[M&M Guy]

Against my better judgement, here goes:

bz, you've posted 14 replies to this particular thread. Of the 14, 12 have put another official down in some manner by implying or calling them lazy, not able to keep up (mentally or physically), not hustling, lying, etc. I would guess that you have not met or seen any of these officials, but yet you're more than willing to put them down. I can't speak for you in particular, but I do know that is not a good quality for an official who wants to move up. Constantly putting other people down might feel good initially, but it does not help in the long run. I know from watching this happen to other officials as they do not advance. I hope this is not a quality you possess in everyday life.

The original question that was asked, essentially, "I was a long way away from a play, should I have called it?" You did not answer that specific question until your post #11. You did pose some questions of your own, and answered them prior to that, but not the original question until pressed. You also did not answer any of the questions posed to you, and kept going back only to the point you wanted to make. Communication is a two-way street, and it is extremely important as you advance as an official. A theme that is brought up many times in different camps that I've attended is the thing that separates the good official from the great official is not the calls on the court, but how they handle people. This includes not only the players and coaches, but AD's, other officials, supervisors and assigners. I have seen many good "floor" officials not advance because their people skills were lacking in some form.

You have also made some comments that show a lack of some principles of 2-person mechanics. Maybe this is more a result of your communication rather than an actual lack of knowledge. But, when you make the comment, "It's not the trail's job to stay back and watch the other 7 players", you are dead wrong in that statement. It absolutely is the trail's job. Granted, in most games, nothing will ever happen with those 7 players. But, it is that "once every 5 years" incident that could keep you from advancing. In fact, if that were to happen in a higher-level game (NCAA), you would most likely lose your schedule and your position in the conference if something were to happen with players that you've left behind you. And don't tell me that you don't need to know 2-person mechanics in an NCAA game, because I saw a D-3 game officiated that way just last week when one of the officials didn't make it in due to weather. You did start to back-track a little in your last post when you mentioned opening up to the players. But, the further up court you move, you cannot watch those players AND watch the play in front of your partner, unless you were trailing the play, to be able to see both within your field of vision.

I've learned over time in camps to never argue with a clinician, even if they're dead wrong. The idea is to take the information given and decide whether it is useful in your game, or not. The same with information given here; much is useful, some is crappy. I'm also not naive enough to know that the same is true with information I hand out. But imo, learning the right way to communicate will go a long way in your officiating career. Take it for what it's worth.