Every veteran umpire remembers those games where magic lifted its wonderful head. For many, those extraordinary games are bound up with the importance of the contest. I remember my first NCAA no-hitter; an amazing around-the-horn, 5-4-3 triple play; my only perfect game (high school: 21 up, 21 down); the New York City High School All Star Game in Yankee Stadium; the American Legion state championship game (behind the plate).
But there are also magic games that step to the beat of a different drummer. I umpired one on Monday, 3/15. Click the title to hear about it.
Keeping Things Calm Avoiding brawls on a rugby pitch By Adam Powell March 16th, 2010
In February, Adam Powell talked to us about how to make calls when we're umpiring softball. Today, he takes us onto the rugby diamond, ...uh, field, ...uh pitch. At Officiating.com our contributors are truly Renaissance men and women.
Adam writes:
Perhaps more than officials in any other sport, rugby referees must make it their responsibility to maintain order. That's especially true on the pitch. Rugby is a violent sport at times, and tempers flare on a frequent basis. Being the only arbiter on the field, the rugby referee must be in complete command of the action. If not, he'll be in for a long day.
Virtually every umpire who has worked more than half a dozen games has heard a coach yell out of the dugout: "The hands are part of the bat!" Why does a coach say that? What is the appropriate response?
Virtually all of the umpire blogs have the umpire responding in an inappropriate manner. To find out the correct response, see inside.
