Your worst game ever?

[Brad]

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

She looks at us and asks, "Are either of you guys married?" We look at each other and tell her no, so she says, "Cause I sure hope you f*** better than you ref!!", and turns around and walks away.

This doesn't even make any sense and isn't clever or funny at all. The correct line would have been something like, "If you are, I hope that you go home and f*** your wife as good as you f***ed us!" or something to that effect.

I probably would have laughed at her and asked her if she wanted to go get a drink

My worst experience is easy... Early on in my high school career -- like 3rd or 4th year... Varsity boys tournament. Team is losing by 20-30 and coach decides that it is my fault with like 2-3 minutes left in the game.

I make a call, report it, and go to administer the free throw when I hear something behind me. Look back and the coach's clipboard is all over the floor, papers everywhere... the coach is sitting down not saying a word. I look at my partner like "WTH???"

WHACK!!!

Coach stands up now and yells, "F***K YOU B**TCH!!!"

WHACK! GET OUT!!!

Now coach says nothing and comes out on the court to retrieve his clipboard -- doesn't say another word. I walk over to the table and ask them to have someone escort the coach off the court (no cops / security, of course!) when all of a sudden I head, "I'm going to kick your a$$!!!" and turn to see the assistant coach holding back the head coach who is now coming after me.

My partner comes over as the coach is yelling, "I'm going to wait in the parking lot and kick your a$$!!!" among other profanities.

My partner looks at the table and says, "Game over!" and we run off the court.

Ten minutes later in the locker room, still in a bit of a state of shock, the coach comes in an apologizes -- meek as can be.

To this day I still don't know what I did to pi$$ him off that much!

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Brad

This doesn't even make any sense and isn't clever or funny at all. The correct line would have been something like, "If you are, I hope that you go home and f*** your wife as good as you f***ed us!" or something to that effect.

I probably would have laughed at her and asked her if she wanted to go get a drink

I agree; I wish I could say I couldn't remember what was said, but it is something I've never forgotten. It was apparently just her attempt at sarcastic humor.

Neither my partner or I saw anything funny about the whole night, and it was a good wake-up call about what game management is really about.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Brad

To this day I still don't know what I did to pi$$ him off that much!

At this point, do you really care?

I have had this situation occur several times and couple of those times I didn't have the luxuary of a locked locker room like at a HS game. This is a big part of officiating, that is knowing how to handle yourself in situations like this, because they are bound to occur. The better you get at handling this and defusing it, if possible, the better official you will become. Your confidence will go thru the roof.

Game management, and this is not something you can learn from reading a rulebook. You can only get this from experienced. Expereinced will teach you to be on the lookout for these type of situations, to know that this is brewing underneath, to know the temperament of your game is a must, a key, because then you can react to it appropriately when it explodes. IOW's, you already know it's going to explode before it explodes.

Examining your situation, i had a similiar situation I would like to share. I had a coach throw a chair onto the floor after i made a call. I reported, turned to tell partner we're shooting one. A player on the court says hey, look at that, I turn around, there's a chair on the floor! Since, I didn't see who threw the chair or how it got there, I could not honestly give the coach a T. I asked my partner did he see it, he said no. So I just told them to pick the chair up, we shoot the FT and keep playing. Since, I did not have definite knowledge, I choose to do nothing. Was this the right thing to do? Blow-out game, feelings a bit strained, losing team not taking it very well, I call that T, I gotta toss somebody and all the other hoop-la that goes with it. This games over, no need in me delaying it by giving out a T. You can sit there and take your medicine just like i got to complete calling the rest of this blow-out game. Now, different story if I actually saw him do it. Game management or game screw-up? You tell me.

What's more important to you? Making the tough call when it needs to be made or managing the game to a normal completion? Two school of thoughts, only one correct answer, your answer. What would you do?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Old School

Game management or game screw-up? You tell me.

It's a game screw-up made by a person who doesn't have the necessary requirements to be an official. Ignoring a chair thrown on the court is absolutely ridiculous imo. It simply shows a complete lack of gonads. And I don't believe for a minute that ANY crew of officials would NOT know how the chair got on the floor. That's called selective blindness to avoid having to take care of bidness. It sureasaheck ain't game management.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

It's a game screw-up made by a person who doesn't have the necessary requirements to be an official. Ignoring a chair thrown on the court is absolutely ridiculous imo. It simply shows a complete lack of gonads. And I don't believe for a minute that ANY crew of officials would NOT know how the chair got on the floor. That's called selective blindness to avoid having to take care of bidness. It sureasaheck ain't game management.

JR, I did not ignore the chair and it was not selective blindness. It might have been more selective enforcement in which I reason since I didn't see it, how can i call it. Who am I going to enforce the TF too? The bench? I suppose I could have done this but i didn't. It never ceases to amaze me how someone who was not there wants to tell you how to do your job. Maybe the job wasn't done perfectly by officiating standards but I did bring the game to a normal conclusion without having to eject anybody. That has it's merits too!

By not handling it, I handle it by making the coach sit there and take his beating. He also looked like a fool (immature) throwing the chair on the court and not being ejected. I maybe wrong here but i am trying to force myself to not call things I don't see. Don't guess, don't anticipate, just call what you see.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Old School

1) It never ceases to amaze me how someone who was not there wants to tell you how to do your job. Maybe the job wasn't done perfectly by officiating standards but I did bring the game to a normal conclusion without having to eject anybody. That has it's merits too!

2) By not handling it, I handle it by making the coach sit there and take his beating. He also looked like a fool (immature) throwing the chair on the court and not being ejected.

1) Wrong. I'm simply telling officials to completely ignore what you wrote. There was, and is, absolutely no merit to what you suggest. If you have to worry about ejecting somebody, then stick to rec leagues. Officiating at other levels is not for you, or for anyone else that would even dream about following your advice.

2) Wrong. By not handling it, you're telling the coach that he has carte blanche to do whatever the hell he feel likes. You're also telling the players and fans that you don't have the cojones to take care of bidness. You're the one who looked like a fool, not the coach.

[Dan_ref]

I'm glad OS is back.

JR is gonna be too distracted to make any hair jokes.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

JR is gonna be too distracted to make any hair jokes.

Here's one you should like......


Enjoy quickly. Might not last long.

[Lcubed48]

A comment on JR's note #2: I agree completely with him.
Three years ago during my first season, I passed on giving the coach a TF. I saw his action. He deserved one. I talked myself in to letting him slide because I didn't want to penalize his team with the outcome on the line. Boy, was I wrong on that one! I allowed his bad behavior to go unpunished. I haven't let that happen again. I had him once each the past seasons with no other outbreaks, but his action has been and will be included in my pregame. I just consider it another learning experience in officiating career.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Lcubed48

A comment on JR's note #2:
Three years ago during my first season, I passed on giving the coach a TF. I saw his action. He deserved one. I talked myself in to letting him slide because I didn't want to penalize his team with the outcome on the line. Boy, was I wrong on that one! I allowed his bad behavior to go unpunished. I haven't let that happen again. I had him once each the past seasons with no other outbreaks, but his action has been and will be included in my pregame.

Some(not all) coaches are like two year olds. They'll push you to see what they can get away with. And if they can get away with something, they ain't gonna stop. And, like some parents, there's a million excuses to be made also for allowing the two year old to get away with his nonsense without any discipline.

We aren't allowed to spank coaches anymore, but we can still make them go sit in a corner when they're bad.

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

You're the one who looked like a fool, not the coach.

I might have to disagree slightly - I think both looked bad.

[Old School]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

1) Wrong. I'm simply telling officials to completely ignore what you wrote.

I already stated that in my follow-on message after every post.

There was, and is, absolutely no merit to what you suggest. If you have to worry about ejecting somebody, then stick to rec leagues. Officiating at other levels is not for you, or for anyone else that would even dream about following your advice.

I disagree. Remember, I did not see him throw the chair. Okay, a chair from the bench is out there on the floor. Is it not out the realm of possibly that a fan from the stands came down and threw the chair. Remember, just because I didn't see it doesn't mean the camera didn't see it, and it doesn't mean that the coach can't get fined afterwards. It just means he didn't get penalized for it in the game.

My decision to not add insult to injury does have merit, whether you accept it or not. Again, different story if i see him do it.

2) Wrong. By not handling it, you're telling the coach that he has carte blanche to do whatever the hell he feel likes. You're also telling the players and fans that you don't have the cojones to take care of bidness. You're the one who looked like a fool, not the coach.

I don't know how you come to the conclusion that if someone else does something stupid, it makes the referee look stupid. I did not throw a chair like I'm a immature child. That's like saying Atlanta is stupid for hiring Michael Vick to QB their team, when the person who is stupid is Vick, period.

I will engage you to the extent that I let the coach get away with one. And that's exactly it, that's your one. It's like letting your opponent have the first punch. I will be waiting the next time and i will still write his a$$ up for a chair being throw from his bench. In the NBA or NCAA or even NFHS, technical or not, he will still get a heafty fine for that act. So you see JR (aka master silly monkey) he's not getting away with anything.

I know it's difficult but try not to jump to conclusions....

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Old School

At this point, do you really care?

LOL ... no!

Since, I didn't see who threw the chair or how it got there, I could not honestly give the coach a T. I asked my partner did he see it, he said no. So I just told them to pick the chair up, we shoot the FT and keep playing. Since, I did not have definite knowledge, I choose to do nothing. Was this the right thing to do?

Not sure... only you can decide that, I guess, based on the situation.

For me, I didn't see the coach throw the clipboard, but it was pretty apparent to me that he was the one that did it. His response after the technical pretty much confirmed it!

What's more important to you? Making the tough call when it needs to be made or managing the game to a normal completion? Two school of thoughts, only one correct answer, your answer. What would you do?

All things being equal and even though I have calmed down from my quick-trigger days... I would probably have to WHACK! a coach for throwing a chair! If for nothing else, lack of originality!

[Adam]

Originally Posted by Old School

What's more important to you? Making the tough call when it needs to be made or managing the game to a normal completion? Two school of thoughts, only one correct answer, your answer. What would you do?

This, folks, is what's known as a false dichotomy. In actuality, these "two school of thoughts" (sic) are inextricably linked.

For those of you in Rio Linda, that means they can't be separated.

[rainmaker]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

This, folks, is what's known as a false dichotomy. In actuality, these "two school of thoughts" (sic) are inextricably linked.

In all fairness, Snaqs, our entire culture is based on false dichotomies. Everything in America is either/or. There's no gray area at all. How could you expect anything else from our dear friend?