[WyMike]

If you're talking inexperienced.... I resemble those remarks!

Here's my take coach and I've coached VB from 10yr olds to AAU to traveling national competition teams. So I know about the 'other' side of it too.

This is my first year working BB and for the life of me unless a coach or bench personnel was way over the line I don't mess with them. At the MS level the kids are still learning so I allow coaches to step onto the football field as well as onto the playing court from time to time to "coach" their players. It's a learning time.

Unfortunately it's also a learning time for first year refs. A place to cut their teeth. I don't make certain contact calls in one town's tournament and I get the tournament director watching me and my partner for the next few games because someone tells them our game is "out of control". I make the same calls in another game and I get it from the other side that I'm "too tight".

I worked a 9 game Saturday to help out another nearby town and took cr@p most of the day from half of the coaches. One told another, and they watched specifically for contact non-calls, and they told another, and so on until it became widely known our games were chaos and to watch out. But I was also told by a number of the coaches there they were satisfied with the job my partner and I had done.

Without a doubt, if I ever go back to that town to help them out of a bind and one would come up to me and complain, I would simply ask for my pay up to that point and hand them my spare whistle as I left so they could work the rest of the day.

As an "inexperienced" first year official, I worked games from 8am until 6pm on a Saturday I had off, with a one game break. I busted my tail and the teams, coaches and parents got to play a game and go rest for a few hours until they were back for their next game all refreshed.

I make mistakes and I miss some calls. But don't ever disrespect me. Personally I'm not sure if I'll stay with BB. I love working FB and I've played many sports myself. But I will go to my grave carrying the belief that BB coaches are the HUGEST whiners, complainers, eye-rolling, smirking, hand gesturing group of people I know.

Heck, I might just stay with it to spite them and prove myself. Either way, I am getting my JV assignments so I must be doing something right.

Tough break on your T though. All I can say is control your bench, coach your players and play the hands your dealt. I do, as I have no control over what coach will be at the games I work. I would suggest discussing the A's a B's of a play or call with the assignor/official a week or so after the game so the heat and emotion aren't coming into play. You may see a totally different viewpoint, or you may be totally correct in your assumption.

Best of luck to you during your season.

[Edited by WyMike on Jan 26th, 2005 at 04:26 PM]