the penalty area. The referee stops play, awards a direct free kick and calls the defender for a caution. Before the yellow card is displayed, A3 takes a quick free kick and has a clear goal-scoring opportunity. Ruling: The referee is to stop play immediately. As soon as B1 was notified to move toward the referee for the caution, the defending team did not have the opportunity to be properly ready for the kick to be taken (NFHS 5-3-1a; NCAA AR 13.1.2; IFAB 12.3).

Serious Challenge

Play: B1 commits a brutal tackle while challenging A2 for the ball. As a result, both players are injured and need medical attention. Ruling: B1 is sent off — red card — for

serious foul play or in a NCAA match, Violent Behavior II. For NFHS and NCAA matches, A2 must leave the field to be treated since an athletic trainer entered the field (NFHS 3-32b; NCAA 3.5.9). For a match played under IFAB Laws, A2 may stay in the match (IFAB Other Advice 6).

Spontaneous Combustion

Play: A1 is in the middle of the field and attempts to pass the ball to A2. The ball does not reach A2 because the ball bursts outside their penalty area and then is intercepted by B3. Ruling: The referee stops play, and the ball is changed. The match is restarted with a drop ball for team A at the point where A1 touched it. This was the last contact before the ball bursting (NFHS 2-2-4; NCAA 2.3; IFAB 2.2) 

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