Be the Referee: Bat Safety
June 1, 2015
This week, MHSAA assistant director Mark Uyl explains how bats have been altered the last few seasons to make baseball safer for pitchers and infielders.
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 - Bat Safety - Listen
The biggest change in the world of amateur baseball over the last five years has been the new standards for non-wood, or what most of us refer to as aluminum, bats.
Prior to these changes, it was quite common to see high school and college baseball scores in double digits on a regular basis.
The new bat standards first sought to address player safety. And now these new aluminum bats match the ball exit speed ratio – or in other words, the speed that the ball comes off the bat – for a non-wood bat with what it would be coming off a wood bat; making the amateur game safer for pitchers and infielders.
Past editions
May 25 - Balks - Listen
May 18 - Baseball Pace of Play - Listen
May 11 - Fair or Foul Ball? - Listen
May 4 - Non-Glare Helmets - Listen
April 27 - Vern L. Norris Award - Listen
March 23 - Deciding the Game - Listen
March 16 - Block/Charge Call - Listen
March 9 - Dive on the Floor - Listen
March 2 - Primary Areas - Listen
Feb. 23 - Too Much TV - Listen
Feb. 16 - Video Clip Library - Listen
Feb. 9 - Cheer Safety - Listen
Feb. 2 - Basketball PA Announcers - Listen
Jan. 26 - Wrestling Health Concerns - Listen
Jan. 19 - Basketball Physical Contact - Listen
Jan. 12 - Video Review Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 29 - Video Review Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 17 - Registration Part 2 - Listen
Dec. 10 - Registration Part 1 - Listen
Dec. 3 - Legacy Program - Listen
Nov. 26 - Sideline Management - Listen
Nov. 19 - 7-Person Mechanics - Listen
Nov. 12 - Blocking Below the Waist - Listen
Nov. 5 - Tournament Selection - Listen
Oct. 29 - Uncatchable Pass - Listen
Oct. 22 - Preparation for Officials - Listen
Oct. 15 - Automatic First Downs - Listen
Oct. 8 - Officials & Injuries - Listen
Oct. 1 - Overtime - Listen
Sept. 25 - Field Goals - Listen
Sept. 18 - Tackle Box - Listen
Sept. 11 - Pass Interference - Listen
Aug. 25 - Targeting - Listen
Be the Referee: Hockey Equipment
January 24, 2019
This week, MHSAA assistant director Brent Rice discusses the need to monitor the proper wearing of the ice hockey neck guard.
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 – Required Hockey Equipment - Listen
A number of sports require certain equipment be worn, and be worn unaltered. In ice hockey, one such piece of equipment is the neck guard.
This is something not very well understood. And it’s not just that some players try to either not wear the neck guard or alter it – resulting in a team warning if caught – but that upwards of half of the neck guards on the ice on any given night of high school play are actually altered. Common alterations are putting tape around the guards, removing padding and wearing the donut style way below the collar bone.
Coaches, officials, players, parents and administrators have to treat this risk management issue more seriously than they are now to make the game as safe as it can possibly be.
Past editions
January 17: You Make the Call: 10-Second Clock - Listen
January 10: Tripping in Hockey - Listen
January 3: Sliding in Basketball - Listen
December 27: Stalling in Wrestling - Listen
December 20: Basketball: You Make the Call - Listen
December 13: Basketball Uniform Safety - Listen
December 6: Coaching Box Expansion - Listen
November 29: Video Review, Part 2 - Listen
November 22: Video Review, Part 1 - Listen
November 15: You Make the Call - Sleeper Play - Listen
November 8: 7-Person Football Crews - Listen
November 1: Overtime Differences - Listen
October 25: Trickery & Communication - Listen
October 18: Punts & Missed Field Goals - Listen
October 11: What Officials Don't Do - Listen
October 4: Always 1st-and-Goal - Listen
September 27: Unique Kickoff Option - Listen
September 20: Uncatchable Pass - Listen
September 13: Soccer Rules Change - Listen
September 6: You Make the Call: Face Guarding - Listen
August 30: 40-Second Play Clock - Listen
August 23: Football Rules Changes - Listen