Cell phones at the table

Stat-Man

refnrev wrote
Any of you having trouble with people talking or texting with their cell phones while trying to keep the book or run the clock? I had a home scorekeeper texting his girlfriend. (I know because he's one of my son's good friends.) After I gave visitors HC a full TO, during the 45 seconds he looked up from his phone like he had no idea what was going on and had to ask me what was called, who called it, etc. Before the 2nd game I was going to tell him to lose the phone but his dad came and did the book for him

This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If mine is not turned off during a game, I'll let it ring and go to voice mail.

One college I worked at had a student scorekeeper who would talk on her phone during the game. I think it was one of the reasons she eventually got asked to stop doing games partly through the season. 😀

Back In The Saddle

I haven't had problems with this in a basketball game (yet). But at a volleyball tourney I was working at this year the scorekeeper was watching the match, and texting at the same time. She didn't seem to miss anything. I can't even dial without looking; I have no idea how kids can text without looking. 😮

Adam

Junker and I were doing a JV double header one night, and two varsity girls were working the book and enjoyed their cell phone time. If I remember correctly, he was going to have them replaced for the 2nd game but that was taken care of by the fact that the varsity boys were doing the book for that game since it was a boys JV game.

dblref

Stat-Man wrote
This is a huge pet peeve of mine. If mine is not turned off during a game, I'll let it ring and go to voice mail.

One college I worked at had a student scorekeeper who would talk on her phone during the game. I think it was one of the reasons she eventually got asked to stop doing games partly through the season. 😃

Why would you have it turned on at the table? If it rings in my game you are either going to turn it off, or we will be finding a replacement.

Adam

dblref wrote
Why would you have it turned on at the table? If it rings in my game you are either going to turn it off, or we will be finding a replacement.

Really? Good luck with that.

I won't even notice unless he answers it. Are you really paying that much attention to the table that you'd know whose cell phone was ringing.

Jurassic Referee

Why not just tell table personnel before the game starts that cell phones, text messaging, etc, are not to be used. If one of 'em doesn't like it, tell home management to find a replacement.

Why wait for problems to happen?

rainmaker

Jurassic Referee wrote
Why not just tell table personnel before the game starts that cell phones, text messaging, etc, are not to be used. If one of 'em doesn't like it, tell home management to find a replacement.

Why wait for problems to happen?

Of course, you're right, but sometimes even after one says something, it happens anyway. As I"m sure you know.

26 Year Gap

I have had games with a partner, who has been on his cell phone at halftime while he should have been participating in a review of the first half and what should be done in the 2nd. He also had his cell phone on in class and was directed to leave the room because he was having a conversation while the class was taking place. Some people just do not 'get it', and sadly, they never will.

Adam

26 Year Gap wrote
I have had games with a partner, who has been on his cell phone at halftime while he should have been participating in a review of the first half and what should be done in the 2nd. He also had his cell phone on in class and was directed to leave the room because he was having a conversation while the class was taking place. Some people just do not 'get it', and sadly, they never will.

New a guy once got kicked out of officer candidate school (he was going to be an F-16 pilot) for talking on his cell phone during the last week.

Some people have no self-discipline.

Junker

Try to address it before the game starts if at all possible. If it happens during the game ask them to turn it off and get it out of sight or have them replaced. Nice memory Adam, I don't recall that one. I do recall almost having a pastor removed from the table for acting like a fan during a varsity game. I had to have the AD explain that he couldn't complain at the table. Maybe that explains my bad karma at times.:p

JugglingReferee

rainmaker wrote
Either that, or the kid was filling in for the dad who had been assigned the job, but was being lazy.

Didn't even think of that - it's a possibility.

Still, the kid shouldn't be on his cell. Where did common sense go?

Adam

Junker wrote
Try to address it before the game starts if at all possible. If it happens during the game ask them to turn it off and get it out of sight or have them replaced. Nice memory Adam, I don't recall that one. I do recall almost having a pastor removed from the table for acting like a fan during a varsity game. I had to have the AD explain that he couldn't complain at the table. Maybe that explains my bad karma at times.:p

It was at Lincoln. Girls game was against Roosevelt and boys was against Hoover, kind of an odd double header.
You'd called a Lincoln girl for a foul when she was laying down in the paint and rolled over tripping the girl with the ball. When you approached the girls at the table about their cell phones, they snapped back, "Well, it's not a foul when the player's on the floor." Typical teenager non sequitur.

Junker

I'm sure them telling me what a foul was went over well. 😀 I remember it now. They were going for sure between games. Good thing someone else came to run it. This will be my first season without significant (by that I mean a large number) JV games (I have 3 to help out some AD's). I don't think I'll miss them.

Stat-Man

dblref wrote
Why would you have it turned on at the table? If it rings in my game you are either going to turn it off, or we will be finding a replacement.

dblref:

Do you normally remove team statisticans (note that in my OP, I clearly said someone else was the official scorer) for having cell phones turned on? IMNSHO, that seems to be the mark of an OOO. 😕

In that particular gym, you'd have to have rabbit ears to know whose cell phone was ringing since the gym is so small that the table is 8 feet off the ground on an upper level and right up against fan seating.

A good thing you don't do our city softball tournament, since I keep my cell on in the press box because I get scores called in from 3 other fields so I can keep the scores/brackets updated. and even though there are no other games going on at the same time as the final, I keep my phone on anyways. 😛

Nevadaref

rgncjn wrote
Had this problem at the varsity level last year with the scoreboard operator. She was actually talking on the phone when things started going downhill. I forget the specifics, but the clock failed to start once the ball went inbounds. When myself and another official went to speak with the woman, she did not even pay attention. My partner ended up grabbing the phone from her and told her to listen to what we were saying. My partner then gave the phone to the AD and told him not to let her have it until the game unless the situation was an emergency and, in that case, we would need a new operator.

The proper mechanic is to stand in the reporting area, blow the whistle, place your right hand near the side of your head with your thumb next to your ear and your pinky finger extended towards your mouth, and then say very loudly, "HELLO, scorekeeper, can you hear me now? I need to report a foul by Blue #21 for holding. Thank you." 😀

rainmaker

Stat-Man wrote
Do you normally remove team statisticans (note that in my OP, I clearly said someone else was the official scorer) for having cell phones turned on?

Stat-Man I know this isn't addressed to me, but I'm just trying to understand what you're saying. I don't see in your OP where you clearly say that someone else was the official scorer. You call the person a "student score-keeper" which could be the official scorer, or the visiting stat person, or whatever. I'm just wondering ...

dblref

Stat-Man wrote
dblref:

Do you normally remove team statisticans (note that in my OP, I clearly said someone else was the official scorer) for having cell phones turned on? IMNSHO, that seems to be the mark of an OOO. 😕

In that particular gym, you'd have to have rabbit ears to know whose cell phone was ringing since the gym is so small that the table is 8 feet off the ground on an upper level and right up against fan seating.

A good thing you don't do our city softball tournament, since I keep my cell on in the press box because I get scores called in from 3 other fields so I can keep the scores/brackets updated. and even though there are no other games going on at the same time as the final, I keep my phone on anyways. :p

I don't think of this as having rabbit ears or being an OOO. If you are sitting at the table, and it doesn't matter if you are the clock operator, score keeper, stat person, whatever, and your phone is ringing, it is distracting. A couple of years ago, I had a young man (visiting team book) removed from the table for using his cell phone. I had already told him that it was a distraction and he needed to turn it off. About 2 minutes after this conversation, we were shooting f/t's and it was fairly quiet. Just as the shooter was about to take the 2nd shot, the cell phone rang again, and everybody just stopped and looked at the table. I asked the AD to remove the guy and the AD agreed. There is no reason to have the phone turned on at the table. If your calls are that important, then you don't need to be on the table. Look at your last sentence...."even though there are no other games going on at the same times as the final, I keep my phone anyways." Why?

refnrev

I give up.... what's an OOO?:confused:

[deleted]

refnrev wrote
I give up.... what's an OOO?:confused:

I know huh... I was thinking "overly officious official".
Yes, no, maybe so??

bob jenkins

refnrev wrote
I give up.... what's an OOO?:confused:

Overly Officious Oaf.

Just one more TLA.