One way to deal with the "I never touched him" dance that I saw a former D1 official do in a HS game which I have also used in the right situation was to make a blunt comment about the dance, such as "Give me a break 21, you got him right on the elbow, don't give me that crap." Direct and to the point and it addresses the situation firmly without a penalty.

One thing that I've also noticed is that the players doing these dances often play for coaches who constantly whine about calls. More often than not IMO, these reactions are for their coach's benefit, not yours, and can be seen as an out for them from getting benched or punished for a dumb foul. Lots of times, I've seen these coaches back their player. A coach's attitude is reflected in his players and a howler coach breeds whining players, and leads to these types of unsporting reactions by players and other stuff, like shooters intentionally trying to initiate contact so that if they miss, the ref gets blamed instead of them. All the more reason for properly dealing with the coach, particularly in lower level games. Warnings are weak and too many of them cost you your credibility.

Finally in regards to "looking at it from a player's perspective" and "the ref standing between a player and a D1 scholarship, the points made are ridiculous. Getting called for a "phantom" foul or maybe losing 1 HS game won't make any difference to college coaches, but how a player reacts to a referee in that situation is what's noticed. Coaches teach players to focus on what they can control, and an official's calls cannot be controlled. A player that makes a spectacle of himself after a bad foul call will be looked down upon by college coaches, who would take, all other things equal, a grounded kid over a tempremental hothead. Further, by allowing the kid to get away with it in frosh ball where there are no college scouts, you are <b>hurting</b> his chances of making a good impression on the scouts when he shows his bad attitude in a varsity game.

I've seen some whacky comments in this forum, but this has to be the whackiest. I just can't believe an official would say something like this.

Congratulations Willie!

You have won the award for the most outrageous comment made here on the Forum boards for 2004!

Tell us, how does it feel to win and what are your goals for 2005?

I just can't believe so many people took his obviously comic statement to be serious?

Ditto. Where's that humor plug-in?

Ugh
 

OK now I feel like a moron. I thought he was serious.

Hold on, are we sure he was playing?

Personally, it doesn't matter what others think on the T situation. If I feel offended or threatened as an official or feel a player or coach is trying to show me up, there is no thinking involved. My alter-ego takes over, and bang.

I don't try and tell the coaches how to coach, I don't tell the players how to play, why should they be able to tell me how to officiate.

I spend hours upon hours studying rules, situations, on this board, trying to become not only a better official, but a better person.

Sometimes the only action to get things on an even playing ground is the T. They will learn quickly!

I may be getting the JRut syndrome! Fookem!

Hmmmmmmmmm..... Upon further review, Willie's comment was made Jan 2nd, 2005 08:17 PM so that disqualifies him from the 2004 competition and puts you back on the winner's platform!

:D

Nevada, what did Robmoz say to win the award?

Opps, you caught it....geez, I thought I was being so witty too. I hope you weren't betting that I would come in 2nd place.