Penalize Insanity 2 !

[OHBBREF]

That is one of the points I am trying to make.
My gooal is to give not more than 3 "T's" this year.
What if the first three coaches you see all call you a flamin a$$ H@LE
are you done for the year?

Trying to call less "T's" is an admirable goal I agree but you have to deal with the situation that is in front of you on ALL CALLS and make the appropriate Call for the situation.

That is what this job is about the other 99% of the calls you make why should it be different for a "T"?????

[rockyroad]

Up until about 10 years ago I would use the number of T's I called as one measure of the "sucess" of my season. If I only called one or two, I thought I had had a good season...ran into a local coach at a three-day training for teachers one summer and spent quite a bit of time talking/visiting with him. At lunch on the last day, he asked me flat-out why I took so much sh!t from coaches, including him...I was shocked, and told him my thinking. He told me that wasn't the way the other coaches saw it, or saw me...Spent quite a bit of time over the next few months rethinking my position...gave quite a few T's over the next two seasons. Haven't had any problems since then...now, if I tell a coach to "Stop", they usually stop - partly because of my communication skills, and partly because they know what will come next. So far the only T this year was a brand new coach...and when she kept going after my partner after being warned and got her T, the assistant - who has been there for a few years - could clearly be heard saying "I told you he would stick you."

It's just another call that needs to be made when warranted...call it and move on.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by rockyroad

- could clearly be heard saying "I told you he would stick you."

I always like hearing that from player to player or whatever. It means I'm being consistent, and that they're adjusting to my game, which is what's supposed to happen!

[Time2Ref]

Each official has a slightly differant personality. Each coach has a differant personality. What works for one official might not work for another official. What works for one official with one coach might not work for the same official with a differant coach. (It's just basic human relations)

That being said, here is what the (Indiana) IHSAA Officials Handbook says concerning unsporting conduct of coaches:

"The basic criterion inherent in athletic competition and written into the contest rules in all sports is guaranteed fair play, that no player or team may gain an unfair advantage over an opponent. Unfortunately there are a few coaches who include the berating and carping of officials in their game strategy. There are also a few coaches who become frustrated during the course of the game and must place the fault somewhere.

Officials who permit coaches to "perform" are allowing potentially unhealthy situations to develop. To wait until "the last straw" to assess a penalty that was "earned" early on in a contest is not good procedure. Ninety-eight percent of the unsportsmanlike reports filed with the IHSAA indicate that when a penalty is assessed with the first infraction, the contest proceeds with no further problems."

If a player travels, call traveling. If a coach deserves a T, give him a T. It says more about the coach than it does about the official.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by rainmaker

I always like hearing that from player to player or whatever. It means I'm being consistent, and that they're adjusting to my game, which is what's supposed to happen!

I used to get this a lot by my 4th year doing intramurals.

"Jeez, we have that dextering Dexter reffing tonight. Keep your dextering mouths shut - he'll T you up."

The smart teams got it.

[mbyron]

My experience is that some officials are eager to T coaches (or toss 'em in baseball), and they think that their manhood is at stake if they don't get the coach at the earliest opportunity (and I've never met a female official who's aggressive in this way).

Other officials seem to think that penalizing coaches is intrinsically bad, or at best a necessary evil. This attitude leads them to aim to minimize their T's, as if that were a good goal.

I guess I understand the idea of using "benchmarks" to measure progress in one area or another - so, for instance, thinking that 3 T's on coaches in a season marked good game management. But I think that erroneously assumes that all coaches are approximately the same.

Some coaches are good and some are bad. I agree with the attitude of going to a game site to do my job. If a coach is going to interfere with my capacity to do my job, then I will apply the appropriate penalty. I want neither to look for nor to avoid the opportunity to penalize a coach.

[Ignats75]

I have always felt that if a situation can be avoided with proper game management prior to it deteriorating, then that is a good thing. Hence, while I am not shy about whacking whomever needs it, I will try to have a civil conversation and use the stop sign prior to pulling the trigger.

A mentor of mine in my first year always said to

1. Lock (Stop SIgn)
2. Load (Whistle in Mouth)
3. Fire (Whack)

before Ting up someone from the darkside (coach).

But never give the little b**T*rds an inch