The Rant

Being raised all around SABL, Playing, Stat Keeping, and Finally Officiating at a Gym Near You, Sandeep Singh has been always around. He sits down with the Rant to describe him watching his older cousins, how he got involved with Stat keeping, and now officiating under the Queens Boy’s Officials Board, 119. My conversation with Sandeep, Now.

For all intents and purposes, Bryan Jones is my mentor. He was the first one that saw me, and told me if I took this game serious, that I could go places. Today, we pull up in a basement to discuss his illustrious career as a Basketball official, his community visionary work, and what his future holds as he still officiates at the highest level possible. All that and more.

Introducing Michael Grant, who will serve as a regular consultant and contributor to the Podcast and our website, Referee Rant. He is a Board 41 Basketball Member, NBWBOA Girl’s Certified, making a huge leap on the Girl’s Basketball circuit, including officiating some of the top games in NYC. This episode is different, because I talk about our parallel universes where he’s elevating on the Women’s...

Episode 17 - The Rant! Decorated Flag Football Quarterback, Brian Alfieri joins us - He’s a Long Island Flag Football Hall of Famer, southpaw slinger, and Flag Football Advocate, as he’s been doing it for years - 5 man, 7 man, 8 man, and 9 man any which way. Brian discusses his love for sports, how he started in Flag Football, his passion that lead him to the top, and his chase to lead his nationa...

Episode 16 - Fabio Perez - Coaching Multiple Sports and Relationships with officials. Today we sit with Fabio Perez, one of my boys from Hofstra University who now is a guidance counselor, and a multi-sport coach, including Football, Basketball, and Baseball. We go through his love of many sports, his impact with young lives through coaching, and his relationship with officials on the field and on...

Episode 15 - Terry Twibell - Reffing, Dying, Surviving, then Living to Tell the Tale. Boy’s Basketball Board 41 member. Doing an Adult League, AAU Game, or CYO game, ate a court near you. We discuss his passion for reffing, his near brush with death, and his new found daily appreciation officiating the game he loves. All that and more with my brother - my conversation with Terry, now.

James Washington sits down in one spot, only to discuss his experiences as a multi sport athlete growing up, his experience officiating around the world, and his passion to teach basketball officials before him and after him how to do this. One Team One Fight - my conversation with Wash, now.

Al Chaulk sits down with the rant, and discusses the importance of an official and their mindset off the court, as a business entity. Learn how to start a company, tips on best practices for tax minimizing tax liability, reporting expenses in officaiting, and assistance in becoming and being your own boss. My conversation with Mr. Chaulk, now.

John Papa sits down with the rant to discuss the sports that he officiates, his long illustrious career as a basketball official, his experience doing other other sports, and his status as SABL assignor. That and much more, on the Rant. John Papa show notes. :16 - said Flag Football 2x 1:26 - How did you start? How did you get into basketball 2:55 - Where did you begin reffing? 4:57 - Emeritus sta...

This is a special sit down with my home Basketball association interpreter, the venerable Don Landolphi. Unbeknownst to him, he has been instrumental in much of my success today from laying down strong roots instilled in me previously from my failures. His encouragement after I failed the written test was everything to me. Despite a failure to launch, I had no such sophomore slump. For what was su...

Episode 10, The Rant - we have a special guest, John Ottavino, championship PSAL baseball umpire, servicing New York City. His son Adam, just signed a 3 year deal to join the formidable set up that is the New York Yankees. In it, we discuss his experience officiating Baseball in NYC, his only experience officiating Adam, and his affinity for the rules - so much so that he sends out a rule of the d...

We stop in the Crown Basketball facility to talk to Paul Diasparra, founder and creator of Crown Refs. The IG page is designed to help basketball officials improve their craft. He is currently a high level high school and division 2 collegiate Basketball official, and going further by the day. This is a treat, as Crown Refs and Referee Rant collaborate for the first time on this podcast. He discus...

We close out another work week with Steve Baum. We discuss sticky situations that transpired from the week that was, and go over a Girl’s Middle School quiz, for you to download. I hope you enjoy. Next week, we will be bigger, and better. We promise.

Steve Kaufmann is searching for that feel, the feel that he already has in Basketball. As he has mastered officiating in the high school ranks, he is trying to double down and do the same with Volleyball. Will Baseball be next? We find out in episode 7 of The Rant. The sit down with Steve occurred after 3 games at Island Garden and we discuss all thing hoops and all things vball. My conversation w...

This special edition of The Rant is a collaboration with SABL - otherwise known as the South Asian Basketball League. Our guest this episode is Kash, with a K. I like to call him the Thanos of the SABL - he’s the commissioner, he’s a player, and he’s even a basketball official. We discuss his experience in wearing all of these hats simultaneously, and discuss how Referee Rant and the SABL will wor...

Ray Valeriano, rising star as an umpire, who recently passed the certification for Girl’s Basketball. It’s been a pleasure to share the diamond with him, and now, the hardwood. He wants to be great on his own accord, and he already is, as one of his redeeming qualities is his sponge and absorption of knowledge, and applying it afterwards. He wants to be great, and he will be. I first ran into him,...

In this edition of The Rant, Ralph the Ref talks to one of his closest friends Phil Francois who has a unique perspective on Basketball. We grew up playing in our high school days, to his time coaching AAU. He then figured officiating was a good route for some good money, but ultimately stopped when Corporate America came knocking. He currently is back to coaching his son, who has limitless potent...

In this edition of “The Rant” Ralph the Ref sits down with Joe “Sauce" Sollitto - former mentor to Ralph and great official in the game of Flag Football. Sauce recounts his times as a hall of fame caliber player in Long Island Flag Football League, and his time as a rookie-turned-veteran official. He discusses his come up, and his abrupt retirement after deciding to stop altogether to raise his 3...

Referee Rant sits down with Steve Baum, Dual Certified Basketball Official. We go over how he fell in love with Basketball, his days at Bayside HS in Queens, NY, and his experience officiating Basketball thus far. Finally, he discusses his love of learning and how it applies to his never ending quest for rule knowledge of the sport. Steve and Ralph also discuss their plan to have situations and ru...

Referee Rant sits down with Jeff Lescouflair, elite Flag Football official. In it, he discusses his origins of how he became and official, his entree and exit into softball, and his war stories in between. This episode may contain explicit language. Enjoy.