Quote:
Originally Posted by Stat-Man
Rain-Maker: Thanks, you do have a point.
At this particular school, they use students as the home book (for the most part). That's why I referred to the official scorer as a student. I was trying to convey that someone other than me was doing the home book. Perhaps I could have been clearer in this regard.
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Back to the original discussion, I won't disagree that the official game crew of the official scorer, timer, and even the shot clock operator, should give their undivided attention to the game (meaning no yapping on cell phones). Anyone else (visiting scorer, sports info. directors (SIDs), statisticians, media at an adjacent "press row") is not in an official role and as long as they aren't editorializing official's calls or creating an unignorable distraction, I don't think it's a big deal. At one of the schools in this particular league, the sports info guy comes and does computer stats for his team and he also serves as the league info director. So, he talks calls all night form the other schools with their scores while he's inputting the game stats (without missing a beat). I don't remember being distracted by his phone ringing, but perhaps he has his on vibrate. :D
I just think that an official telling him he has to leave the table for taking phone calls, when they are brief and don't seem to distract anyone is making more of a scene than the SID doing his job. But I guess in dblref's judgement, anyone using a cell phone or having a ringing one is subject to being asked to leave.
I guess we agree to disagree here.
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I think that what dbl was saying was that for a scorer to have his or her own cell phone ringing would be a distraction. I don't think I'd ask someone to leave just for forgetting to turn the thing off, but I'd definitely make them turn it off. I think, especially for a student but even for a lot of adults, it would be hard to ignore.
I'll tell my own cell phone during a game story. About three years ago, I went into a classics tournament and before my own games I was watching another guy working. He talked on the cell phone for about half of the game as he was running up and down, when he was at the table. He did hold the thing away from his head when he reported, but he never put it clear down. It wasn't the same person the whole time, sometimes he was dialing or checking his phone book.
Then, a year ago, a friend of mine asked if I'd help him with a tournament he was assigning refs for. I always work for him every year, but that year he had a new job and he couldn't camp at the gym as he normally did, just to keep an eye on things and help out when he was needed. I owed him a huge number of favors so I gladly volunteerd to do it. I knew all the folks that were working and knew there would be no problems. HA!
First morning, I get there about 5 minutes before game time, no refs. Hmmm... Well, I was a little worried, because I'd left my then 8 (7?) year old at home alone and sick on the couch. The gym was only 5 minutes from home, and I figured I'd just check in and then go right back. I called home to be sure Mason was okay, and then looked around a little. Still no refs. I called my friend, the assignor. He said there was no one to call, and I'd have to fill in. I put on my shirt, got my whistle in place and started praying.
Meantime, I had to figure a way out of there. Can you see where this is headed? I spent the entire first half of the game on my cell phone, and then when the battery got too low, on another lady's phone. (yea, I know, not a good phone with only 15 minutes on the battery!). I had to laugh at myself later, to be doing the very thing I was so critical of in someone else.
Anyway, one guy who was assigned to that first game showed up late, but the other guy never did show. This one who did show was so bad that my friend begged me to stay for the first two games. I had to call and call to find a girlfriend to go sit with my son until I was finished. That was quite a day.
