HA HA! JR, do you have this guy hypnotized? I have been trying to tell this guy the same thing all day and he has been explaining to me how I should manage a game. You tell him the same thing, using a quote from me no less (not saying that you needed the quote after 100 years :D), and he immediately agrees.

Hmm, maybe the last part of his post is sarcasm. I hope it is at least.

Priceless!

I have no idea whether it's sarcasm or not, Tom. I quoted you because I pretty-much agreed with everything that you said re: technical fouls, and I was basically just re-inforcing your thoughts.

I have to disagree with this. I have always been told that you always address the head coach. The head coach is responsible for his bench so I make it a practice to address any bench issues with the head coach.

I agree with Smitty & others - not something I'd stop the game for. And it's not something I would address directly with the assistant either. By rule the head coach is responsible for conduct of bench personnel & should get the warning. Keep it short & to the point - a simple "Coach, only one coach can stand." or "Coach, you need to get your bench under control." quickly & clearly gets the message across.

And as Smitty said, remember this is an 8th grade game. The odds are overwhelming that they haven't read the rule book or may not even have one. I'd treat it first as a teaching opportunity - if they don't listen you always have the penalty to fall back on.

IMHO a big part of good game management is effective communications - with your partner, table crew, players & coaches. Knowing when and how to warn or penalize is a critical component of this.

Just got back from our annual meeting. The term 'reminder' was used for this sort of situation. It is also something they want us to cover in the pre-game with captains and coaches present. It is not one of the 4 'warnings' in the rule book.