Be the Referee: Officials Reports

March 23, 2017

In this week's final "Be the Referee" of the 2016-17 school year, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how officials report to the MHSAA office and schools when they experience a situation outside the norm, and the importance of those reports.

Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

Below is this week's segment – Officials Reports - Listen

One of the ways officials provide feedback on the games they work is through an online Officials Report form process, where officials provide the MHSAA Office and the schools involved follow-up information whenever odd or unusual things take place.

The form can be used to report praise for a school, and it can also be used for concerns – everything form a sportsmanship concern to an equipment or facility problem which might need some further attention. The form is also used on those few occasions where ejections from games occur. Schools which receive no negative officials reports are annually sent a congratulatory letter from the MHSAA, and last year, over 250 schools were so recognized.

    Past editions
    March 16: Under the Bus - Listen
    March 9: Hockey Hits - Listen
    March 2: Deciding the Game - Listen
    Feb. 23: Pitch Counts - Listen
    Feb. 16: Recruiting Officials - Listen
    Feb. 9: Ejections - Listen
    Feb. 2: Wrestling & Technology - Listen
    Jan. 26: Post Play - Listen
    Jan. 19: Ice Hockey Overtime - Listen
    Jan. 12: Free Throw Change - Listen
    Jan. 5: Ratings - Listen
    Dec. 22: Video Review - Part 2 - Listen
    Dec. 15: Video Review - Part 1 - Listen
    Dec. 8: Registration - Part 2 - Listen
    Dec. 1: Registration - Part 1 - Listen
    Nov. 24: You Make the Call - Sleeper Play - Listen
    Nov. 17: Automatic 1st Downs - Listen
    Nov. 10: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
    Nov. 3: The Goal Line - Listen
    Oct. 27: Help Us Retain Officials - Listen
    Oct. 20: Point After Touchdown - Listen
    Oct. 13: Untimed Down - Listen
    Oct. 6: Soccer Penalty Kick Change - Listen
    Sept. 29: Preparation for Officials - Listen
    Sept 22: You Make the Call: Returning Kickoffs - Listen
    Sept. 15: Concussions - Listen
    Sept 8: Equipment Covering the Knees - Listen
    Sept. 1: Play Clock Experiment - Listen
    Aug. 25: Clipping in the Free Blocking Zone - Listen

    Be the Referee: Softball Interference

    By Paige Winne
    MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

    June 6, 2023

    Be The Referee is a series of short messages designed to help educate people on the rules of different sports, to help them better understand the art of officiating, and to recruit officials.

    Below is this week's segment – Softball Interference - Listen

    We’re on the softball diamond today for a “You Make the Call.”

    Runners are on the corners with no outs. The batter hits the first pitch in the air and into foul territory near the first-base line.

    The runner on first interferes with the first basewoman attempting to make the catch, and the ball falls to the ground.

    What’s the call?

    • Is it the runner on first and the batter are out?
    • The batter is out and the runner stays at first?
    • Or the ball is dead immediately, the runner on first is out and the batter is charged with a foul ball?

    If you said the ball is dead immediately when the interference takes place and that the runner is out, with the batter returning to the batter’s box with a one-strike count … you made the right call!

    Previous Editions:

    May 30: Officials Registration - Listen
    May 23: Soccer Offsides or Goal? -
    Listen
    May 16: Track & Field Exchange Zones - Listen
    May 9: Girls Lacrosse Self-Start - Listen
    May 2: Baseball/Softball Overthrow - Listen
    April 25: Fifth-Quarter/Third-Half Rule - Listen
    April 18: Soccer Referee in Play? - Listen
    April 11: Softball Strikeout - Listen
    March 14: Basketball Instant Replay - Listen
    March 7: Hockey Overtime - Listen
    Feb. 28: Baker Bowling - Listen
    Feb. 21: Ski Finish - Listen
    Feb. 14: Swimming Touchpads - Listen
    Feb. 7: In or Out-of-Bounds in Wrestling - Listen
    Jan. 31: Over the Back - Listen
    Jan. 24: Competitive Cheer Judges - Listen
    Jan. 17: More Lines - Listen
    Jan. 10: On the Line - Listen
    Jan. 3: Basketball Measurements - Listen
    Dec. 13: Pregame Dunks - Listen
    Dec. 6: Gymnastics Judges - Listen
    Nov. 22: Football Finals Replay - Listen
    Nov. 15: Back Row Illegal Blocker - Listen
    Nov. 8: Swim Turn Judges - Listen
    Nov. 1: Soccer Referee Jersey Colors - Listen
    Oct. 25: Cross Country Tie-Breaker - Listen
    Oct. 18: Soccer Shootouts - Listen
    Oct. 11: Safety in End ZoneListen
    Oct. 4: Football Overtime Penalty - Listen
    Sept. 27: Kickoff Goal - Listen
    Sept. 20: Soccer Timing - Listen
    Sept. 13: Volleyball Replays - Listen
    Sept. 6: Switching Sides - Listen
    Aug. 30: Play Clock - Listen
    Aug. 23: Intentional Grounding Change
    - Listen

    PHOTO by Gary Shook.