Sports Officials: NBA vs. MLB vs. NFL: because you should know at least a little bit about that guy whose mother you just totally ripped

Men's Fitness, June-July, 2005 by Jacob Kalish

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Sports Officials: NBA vs. MLB vs. NFL

Because you should know at least a little bit about that guy
whose mother you just totally ripped BY JACOB KALISH

                       NBA                MLB                NFL

Exercise         Run 5-7 miles      Home-plate         Dozens of short
                 per game           umpires squat an   sprints
                                    estimated 620
                                    times per game

Homework         Refs file two      Umps review        Zebras check out
                 e-mail reports     QuesTec Umpire     tapes of the
                 for each game:     Information        game and send a
                 one immediately    System CD-ROM--    report to the
                 after, and         which points out   league.
                 another after      the ways they
                 watching a DVD     screwed up--if
                 of the game.       available.

Salary           $90K-$400K a       $87,859-$357,530   $2,134-$7,334
                 year, but are      a year, plus       per game
                 only eligible      $250 per diem
                 for one-year       and up to a
                 contracts          $23,000 year-end
                                    bonus

Games per Year   65-75, more if     Can be as many     20, more if they
                 they make the      as 175, counting   make the
                 playoffs           exhibitions, but   playoffs
                                    includes five
                                    weeks of paid
                                    vacation per
                                    season

Arch-Nemesis     Mark Cuban         Lou Piniella       Randy Moss

Signature Call   Traveling          Strikeout          Holding

Biggest Moment   Raging refs turn   Umps disallow a    The Tuck Play,
                 uniforms inside    9th-inning         Patriots vs.
                 out in February    game-winning       Raiders, January
                 2004 to protest    homer by Royals    19, 2002. Tom
                 suspension of      star George        Brady fakes
                 colleague          Brett when         throwing a pass
                 Michael            Yankee manager     and drops the
                 Henderson for      Billy Martin       ball when he's
                 missing a call.    complains that     tackled,
                                    Brett used too     bringing it back
                                    much pine tar on   to his body, but
                                    his bat. Brett     the ref rules it
                                    charges the umps   an incomplete
                                    like he'll kill,   pass. Raiders
                                    and the Royals     fans subse-
                                    eventually win     quently replace
                                    their protest--    the 'T' in tuck
                                    and the game.      with a different
                                                       consonant.