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Articles by Jon Bible
Always Assume You Are Being Assessed
For roughly the first half of my amateur umpiring career — which lasted from 1966-2016 — umpires could go about their business without having to deal with rating systems or any significant degree of supervision. Every so often an assigner would call us in on the carpet because some coach had gotten lathered up about something, but otherwise no one paid much attention to what we did on the field.
Somebody’s Watching You
By Jon Bible In my early years as an amateur umpire, there was no formal performance appraisal. Once in a blue moon we’d get a call from an assigner if he or a coach was upset about something, but that was the extent of our oversight. We got nice assignments (or didn’t) and advanced (or didn’t) based on word of mouth from peers and coaches, relationships with assigners and luck.
Before The Flag - Referee.com
No one likes to see a lot of flags thrown. They interrupt the flow of the game and can seem to make it drag on endlessly. Sometimes it’s one of those ragged games where we don’t have any choice. But often some solid, well-timed preventive officiating on our part is better than tossing a flag and may keep us from having to do so later on. Two different situations come to mind. One is where a player is close to fouling and we’re trying to keep him from crossing the line.
Yawner? Blowout? Guess Again
By Jon Bible Iremember sitting at the breakfast table on the morning of a late-season game between two cellar-dwellers. One official, a garrulous person whose normal speaking voice could be heard in the next block, exclaimed, “How the hell did we end up with this piece of (deleted) game?” We all laughed because it pretty well summarized our collective sentiments. An important lesson I learned that day is never to go into a game with the attitude we had that morning.
Generation of novel SARS-CoV-2 variants on B.1.1.7 lineage in three patients with advanced HIV disease
Anna C. Riddell, Beatrix Kele, Kathryn Harris, Jon Bible, Maurice Murphy, Subathira Dakshina, Nathaniel Storey, Dola Owoyemi, Corinna Pade, Joseph M. Gibbons, David Harrington, Eliza Alexander, Áine McKnight, Teresa Cutino-Moguel doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.01.14.21267836 ABSTRACT The emergence of new SARS-COV-2 variants is of public health concern in case of vaccine escape.
So You Say You Want Games?
Ispent years as an umpire assigner from Little League to major college and, of course, I worked for my fair share. All have pet peeves and most have the same ones. I’m sharing some today because I’m not sure that all umpires know what they are. First, a few words about assigners. Most of those I’ve known were fair, but not all of them. Some had favorites to whom they gave the best games. Some ran things like a fiefdom. Some charged fees for assignments.
From Zoned Out to Zen Master
Photo Credit: Victor Calzada In the 1984 College World Series, I had the plate in a semifinal game. Pitch one was a slider on the edge of home plate. Right in my wheelhouse, but I called it a ball, and instantly knew I was wrong. Oh, well, I thought — the burden of trying for a perfect game was gone. Pitch two was in the same spot. Same result. I was determined not to miss another one. So here came a fastball about a foot high and outside.
On Your Mark, Get Set … Stay There
When umpires must move to see a play, as Paul Cohen, Calabasas, Calif., does here, it is imperative they stop and come to a set position before making their final decision. This allows their eyes to also stop moving, giving them a clear look at the action. (Photo Credit: Bob Messina) Recently, I came across a couple of film clips taken from major league games played decades ago. In one, an umpire called a tag play at second base while running full tilt.
Mental Checklist on Every Pitch Ensures Focus
Photo Credit: Ken Kassens The best way to stay focused and lessen the chance of a screw-up is to go through a mental checklist before each pitch. This is especially true if we’re working the bases for it can be easy to daydream, especially if the game is dragging or the score becomes lopsided. Indeed, most of us get in trouble on the bases, not the plate. Here’s a helpful checklist.
High Time to Talk Timing
It’s imperative plate umpires such as Alex Sanchez, Echo Park, Calif., use proper, consistent timing when calling pitches. (Photo Credit: Bob Messina) U mpires always stress the importance of good timing behind the plate (and on the bases, but that’s a topic for another day). But to talk about good timing begs the question: What does it mean? And how do we make it happen?
Passer Gets Extra Attention - Referee.com
Photo Credit: Bob Messina Philosophies, rules and mechanics have increasingly stressed the need to officiate through the passer — in other words, pay particular attention to contact on that player. That is because he’s often in a vulnerable position with little or no opportunity to protect himself from forcible contact. Although the quarterback may not be the passer, he usually is so we’ll assume that from here on. I want to offer some thoughts about how we might do a better job in that area.
It's OK to pick up a flag or put one down late
Judging by the style of his flag throw, Charlie Chastain, Norco, Calif., has detected a spot foul. Moreover, it would appear he’s not at all unsure of his ruling. A strong throw projects confidence while a timid flag often indicates apprehension. Photo Credit: Heston Quan Back in the day there were two commonly accepted officiating axioms: Don’t pick up a flag once it’s put down and don’t put one down late. The idea was that either will make us look uncertain, which can be a kiss of death.
When in Doubt, Solved - Referee.com
Photo Credit: Dale Garvey Several years ago rulemakers began putting “when in question” guidelines in the rulebook. They say that in certain cases, if a ruling could go either way, it should go as specified. There’s a sound rationale for them and they’re in accord with the advantage-disadvantage philosophy of officiating. Better to do that than to just fly by the seat of your pants when you face those situations. Below I identify some guidelines and the reasoning behind them.
Ball-Watching Afflicts Veterans and Newer Officials Alike
Two huge mistakes that officials can make are ball-watching and officiating air. The former means watching the runner to the exclusion of what’s happening around him. The latter means focusing on areas where nothing is going on instead of shifting our eyes to where something is happening. Both prevent us from seeing things we need to see. That problem, moreover, afflicts veterans and newer officials. At times, to be sure, we must watch the runner and especially the ball.
How to Shine Behind the Plate
(Photo Credit: Bill Nichols) L et’s take a look at some of the best tips and techniques involving plate work that that can help you preform, and look, your best out there. 1. When you receive the lineup cards at home plate, be sure they contain the proper number of players, correctly positioned. If a designated hitter is used, ensure that this is reflected. This kind of preventive action can eliminate a lot of confusion later on. 2. Get the home coach to go over the ground rules.
Seek Knowledge and Ye Shall Find
Photo Credit: Bob Messina You’re a young, aspiring official who is eager to seek knowledge anywhere you can about the rules, mechanics and philosophies applicable in your sport. You’re hoping to move up the ladder or just to get better. But you don’t feel you’re getting what you need from the training program in your group or association. What do you do? This is not a problem at the major college or pro levels because the training is extensive and goes on year round.
Timing Is Everything
“Timing is everything!” That expression is cemented when it comes to baseball umpiring. You can read rulebooks, study mechanics, go to camps and clinics and have excellent judgment, but it will all be for naught if your timing stinks. In an AL game many years ago, a batter bunted a ball down the third-base line. It trickled foul and seemed like it would stay there, so Hall of Fame umpire Billy Evans yelled, “Foul ball!” The ball then hit a pebble and veered over the foul line into fair territory.
Addressing Aging
News bulletin: We’re all aging, and there’s nothing we can do about it. We’ll progressively become slower and less limber. Having left the football field and moved to the replay booth a few years ago, after a 43-year onfield career, I can attest to the sense of wonder that one feels when it’s all over and the question is, “Where did the time go?” Until retirement day comes, however, what can you do to keep performing at an optimal (or near) level as the years slip by?
A Strong Case for Keeping a Steady Pace
An important part of officiating a solid football game is maintaining a good pace of play: neither too slow nor too fast in getting the ball spotted and marking it ready for play. Both coaches want the game to be run at a steady clip so they will know how much time they have to substitute on offense and to recognize substitutions and match-up on defense. They want to be confident that once they figure out what the referee’s and crew’s rhythm is, they’ll stick with it.
Be A Penalty Enforcer
Being an effective penalty enforcer is vitally important, but something officials tend to neglect. Contrary to what some officials seem to think, it is not only a referee-umpire responsibility; it is a crew responsibility. It is essential that everyone on the crew knows the rules. That should be a given, but I know from experience that it is not.
What Supervisors Teach can be What Gets Called
In the local football chapter where I started officiating years ago, it has been the practice to have separate weekly training sessions for first-year officials. The feeling is that people new to officiating need to go through the rulebook in A-B-C fashion and that is best done in their own group with veteran officials serving as trainer.
First Action May Not Be the Last
A few seasons ago, a game was stopped six times for instant play reviews. Four stops led to reversals of the onfield call. Two of the reversals involved a concept I call “double action.” In each instance, the calling official ruled that, as the runner was being tackled near the goalline, he got the ball over the goalline plane for a touchdown before a body part other than a hand or foot hit the ground.
5 Bad Habits of Football Officials
By Jon Bible My eyebrows raised a bit when it was suggested I write a column on bad habits because it implied I had messed up everything there is to mess up on the field. But I soon realized I have and that it’s a good topic. What follows is a list of five things, chosen from many candidates, that I have done wrong or seen others do wrong (or both) and that can result in problems on the field. 1. Not following keys.
When To Stop A Game
Determining if the field has become too wet or if there’s not enough daylight to continue can be among the tougher calls facing umpires. There’s often pressure from coaches and players to keep going, but safety considerations must rule. At a certain point, the tarp may need to come out (if the field has one) or the game be called off for the day. Photo Credit: Jim White When to stop a game because of darkness or weather are among the toughest calls of an umpire’s career.
How to Handle a New Crew Member
If you’re used to working on a crew with the same people from week to week, you know that you can quickly reach a comfort level. Everyone knows what to expect from each other on and even off the field, but it can be hard to know how to handle a new crew member. I’ve been fortunate to have been a part of some great crews on which everyone got along well, had fun and officiated beautifully.
Attitude Adjustments That Improve Performance
There are a lot of things I know now that I wish I had known when I started officiating. One area that I needed attitude adjustments involves my relations with players and coaches. Back then (early ’70s), I was often too confrontational and took too much of a hard-nosed approach in dealing with them. I had swallowed the Kool-Aid that one got at professional baseball umpiring schools, one of which I attended in 1973.
Use Your Head With Doubleheaders
Doubleheaders (DH) can be the bane of an umpire’s existence. At the most basic level, a DH just means two games instead of one, whether of the seven- or nine-inning variety or a combination thereof. But there are times when it can seem we’ve been out there for 10 games instead of two by the time the festivities have ended. When I started in college baseball, there was no limit on the number of games that an NCAA Division I school could play in a season.
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