Go Dressed???

[OverAndBack]

Originally posted by JRutledge
I have heard in just this past off season three very powerful assignors make this statement on their own in meetings or presentations. One made it very clear, "You will not work for me if you do that." Not only did they make those types of comments, they also talked about other assignors the felt the same way. You also might remember there is a reason many of the officials you are working with are at that level. You are new, but many working those levels are not new at all. This is not really my main issue. But it is the issue with most of the people, if not all of the assignors I work with and many officials in this state that are well respected. I am just one person. I cannot prevent you from working an entire schedule. All I can do is decide if you are going to work one or two games a year when I need a partner. Assignors can tell other assignors about an official and pass the word around. If they think it is unprofessional and should not be done, I am not the person to take it up with. Now you might be able to work a freshman game showing up dressed or even a Saturday morning JV game. If you do that at a prelim game or varsity date, the spotlight is a lot brighter and hotter. All I am saying is it is not an acceptable practice.

Rut - you're misunderstanding me. I know there's a reason that "non-new" guys will work lower-level games (there are lots of reasons, actually - and not all of them are about performance or professionalism), and I said that I can't control that, nor do I care to. I worry about what I need to do and how I was taught to do things. I was taught to show up 90 minutes at least before a football game, so I do. The fact that I've had partners show up 10 minutes before the game doesn't matter to me, and it's not going to make me start showing up 10 minutes before a game. I do what I need to do and what I've been taught is the right way to do things - not because I'm worried about whether or not some assignor or evaluator is watching, but because I think it's the right thing to do.

I'm not on some sort of career track here - I'm too old to think about investing 20 years in this to try to get to the NBA or the NFL. I just enjoy doing games, and I approach the freshman "B" game on Monday night at 5:30 in front of 15 people like I would the varsity game on Friday night in front of 3,000 people. If others don't, that's cool, too. I can't control what others do, nor would I cast aspersions on anyone else who does things differently. I'm in charge of my preparation and deportment, not theirs.

So I don't know why you're coming down on me and intimating that you'd put the kibosh on me working if you have the chance when I've gone out of my way to make it clear that I don't exhibit the behavior we're discussing here.

Take care.