[SMEngmann]

Originally posted by ShadowStripes
As soon as you recognize the coach's attempt to "game" you into useless conversations, I think you can politely inform him that mindless chatter will cease and let your partners know ASAP that you have spoken with the coach. 90% of the time, a friendly chat and a roll of the eyes will end this nonsense. No need for technicals in this matter.

I agree, but our lack of crew chemistry here was the problem. When my partner acknowledged coach A, it made that option unavailable to me until partner had addressed coach. Any technical then became unavailable to me at that immediate moment because how can I justify a T to a coach for talking to a partner who acknowledged it. Also, since this was a 3 person game, I was tableside after calling fouls and I generally like using the tableside mechanic as an opportunity to communicate with coaches. By the end of the game, this coach clearly had abused the tableside mechanics and started to go over the top.

Originally posted by Jurassic Referee

You answered your own question right there, didn't you? And if any official has to worry about needing security just because they T'd up a coach, well, his association shouldn't be providing officials to that league in the first place. You should NEVER have to worry about making a call and then having to face threatening fan reaction because of it. It's just not worth officiating under those circumstances.

I was being a bit fececious with my remark about the security escort. While starting OT with a technical here may have been an option, at that time, it probably would have been over-officious to do so and I don't see how it would have helped control the game. In fact, a T here may have caused things to fall apart at the seams. Although I wanted to give the T, I'm not sure what practical purpose it would have served, so I didn't give it.