[drinkeii]

I let this one go for a while, and it was nice to see someone agrees with me on some of the points.

Why do you guys that believe this, think that mechanics is what makes the officials able to do their jobs? I understand not ball watching - I watch off the ball quite a bit, looking for those competitive matchups, etc. But there are a lot of times when 1) you don't have anything to watch in your area (if it's not that competitive of a game, or the players are playing nice), and 2) you really DO need to know what is going on globally (as the phrase was used earlier in the thread). So therefore, you are going to extend your view outside your primary area. It does say "primary", not "ONLY", or "RESTRICTED". Primary means first - first area of responsibility, not ONLY area of responsibility.

The rules... as they are written, and govern the game... do NOT say anything about one official having authority extending over part of the court and only part of the court. They do not restrict calls to one specific area for one official. They do define slight differences in responsibility for R's and U's, but very slight ones. As an official, I (and my partner) have the right to call anything anywhere on the court. (Consider - the coaches feel they have the right to complain about anything anywhere on the court... heh - but we have the right by rule to call anything anywhere on the court)

I do not understand how a set of arbitrary mechanics can restrict what, by rule, we are allowed to do. I have used the word "arbitrary" multiple times in reference to these mechanics. Someone somewhere decided this is what they wanted us to do. The rules are decided and voted on by a committee. What about mechanics? Same people? Or just some people who want the game called a certain way.

And I also have a problem with some responses... "Call whatever you want - just don't work with me" - "Go ahead and do whatever you want, see what happens". These kinds of responses don't get to the heart of the matter - they are a knee-jerk response by people who have run out of responses beyond "That's just the way it is".

Mechanics are supposed to help us officiate the game. They are not supposed to put us in a position where one official is looked down upon, berated, complained about, or denegrated in any way for calling something they have every right by rule to call, but their partner just doesn't want them calling. In most cases, I have found, the newer officials are more of my opinion "Get the call right - help me out when you feel I need it", and the older officals are the ones whose egos (to use a term brought up a few messages ago) have grown to the point that it becomes "My call, right or wrong - don't you DARE reach into my area".

The comment about the check gets me too... since you don't get paid by call, or by size or area of responsibility, you get paid, as a pair, to officiate the game. Sometimes one official calls more/less than the other - as long as they are consistent within the game, and it is a fair contest, there is nothing for anyone to complain about. Otherwise, in some games, I should get a larger check than my partner, because they don't do anything, and in some, I should get the smaller check, because my partner runs the show completely. This is ludicurous - saying "I get paid my fee, so let me do my area" - by rule, both officials are responsible for the GAME - not for specific areas of the court (except for the slight R and U differences mentioned above).

I can't expect to change the system. I can't even expect to get some of the people who believe mechanics are the be-all and end-all of basketball to rethink that absolute belief that the mechanics they have been taught are always right. All I expect to do is bring to light that some people disagree with the belief that your primary area is to be your only area, and that no basketball official could possibly be wrong in their call in their primary area. "My call, right or wrong" is a bad attitude to have ANYWHERE on the court.

I would hope people would at least agree that getting the calls right SHOULD be the highest goal of any official. Sticking to primary coverage and current mechanics may help - but also may in some cases hinder - this goal.