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Oct. 4, 1987: With the NHL lockout under way and the NFL referee lockout a not-so-distant memory, we look back, 25 years back, to a time when replacement players, not replacement referees, roamed the field in official uniforms. The first occurrenc...

Adam Rubin While the veterans wore NFL jerseys, Mets rookies were forced to dress as NFL replacement referees -- with skimpy skirts. That included Jenrry Mejia. Adam Rubin Jeurys Familia, who starts Monday, and reliever Elvin Ramirez got int...

Despite his apology to NFL fans for using replacement officials, commissioner Roger Goodell's hubris -- and lack of credibility -- are on full display.

In this week's Trenches, Ephraim and I start by wrapping up the discussion about the replacement referees before getting to actual ... well, OK, it took us a bit to get to actual football. Along with talk about his disastrous game against John Abraha...

So the NFL owners and referees have finally struck a deal to bring the real refs back to work, starting with the Browns-Ravens game tonight. And my first reaction to this news was: What's the rush? Sure, the Packers may have just been cheated o...

In a wild Week 3 of NFL football, the "Madden 13" engine didn't do so well, finishing the week a Browns-like 5-11. But in defense of "Madden," the simulations weren't factoring in the replacement referees. So now that the NFL has reached an a...

The shockwave of the replacement referees' legacy, plus Thursday's Skunk of the Week.

Now that the NFL and its officials have reached a deal, it's fair to ask why it took so long, Andrew Brandt writes.

Earlier today, we posted a blank cartoon, and readers offered their captions. Our favorite was by commenter great blue one. Check your ESPN.com profile message center for an email. Thanks for participating. Check back Thursday for another cartoon....

By now, everyone has begun celebrating the news that the referee lockout is close to ending and the officials could return in time for this weekend's games. That is, everyone except the Ravens and the Browns. Having the replacement referees handle...

IRVING, Texas - The officiating has been and will be an issue every week the replacement referees is being used in the NFL, but perhaps even more so this week after the fiasco up in Seattle on Monday. The Cowboys are on pace for a team-record in p...

In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Tuesday. Freddie Freeman hit a two-run walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to give the Braves a 4-3 win over the Marlins and help his team secure a playoff be...

Take a shot at writing a cartoon caption. Playbook cartoonist Kurt Snibbe will offer up a blank cartoon each weekday morning, and he will fill in the blank with our favorite reader submission at the end of the business day. So please, by all means...

LOS ANGELES -- USC quarterback Matt Barkley watched the ending of the Green Bay Packers-Seattle Seahawks game on Monday Night Football. He said he thought it was "bananas." He also felt some sympathy for the replacement referees forced to make a d...

What is the price of losing your integrity? NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the league's owners are being challenged to answer that question on Tuesday after replacement referees affirmed the controversial, last-second touchdown that gave the S...

The Ravens have been critical of the replacement referees this season. But this time, it's not about a call involving the Ravens. Pro Bowl safety Ed Reed joined a growing number of NFL players calling out the league for Monday night's game-ending ...