Strangest comment?

[Mark Padgett]

I was talking with a buddy who also refs the other day about some of the funniest comments we've ever heard by coaches, when he asked me what was the strangest comment I ever heard from a coach. I had never been asked this specific question before, so I had to think about it (which immediately put me at a disadvantage).

I guess it was this one: after some pushing and shoving for a rebound under the basket after a missed shot, a coach yelled, "You gotta call that. That's a..a..a..whatchamacallit!"

Or maybe it was when I had a coach ask me to make sure I did not grant him a "time" when he was going to yell out loudly for play number "nine". He said it happens to him quite often.

Perhaps the winner is when a female coach requested before the game that my partner and I refrain from using the term "period" in front of her 8th grade girls team because "some of them might giggle." It's twue, it's twue!

OK - your turn to contribute.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

OK - your turn to contribute.

Sorry, I took my meds this morning. Maybe I"ll think of something tomorrow before I get ready to leave the house.

[Mark Dexter]

Neither were coaches, but from IM players (who think they're all coaches). I think the two are tied.

When I was an undergrad, I was reffing a flag football game between chem grad students (my major) and fellow IM refs. It was a bit of a heated game, and one of the players on the offensive line came up to me and said that the defense was taunting them. I said I'd listen for it, when they told me that the defense was whispering their taunts as they ran by the O-line. I just rolled my eyes, saying that there was no way I could hear it.

Other was last year at Georgetown reffing IM basketball. I was getting ready to administer the AP throw-in to start the second half when a player came up to me and said that X on the other team was elbowing him in the balls. I just told him that if I saw it, I'd call it.

[Adam]

Had a coach last year (My first in a new city) call me over during a TO (JV girls, big school) to discuss how he thought we were calling chip fouls and his girls were going to foul out too quickly. Not a single question, so I just looked at him while he talked. He finished letting me know he thought I was giving him a dirty look and telling me not to take it out on his girls. Still not a question, but apparently, you can misquote silence.
BTW, I learned from that. Next time, especially with this guy, I'm going to stop him after about 10 seconds or so and see if he has a question. If not, I'm going back to my TO spot.

The funny thing was, the bulk of those fouls were being called by my partner, a 40 year vet in this area. He made my ears bleed because I was new and he wanted to test me.

[Mark Dexter]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

BTW, I learned from that. Next time, especially with this guy, I'm going to stop him after about 10 seconds or so and see if he has a question. If not, I'm going back to my TO spot.

You can always pull the "if we're going to have a discussion, I'm inviting the other coach over" card. Shuts 'em up pretty quickly.

[26 Year Gap]

Had a delay in a game because someone flipped a light switch and it caused a bank of lights to go out and it took several minutes to get to full brightness. The visiting coach remarked that he wished all of of them had gone out the way they were shooting.

[just another ref]

October 2006: 8th grade boys basketball School A has beaten School B every time they have played. I have called 2 or 3 of the games. I live one mile from School A, and my son graduated from high school there this year.
School B is a jr. high ten miles down the road. I have known B's coach for about 30 years. We played against each other in high school. I know most people at both schools now, and have called games at both schools for the past 20 some years. The game in question had a call that apparently was the straw that broke the camel's back. Just before the half, free throw shooter stepped on the line with the ball in his hands. He realized it before the shot and pulled his foot back. I saw it and ignored it. Coach B also saw it and realized that I saw it. He called me on it at the half. "You gotta make that call." "Find something else to worry about, Coach." His team lost by about ten. After the game, he came to me: "You don't need to call any more when we play this team." "Fine, Coach, whatever you think is best. Deal with some of these other guys that call jr. high around here and I might not look so bad." (Sure enough, this ban was later rescinded.)

Here's the good part. Ten years or so ago, Coach B was the jr. high coach at School A. One night after his team lost a close one at home, he made a brief statement to me after the game: "Nobody will ever call y'all homer."(dragged my partner in that time)

[NURef]

It was half-time during a girls varsity summer league game and the volunteer at the table requested my attention to ask if I could please refrain from using the word "Sub/s" when the girls were coming into the game...she said it's has a negative connotation for the players not currently in the game.

I asked what should I use and she said "ladies" or "lady" or "girls" or "girl"...etc. I smiled, walked away and during the next substitution I looked over at her (giving the correct sign) and yelled "SUBS!".

After the game I said "look, you need 5 players to start a game and 5 players to end a game...don't spend too much time worrying about something like this...".

I realize that I don't need to say anything during a substitution but half the time the sub/s are preoccupied with their coach or teammates and don't watch me..."Sub/s" seems to work well for me.

[Adam]

Really? Did you ask her if she wanted to turn off he score as well, so the losers wouldn't feel bad about themselves?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

Really? Did you ask her if she wanted to turn off he score as well, so the losers wouldn't feel bad about themselves?

And, as someone else who shall remain nameless, once said - you shouldn't call any fouls on a player whose grandmother flew 500 miles to come to the game.

[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by NURef

the volunteer at the table requested my attention to ask if I could please refrain from using the word "Sub/s" when the girls were coming into the game...she said it's has a negative connotation for the players not currently in the game.

I did a JV game once, where the home team didn't have their white jerseys for some reason. They wore dark, navy blue jerseys and the visitors wore a lighter blue. We informed the captains that would call the light blue "blue" and the dark blue "black".

After the captains went back to the benches, the home coach told me his players felt we were being racist by calling them "black", since most of the players on the team were black.

Looking back on it, I think I could have asked him for alternatives, but it was such a dumb complaint, we just blew it off and went with blue and black.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

I did a JV game once, where the home team didn't have their white jerseys for some reason. They wore dark, navy blue jerseys and the visitors wore a lighter blue. We informed the captains that would call the light blue "blue" and the dark blue "black".

After the captains went back to the benches, the home coach told me his players felt we were being racist by calling them "black", since most of the players on the team were black.

Looking back on it, I think I could have asked him for alternatives, but it was such a dumb complaint, we just blew it off and went with blue and black.

About a hundred years ago, I played in an independent tournament and both teams had the same color gold jerseys. Our team was all white. Their team was all black. The officials called it black and white. Nobody had a problem with that.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by just another ref

About a hundred years ago, I played in an independent tournament and both teams had the same color gold jerseys. Our team was all white. Their team was all black. The officials called it black and white. Nobody had a problem with that.

If the refs had been really cool about it, they should have called the "white" team black and the "black" team white. I think, if the players had a good sense of humor, they would have laughed about it on every call. I'm assuming, of course, that there was nothing mean spirited about the refs decision.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

If the refs had been really cool about it, they should have called the "white" team black and the "black" team white. I think, if the players had a good sense of humor, they would have laughed about it on every call. I'm assuming, of course, that there was nothing mean spirited about the refs decision.

It was simply a matter of necessity. I mean, what else are you gonna do?
Ah, independent tourneys..... Years ago, I got a phone call to come help in one. It had already started, and one official had not shown up. (imagine that) When I arrived, there was a women's game in progress. All 10 players had on white t shirts, don't think any had numbers. Very interesting.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Scrapper1

I did a JV game once, where the home team didn't have their white jerseys for some reason. They wore dark, navy blue jerseys and the visitors wore a lighter blue. We informed the captains that would call the light blue "blue" and the dark blue "black".

After the captains went back to the benches, the home coach told me his players felt we were being racist by calling them "black", since most of the players on the team were black.

Looking back on it, I think I could have asked him for alternatives, but it was such a dumb complaint, we just blew it off and went with blue and black.

"Coach, would they prefer, 'African-American'?" Nah, that's just vicious!