[M&M Guy]

Tom - back to your original question (of which I almost forgot, because I've got those damn Village People songs rattling around in my head). You made an interesting point about most good officials having a strong personality. I think it's that very reason that an official needs to consider both cases - staying next to a coach, or removing him/her self from the situation. Most of the time a T is given in a confrontational or heated situation. As much as we try to make it "just another call", you'll have to admit, most of the time the adrenaline is flowing a little faster than the last travel call you made. Maybe you feel comfortable with staying next to the coach. Some officials need to get away. I heard of a game where the same official called a T on a player, then 2 different T's on the head coach, all in under 60 sec. One of the other officials I talked to said if there was a way he would've gotten in front of his partner and gotten him away from the situation, he probably could've saved at least the second T on the coach, who is one of the quieter and more respectful coaches in the league. So it's not just the coach who might need calming down, it might be your partner as well. This is something usually covered in (you guessed it) the pre-game. One thing I try to have our crew do after a T is issued is to have at least 2 officials get together for a moment to go over things such as who's the T on, who's shooting and which basket, do you want to stay tableside, etc. Each situation is different, and should be handled differently.