[just another ref]

Originally posted by RookieDude
Now, if you are a younger official and going into a Veteran's locker room:

Don't go into the locker room to embarass the officials that did the game. If you have a question about a call, keep it to yourself unless they ask you how you saw it. Then maybe say you saw it a little differently "up" where you were at.

If you have a question regarding a rule, you might ask them about the situation. If you disagree, politely say that you thought it was such and such and that you would look it up later. Don't get into a big argument about it...even if you are right you won't come across well to the Vets.

First of all, I am not a "young fresh-faced guy." The two guys calling the game and I are all in the 40ish? age group.
They have been registered officials in the association longer than I have but I consider us all to be roughly on the same level as officials. One of these two guys actually
called me a couple of days before the test to ask for some study guide answers, so I suppose that means he has some respect for my opinion.

Chuck, I don't know about you...but there have been times in my career that I have missed a call. The last thing I want in the locker room after the game is some fresh faced new guy telling me how I blew it. We can talk about it sure...but to come in telling me "you are wrong" isn't politically correct around these parts.

When you say missed a call, I think of a question of judgment. (Boy I can't believe you called a blocking foul on that guy when the dribbler elbowed him in the face.) I wouldn't discuss a judgment call in that situation unless I was asked. The deal here was a black and white issue. I asked the question first to be sure I knew what the call had been, and then pointed out, perhaps not as subtly as I could have, that a mistake had been made. This was not a debatable point. As I said before, I want to know when I make a mistake of this magnitude. I still can't believe the coach didn't say anything. As for political correctness, it's pretty hard to come by around here.

Also, Just another ref, watch yourself while you are sitting in the stands watching a game. People will look to you to see your reactions to different calls. Try to stay neutral. I wouldn't suggest saying "They blew it" to fans around you. Heck, someday you might actually blow a call...do you want your peers sitting in the stands telling everybody about it? Do you want the Vets to know you are in the stands telling people how they are "blowing it"?

I apply the same deal here when it comes to judgment calls.
I try to be pretty diplomatic. "Did you think that was a foul?" "Oh, I don't know, it could have gone either way."
Often I defend the guys on the court. But this mistake was obvious to A LOT of people. They asked me what the rule was and I told them. They could then draw their own conclusion.