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Originally posted by blindzebra
Quote:
Originally posted by drinkeii
Quote:
Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Quote:
Originally posted by drinkeii
when the officials aren't even able to keep the players reasonably safe, they are not qualified
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In general, I agree with you. However, nothing is perfect. I had a game once that was very "mild" - few fouls, certainly nothing even coming close to "rough play". With about two minutes left, one player just up and punched another player right in the mouth. This was a boys varsity rec game.
No one could have seen this coming and there was nothing beforehand that could have tipped us off.
Both coaches were aghast (get out your dictionary).
BTW - we never found out what prompted it.
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That is not a consistent lack of control during a game - that is a freak incident, over which the officials have no control. I'm referring to games where the game is out of control from the beginning, with hard fouls not getting called.
I am glad to see someone agrees with me about something 
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If it is out of control from the beginning it is the coaches fault, not the officials.
It's subjective too. I've seen coaches screaming for "obvious" fouls when there was zero contact, and "hard or intentional" fouls on players playing the ball with normal contact.
Any time a coach uses the, "You are going to get somebody hurt," or, "Several players got hurt, " they have zero credibility.
I had a game where a player broke his wrist after his shot was blocked. Completely clean play, LGP, verticality and no contact before the block. The offensive player got spun slightly when his shot was blocked and he caught the defenders hip on the way down. His legs went horizontal and he landed on his arm first.
Did I feel bad? Sure.
Was there a foul? No.
Was the injury my fault? No.
You prove JR and my initial impression of you with every post you make.
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See - another post from an official who thinks they are always right. The coaches don't have much control over the contact on the floor. If the refs pass on fouls that allow the game to get out of control, it is most assuradly their fault. Yes, the coaches can tell their teams to go out and head-hunt, or to play nice... what the players do isn't always completely up to the coach. And there are many coaches who teach dirty tactics, to gain an advantage, hoping the refs don't notice or call it.
In this case, it wasn't your fault. But to say that the officials have no responsibility for the safety of the players, and that it is the coach's fault is completely wrong. Not an opinion... that is just completely wrong.
And what opinion is that? I have a slightly different take on things, because I don't believe any official (myself included) is perfect. Some of you guys do. And that is why you're saying you refuse to accept any responsibility when players do get hurt because of a lack of game control. The coaches are certainly within their rights to complain if a number of injuries occur in a game - the refs didn't keep it under control. Or the otehr option is that it is really horribly sloppy play, and that the officials couldn't do anything about it - that is a rare case, from what I have seen. Most sloppy play doesn't lead to injuries - only hard fouls that don't get called consistently.
I would love to hear the opinion you have of me - I attempt to protect the players as a ref, and as a coach. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all.
Also - if we weren't, as officials, responsible for anything that occurs out on the floor safety-wise, as you say, then why would we need any kind of liability insurance? The coaches would, in your scenario, because they're responsible for excessive contact and fouling, regardless of what the officials choose to call.