I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT

Sorry....I know I haven't been around much - not the best way to make a re-appearance. Just had to get that off my chest....

Hope you're all well!

Why doncha tell us how you really feel? ;)

or why u hate it ;)

I think anyone who's worked an adult league knows why it's hated. I worked one adult tournament in my career. It was the longest 2 days of my life. All the players have a very skewed version of the rules because they're used to playing pick up games and then don't like it when the rules are enforced. The other problem is the guy that thinks all contact is a foul (by the way, at one time I was this guy, then I started to work games). I've found that it's not worth my time and effort.

5 Rules to controlling Adult(?) League Basketball.

1) WHACK!!! WHACK!!! EJECT!!!
2) WHACK!!! WHACK!!! EJECT!!!
3) WHACK!!! WHACK!!! EJECT!!!
4) WHACK!!! WHACK!!! EJECT!!!
5) WHACK!!! WHACK!!! EJECT!!!

If the game isn't in control by now, repeat rules 1 through 5.

WM

High school ball doesn't start in these parts until at least November, so until then, Mens/Womens league games are pretty much all there is. I get some college games, but obviously there's only so many of those.

As well, mens/womens leagues are fairly big "customers" of ours, so everybody's pretty much expected to be available to work at least a few of these games a week.

The game that prompted my intital post: seven T's, two ejections - a close game AND overtime. I was also working with a fairly weak partner, so it felt like I was by myself. Normal mens league game duration: 70 min. This game: 90 min. :rolleyes:

7 T's in a game? That stinks. I think the most I've been involved with is 4 (2 for both my partner and I). Sounds like a long night at the office. You should get paid extra.

90 minutes for a game isn't that long. Where I work it is slightly above average but still common. How long do the quarters last in this league?

Your coutless technical fouls experience inspired me:
The seven T's in the seventies made seven ties at seventeen.

I'm sure you guys can make this poem longer! :D

I think my max in a game is 4, so you've got me beat there; but I did receive a death threat after the game. Here's the story, if you care. http://www.officialforum.com/thread/6437

So, inquiring minds want to know - how did the 21st go?

(For those of us that weren't around at that time.)

i'm back again!
i'm back again!
i'm back again!
i'm back again!
i'm back again!

nice topic..i have no problem with the english..

Welcome back, Romano. Hope that everything is well with you.

Thank you!
well it can't be better..
i just got promotion to the first league in israel and i hope that the next step will be soon- and i'll be a international fiba refree.

Congratulations on moving up, Romano. Good luck with your FIBA certification too. Hopefully we'll see you on tv working an Olympic game some day.

Before the game, my parner and I were observing the teams warming up and the coach of the team that we T'd so much walks across the floor towards me.

He says, "Did you have our game against [other team]?"

I said, "Yes I did, Coach."

He said, "Did you write a letter to your board?"

I was a little confused, b/c to me, "board" means my local IAABO board. He caught me totally off-guard, so I told him no.

He says, "Because somebody wrote a letter saying one of my guys threatened them."

And then it clicks (duh). "Well, Coach, I did send a report to my assignor. And I did say that somebody threatened us after the game."

He says, "Well, I wish you'd come to me about it instead. Because I wouldn't tolerate that on my team."

BS.

I just said, "Well, Coach, that's how I was told to handle it. I sent the report and the assignor said he would deal with the AD."

He basically said ok and that was the end of it. The game was completely uneventful. I honestly can't even remember one play from it. Go figure.

He says, "Because somebody wrote a letter saying one of my guys threatened them."

And then it clicks (duh). "Well, Coach, I did send a report to my assignor. And I did say that somebody threatened us after the game."

He says, "Well, I wish you'd come to me about it instead. <font color = red>Because I wouldn't tolerate that on my team.</font>"

[/B][/QUOTE]That's when you say to the coach- "Great, Coach. I'm certainly glad to hear that you won't tolerate it. Now, tell me.....what did you do to your player?".

That's usually when you get a lot of "humma,humma,hummas"

JUCO is fun! :D

Once, immediately after a game, I called my juco assignor on my cell phone about a problem with a player. He joked about it, calmed me down - said he was surprised the kid didn't call him first saying *I* threatened to kick *his* @ss after the game - and said to send a written report to him and no one else, he would handle it.

Sometime during the drive home I decided f@ck it, why bother, and I never sent the report.

He never asked me about it.

And now the kid is long gone, and the coach & I have a great relationship.

And I suspect my assignor is glad he never got that report.

I like !! :)

We play NCAA rules, so 2 x 20 min halves. A decent game is quite speedy as we only do a 5 min halftime and the guys usually want to keep the game moving quickly - unlike high school games where they fuss around with multiple timeouts, etc.

About a year ago I worked my last Men's League game FOREVER! I've been called to schedule more at that gym and others and I either politely decline or already have something going on that night. Even if it means I'm taking my wife to her hair appointment.

Well you spammed "I HATE IT" over and over so I don't see why you still do it.

If I had a choice between reffing mens league or not reffing at all, I hate to say it but as much as I enjoy officiating basektball I wouldn't officiate. I don't have fun reffing mens rec league, so why do it?

From my experience with those types of leagues, it all depends on the people running the leagues. If the people in charge are serious about sportsmanship and those types of issues, the games are sometimes actually fun to work. However, if the people in charge are just collecting the fees and don't back you up over their "buddies", then you will not have any fun. Guaranteed.

Rec Leagues I have worked have a 3-T Max per team and then forfeit. The first WHACK usually calms them down and then they know you won't listen to their crap.

I have seen it go to the 3-T limit and then bye.

I ref mens league because I think staying active is better than going 1-2 weeks between games and then diving right into a high school season.

Did another pair of games last night - no incidents, no T's, and encountered a new team that is easily the most sportsmanlike team I've ever done in that league. They commit a tonne of fouls, but nary a complaint. Both games combined took just over 2 hours, 15 min. YAY!

We have HS Scrimmages before the season starts, so I just work some scrimmages then I'm ready to go.

Men's league is full of guys who think they are still in HS & that their exploits will earn them a big write-up in the local paper. I stopped PLAYING in those leagues for that reason. Why would I want to officiate them?

HS scrimmages are much better to ease into the regular season.

Okay, y'all seem to be under the impression that there are tonnes and tonnes of HS scrimmages here - there aren't. There's the odd exhibition game between teams, but full, game-length scrimmages are not that common - and when they do have them, they usually don't come calling for referees.

Perhaps I was working that game!

How the heck are you, Rick. Good to see you back on the forum.

Some of these leagues can be a real pain in the a** but most are not that bad once the guys learn you're not gonna take their sh*t. I've worked these leagues for years and I think the key to doing them is having the people running them behind your decisions. Here, when we whack a guy he usually gets a one game suspension. Depending on the severity, sometimes more. I think a lot of these guys aren't that bad if you talk to them and let them know you gonna call it firm but fair. I was wondering if anybody does a pregame meeting with captains because I really thinks that helps also. Just remember, you're aleays gonna have that one dumba** out there.

Funny story: My brother and I were doing a men's league championship game and all the guys came up to us before the game telling us how glad they were to have real refs. One player, a local high school coach ends up getting the boot after telling me we were both stupid f*ckers. He follws us to the car after the game and wants to fight. I'm 6'8" - 245 and my brother is 6'6" - 260. I'm in between these two and the guy spits on my brother. Whack, lights out! One punch and the guys out cold. Here's the kicker, he comes to and gets arrested.

I guess you could say he was "spitting mad".

Even funnier would be the look on his face if you 2 were ever to work one of his game during the HS season. I'd love to see his face when you guys walked on the court. I know they usually know who's working the games but maybe they don't put a face with a name.

I would put him in the "dumb coach" category.