Embarassing Moments

[MattRef]

This is fantastic! I have never laughed so hard! I am very rookie (haven't had too may games yet). I will remember a lot of the advise given here over the last few days. I like the black underwear thought especially. Must buy more...Thanks!
Matt

[doghead]

Two embarrassing moments...one for myself and one for my partner:

#1: Last year (my first year) I was working a 7th/8th grade girls' game with a very tall partner (he was easy 6'5"). He tossed the ball to me to take OOB and it went flying way over my head, right toward a nice little ol' lady spectator (just came to see her grand daughter play probably). So I jumped as high as possible and tipped it to avoid it hitting her and when I pointed to the designated throw-in spot, I noticed that the pinky finger of my right hand was completely dislocated! I called for a brief official time-out and asked the home team coach if I may borrow some tape from his med-kit. (And I totally "grossed out" the young lady who was keeping the home team book) I finished the game with my strange looking pinky finger taped to my ring finger.

#2: Last Saturday I worked with a brand new official (I think it was only her third game) at a catholic grade school. Talk about the slightly blind-leading-the-blind...a second year ref mentoring a first year ref....Anyway...Now this young lady would be described as "well endowed" if you know what I mean. (I'm probably just jealous as I'm a female who is flat as a pancake. My husband says "Honey, roll over!" I say, "I am rolled over!")...Ha! Ha! Ha! Anyway, during intermission between the 3rd and 4th quarters, I look around and my partner is gone! So I wait a few minutes and she returns, whispering to me that her bra strap just broke! Poor thing...she finished the 4th quarter by tightly holding her armpits onto her bra to keep it from completely falling off! Needless to say her mechanics weren't too good but she got through it.

[Indy_Ref]

Originally posted by doghead
Two embarrassing moments...one for myself and one for my partner:

So I wait a few minutes and she returns, whispering to me that her bra strap just broke! Poor thing...she finished the 4th quarter by tightly holding her armpits onto her bra to keep it from completely falling off!

Doghead,

Since, as YOU say, your bra doesn't really do anything for you, maybe you could have lent her your bra so that she could have used it (the whole thing) as a replacement strap!

[Martin Morgan]

8th grade girls game (with the boys to follow)...I chop time at the tipoff. A1 has the ball moving into her FC. I'm heading toward the baseline when B1 tips a pass OOB right behind me. I raise my hand and attempt to put air in the whistle...only the whistle is still tucked inside my shirt!

Imagine a gym full of Jr. High kids laughing. My partner chuckled, too. Between quarters he said to me, "You saw the play, and got the hand up...2 out of 3 ain't bad!"

[rainmaker]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
About 3 years ago, I had a partner who loudly passed gas about 5 times when administering free throws. The players were continuously laughing along the lane. It got really comical after a while. Here's the kicker - it was a female.

Let's just make it clear -- it wasn't me!! I hadn't started yet!!

But my most embarrassing moment was when I was trail in a blow-out with three seconds left. Before I handed the ball to be in-bounded I told myself, "Call nothing but blood." I handed the ball, they inbounded, it went to the floor, I waited for the horn, no horn, more players, more players, more mess, no horn -- and I panicked and blew the whistle. I intended to call the game over, thinking the timer had goofed. In reality, I was just being overly intense and only about one second had passed. Now I totally panicked and had no clue what to do. I finally called a foul on someone, signalling a number which wasn't in the game, and then...

But as Mark Twain says in Tom Sawyer, "Let us ring down the curtain of mercy on this pathetic scene."

[DrC.]

Well, My most embarrassing moment came this past Sunday.
Doing a 7th grade Boys game, when all of a Sudden I am sweating and feel like I have the "runs" (how else do I say it). It's the the 3rd quarter and I am thinking I really want to be "professional" and finish the game. With a 1:30 left, team A calls time out. I couldn't wait anymore. I was dying. I tell the other ref, I am sick and need to hit the head (the hell with being professional...)
I do my business (as fast as I could). I now feel 100% better. I go back into the gym. When I walk in the whole crowd raise to their feet and give me a standing ovation. I gave a customary bow and confirmed with the other ref whose ball it was. He threw me the ball and just as I was to hand it over, someone yells from the crowd, I HOPE YOU WASHED YOUR HANDS(yes,I did!!). I couldn't wait for those 90 seconds to go by and get out of there!!!

[JRutledge]

I have a good one. Well, I am a younger individual and it is not unusual for those in my generation to wear earings of some kind. I am not one that cares for tongue rings personally, but that is just a little background for my story.

It was sometime in mid March, nothing going on for basketball or anything else like that and still some weeks before baseball started for me too. I had been wearing some earings that I had usually not put in at all during football and basketball season. Well I was asked to do a 5th and 6th grade girls basketball championship tournament game at a school not far by. I think this was my first or second year, and I had not done a game in probably 3 or 4 weeks at that time. So my partner and I go out on the court and give a short captains meeting and telling to take out all jewelry off and all earings off. My partner allowed me to do this (he started me officiating and was my mentor) up until right as we were about to leave the table to jump the ball up. Well, he told me, "you know you have your earings in, don't you?" I just froze and started to laugh. The coaches laughed, the fans laughed and even a couple of players laughed. And in the end, my partner had the biggest gag. It was really funny actually, but boy did I feel stupid after my jewelry speech.

[bainemc]

Embarassing call by 1st year official.

On a throw in under A1 basket, I had already started counting, 2 seconds into the count A1 Coach start yelling, "let A2 throw it in. A2 heads toward A1, A1 hands A2 the ball while inbounds, as I begin blowing my whistle A2 shots the ball into his bucket. BOOM, it hit me, dang it I screwed that one.

I said it was an inadvertant whistle, bucket counts. Boy did the B Coach go crazy. I had explain that there was no defensive player anywhere near A2, who received the throw in and made the bucket. I tried to explain that A team had no violation. Boy was he not happy.

Other than doing something wrong to begin with, is there any other way to handle it after it happens. Any suggestions from you veterans..

Rookie in training

PS
Just after this bucket and explanation to B Coach, I had realized that in order to start this trick play, A Coach had com all the way out of his box on the sideline, maybe as far as the free throw line. Since this play caught me off guard, and the other coach got ticked, I warned A Coach that next time that far out of his box; especially to crank up a trick play, he would get the Big T.

[Edited by bainemc on Jan 16th, 2001 at 11:27 PM]

[mick]

Originally posted by bainemc
Embarassing call by 1st year official.

On a throw in under A1 basket, I had already started counting, 2 seconds into the count A1 Coach start yelling, "let A2 throw it in. A2 heads toward A1, A1 hands A2 the ball while inbounds, as I begin blowing my whistle A2 shots the ball into his bucket. BOOM, it hit me, dang it I screwed that one.

I said it was an inadvertant whistle, bucket counts. Boy did the B Coach go crazy. I had explain that there was no defensive player anywhere near A2, who received the throw in and made the bucket. I tried to explain that A team had no violation. Boy was he not happy.

Other than doing something wrong to begin with, is there any other way to handle it after it happens. Any suggestions from you veterans..

Rookie in training

PS
Just after this bucket and explanation to B Coach, I had realized that in order to start this trick play, A Coach had com all the way out of his box on the sideline, maybe as far as the free throw line. Since this play caught me off guard, and the other coach got ticked, I warned A Coach that next time that far out of his box; especially to crank up a trick play, he would get the Big T.

[Edited by bainemc on Jan 16th, 2001 at 11:27 PM]

RiT,
All you could do, in my mind, is to tell Coach B, "Sorry! I got tricked as bad as your players got tircked. It won't happen again."
mick

Originally posted by Suppref
Every official has had something happen to them that could be considered embarassing. I have learned something from my moment. Anyone brave enough to add one?

HS varsity game, 2 neighboring towns. The gym is packed. I had a recent bout with the dredded "jock-itch", so I thought a little Gold Bond powder in my spandex undershorts would relieve some of the discomfort. Well, you can imagine, it took all of three times down the court for the white powder to start seeping through the black pants. At first I thought it as some dust but when I went to pat it off, I was standing in a cloud of smoke. Luckiliy I had an extra pair of pants in my bag.

I can't believe that out of 578 looks only 23 have stories to add.
Last night I was even more embarassed than my original posting.
I had a game about an hour from home, so I brought my girlfriend to the game (at least one person in the stands would love me...or so I thought). About midway through 4th quarter there is a TO, I move to the U2(3 man mechanics) position on the lane opposite home bench. After the cheerleaders finish I move back onto the floor, there is kind of a lull before the horn blows and i hear," Hey Ref..Nice ass! You guessed it, it was her. I was mortified especially when my partners applauded amongst the laughter.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by bainemc
Embarassing call by 1st year official.

On a throw in under A1 basket, I had already started counting, 2 seconds into the count A1 Coach start yelling, "let A2 throw it in. A2 heads toward A1, A1 hands A2 the ball while inbounds, as I begin blowing my whistle A2 shots the ball into his bucket. BOOM, it hit me, dang it I screwed that one.

I said it was an inadvertant whistle, bucket counts. Boy did the B Coach go crazy. I had explain that there was no defensive player anywhere near A2, who received the throw in and made the bucket. I tried to explain that A team had no violation. Boy was he not happy.

Other than doing something wrong to begin with, is there any other way to handle it after it happens. Any suggestions from you veterans..

Rookie in training

Am I missing something? Didn't you say A1 handed the ball to A2 while A2 was still inbounds? This is a violation. The ball must be released on a pass toward the court. It cannot be handed to an inbounds teammate on an inbounds play.

[williebfree]

Originally posted by Suppref
..

I can't believe that out of 578 looks only 23 have stories to add. B]

OK, here is my most embarassing moment (to date) as an Official... It is a scenario of a serious "Brain Fart"

A1 inbounds after a made basket. A2 is immediately surrounded by B1, B2, and B3; pressure defense. A2 starts to twist to avoid having any of the B team players slap the ball free or forcing a held ball. It is also totally evident that A2 knows he had to keep his elbows in and does a great job of it....

In a split-second of cauitious concern for the safety of all players, I blow the whistle and mentally-freeze. I then have a partial "Thaw" and realize I need to make a call. I make eye contact with my partner (who is also my carpool friend; 1 1/2 hrs daily) has worked enough games with me to know I am in a quandry. He tries to help me think by rolling his eyes upward and nodding his head upward. My interpretation of the hint was another "crash", I signal "5 seconds - closely guarded".

My Partner hustles over and we quickly conference.... "What you got? And it can't be 5 seconds in the backcourt." My response, (in barely audible voice) "I don't know any more, my brain is scrambled eggs!" He had a great "recovery" Jump Ball... AP.... White Throw-in...

I did fine for the remainder of the game.... Just freaked-out for that moment.

After diagnosing what the H#ll happened, I concluded it was a culmination of stress in a variety of aspects in my life... I hope like heck to NOT be there again.

[Dan_ref]

Originally posted by williebfree

He had a great "recovery" Jump Ball... AP.... White Throw-in...

Willie, great story we've all been there when the whistle
sounds and you're thinking "Why did I do that?!" And good
to have a dependable partner that will come to your
rescue! But, in this case it sounds like you should
not have gone to the AP arrow since there was control
when the inadvertant whistle killed play.