Former Official in League of Her Own

September 26, 2018

By Geoff Kimmerly
Second Half editor

Retired MHSAA official Dolly Konwinski – previously a player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League who consulted on the 1992 film “A League of Their Own” – died Saturday at the age of 87.

Konwinski umpired both baseball and softball as an MHSAA registered official for more than a dozen years into the 1990s. She brought to the diamond playing experience from the AAGPBL; she played for four teams between 1948-52, including most of three seasons with the Grand Rapids Chicks.

The AAGPBL has been honored by the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y., and Konwinski consulted on and made a brief appearance in “A League of Their Own,” which was nominated for Grammy and Golden Globe awards.

She most recently lived in Caledonia and is survived by her husband of 63 years Robert and four children, plus many grandchildren and extended family.

Click for recent Grand Rapids Press coverage of her death. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Mary Magdalen Catholic Church in Kentwood. Click for her obituary.

The feature below, reported by Rick Berkey, aired as part of the coverage of the 1990 MHSAA Girls Basketball Finals on PASS Sports.

Be the Referee: Boys Lacrosse Helmets

By Paige Winne
MHSAA Marketing & Social Media Coordinator

April 30, 2024

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 – Boys Lacrosse Helmets - Listen

We’re talking helmets in boys lacrosse today – and what happens when one comes off during play.

The high school rule differs from the college rule—in high school play, a helmet coming off during normal play is not a foul. If that happens, play is stopped, the player who lost his helmet must come off the field, and the team with possession maintains possession. If the ball is loose, alternate possession is used. The player can return at the next dead ball after play has resumed. In college lacrosse, this would be a technical foul.

When a helmet is knocked off (in high school) as a result of a foul, the helmetless player must leave the field until the next dead ball, and the foul will be administered.

Previous Editions

April 23: Softball Interference - Listen
April 16: Soccer Red Card - Listen
April 9: Batted Baseball Hits Runner - Listen
March 12: Basketball Replay - Listen
March 5: Hockey Officials - Listen
Feb. 27: Less Than 5 - Listen
Feb. 20: Air Ball - Listen
Feb. 13: Hockey Penalties - Listen
Jan. 30: Wrestling Tiebreakers - Listen
Jan. 23: Wrestling Technology - Listen
Jan. 9: 3 Seconds - Listen
Dec. 19: Unsuspecting Hockey Hits - Listen
Dec. 12: No More One-And-Ones - Listen
Nov. 21: Football Finals Replay - Listen
Nov. 14: Volleyball Unplayable Areas - Listen
Nov. 7: Pass/Kick Off Crossbar - Listen
Oct. 31: Cross Country Interference - Listen
Oct. 24: Soccer Overtime - Listen
Oct. 17: Tennis Spin - Listen
Oct. 10: Blocked Kick - Listen
Oct. 3: Volleyball Double & Lift - Listen
Sept. 26: Registration Process - Listen
Sept. 20: Animal Interference - Listen
Sept. 13: Feet Rule on Soccer Throw-In - Listen
Sept. 6: Volleyball Jewelry - Listen
Aug. 30: Football Rules Similarities - Listen
Aug. 23: Football Rules Differences - Listen