Last Saturday, my partner blew his whistle for a violation, then made a signal that I can only describe as a helicopter crashing. At the next break, I asked him what the heck was that all about. He said he wasn't sure if it was a travel, a carry or an illegal dribble so he mixed the three together.

Uh, OK.

This was the same partner, who the previous week, T'd a coach "on general principles". Ya gotta love it.

I saw a guy with quite a belly use it in his signal. The defender "bellied up" and bumped the dribbler, so he leaned back, stuck out his gut, and patted it with his non-fist hand.

That one gave me a good laugh. :)

I LOVE IT! Funny thing is I actually think I can picture this.

I'd love to see this mechanic on a PlayPic. :D

You reffed with Santa?

I was at a tournament once, and had an official do this thing with his hips to simulate the old belly-bump or frontal hip check. It was hilarious to see this tall, lanky guy with glasses do this thing that looked suspiciously like something out of a Christina Aguilera video.

I have a partner I work with who reported a foul as "dogpile" one night. I don't remember the mechanic he used!

I recently had a partner who called "Over the back!!" While saying this, he lunged his arm forward like if he were swimming crawl... Nobody really noticed or cared about it but I had a good laugh with him after the game!

well
 

definitely doesn't beat the doggy paddle. If you imagine someone doggy paddling in the pool over and over again...that's what one of my partners did. When I asked him about it, he told me it is supposed to signal repeating "touchs" by the defense?????? How do you respond to such stupidity. I responded with a sardonic smile. I should add that this was actually a varsity official :(.

Re: well
 

LOL! I yield to you!

Who was the NFL white hat who got in trouble for the "giving him the business" foul? He used one hand as if he was giving a guy a "noogie" and using his other hand as if he was holding the guy's head.

1. Ben Dreith, NFL referee, explaining a 15-yard penalty over the intercom: "Number 99 of the defense, after tackling the quarterback, was giving him the business down there." (http://www.ffbookmarks.com/umpire_quotes.htm)

I've called players for cross body blocks and clipping during basketball games. It gets a chuckle out of the table personnel.

Did he get in trouble for it? I thought it was just highly publicized

I think what stood out about Dreith's comments was that it happened way back when officials were first given microphones to report infractions.

Wierd one?
 

I saw an official doing a high school playoff game a couple of weeks ago - smacked himself in the face to show what the foul was he was calling. It was pretty funny!

I had a partner one time who reported a foul to the table and gave the signal for the football "tripping." The foul was actually a block, but it tripped the player in question. Believe it or not, the coach of the player who committed the foul actaully stood up and said, "Hey, that isn't a signal!" I got a chuckle out of it.

My favorite is still Steve Welmer who, when reporting a foul, put his hands straight up, took a few steps toward the scorer's table, and reported the foul as "he walked into him."

It was the only way to describe exactly what had happened on the play.

When an official lunges forward with both arms, it is the creeping death foul. I first saw this "in the back" foul called in this way at an SEC game.

AAU game last weekend. Official blew his whistle. Loudly called out "illegal use of the hands", then smiled.

That was my all time favorite NFL explanation! And was it Madden whom told a NFL ref it stood for "Not For Long" if he kept making those kind of calls?

I was in the stands one time and saw this on the floor:
Time running out in the quarter - Ball Fumbles away from G into big mess of players right at the 3 point arc and close to the sideline - Ball kicks OOB - L(don't know why) blows his whistle with open hand - T blows his whistle with closed fist(don't know why) - Quarter ending buzzer sounds a click after both of these whistles(probably .5 left on the clock when whistles go) - My buddy(who was the only one I knew on the floor) was C in front of Coach - Coach saw T with the fist(and knew what that was) - My buddy @ C(trying to get away) is not successful - Coach says "What did he have?"(Pointing to T) - My buddy(dropping his head) says, "I will find out." - He goes 1/2 way across the floor, where the T could hear him and says, "What did you have?" - The guy takes 2 steps out on the floor and makes a motion like he is calling a travel with one hand or a signal like "let's get things going"(hope you can visualize) - My buddy turns around to the coach and says, "Coach, he's got this,(ANd does the exact same signal)" He then sprinted away to the other lane and found a nice comfy block to stand on between the quarters - I had to leave the gym due to the fact that there were not too many people in there and they all could hear me howling and slapping the bleachers in laughter.
AAR

While working a Juco post season game this year, I had a double whistle. My partner in telling me he wanted the call tapped his chest twice and held out out two fingers out to the side like Sammy Sosa after a homerun. Both coaches and myself had a great laugh over this.

I was working Jr High games to help a buddy out this week. Newby partner was L on a 1 and 1 free throw. He was standing down ther with his pointer finget out on both habed and 1 hand aimed up and 1 down and his hip kinda cocked to one side. I couldn't hold my laugh as he reminded me of John Travolta in a famous movie he once did.

It wasn't Madden, it was Jerry what's his name who use to coach the Falcons, wasn't it?

Jerry Glanville.

I still love it when officials give the two handed "claw" signal for "over the back"!!

It cracks me up every time.

And this was funny because???