Officials as players

[Nevadaref]

I would be willing to listen to them and if something could be fixed due to something that they pointed out, I would try to do so.
However, most calls that are "blatantly kicked" aren't fixable situations, they are just bad calls that have to be accepted as part of the game.

I would advise them to only inquire about a rule interpretation or rule enforcement situation. I would tell them to roll their eyes and not say a word about any judgment call.

[SMEngmann]

Your sons should concentrate on being players when they are playing. As a player, you can't control the decisions that officials make, regardless of how long you've been reffing or how knowledgable you are. It's hard enough to focus on playing the game let alone to referee while playing. Trying to gain some sort of an edge on the referees at that level will detract from the level of focus needed on playing.

Lastly, if your sons are officiating, they should know that they have different angles on plays than the referees and know that we will miss some plays. The best thing they could do as captains is to keep their teammates under control and focused on the game rather than the officiating. Anytime a player or a team becomes fixated or distracted by the officiating, or other factors beyond their control, it usually leads to negative results for them.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by SMEngmann

Your sons should concentrate on being players when they are playing. As a player, you can't control the decisions that officials make, regardless of how long you've been reffing or how knowledgable you are. It's hard enough to focus on playing the game let alone to referee while playing. Trying to gain some sort of an edge on the referees at that level will detract from the level of focus needed on playing.

Lastly, if your sons are officiating, they should know that they have different angles on plays than the referees and know that we will miss some plays. The best thing they could do as captains is to keep their teammates under control and focused on the game rather than the officiating. Anytime a player or a team becomes fixated or distracted by the officiating, or other factors beyond their control, it usually leads to negative results for them.

Excellent advice imo.

[justacoach]

Originally Posted by SMEngmann

Your sons should concentrate on being players when they are playing. As a player, you can't control the decisions that officials make, regardless of how long you've been reffing or how knowledgable you are. It's hard enough to focus on playing the game let alone to referee while playing. Trying to gain some sort of an edge on the referees at that level will detract from the level of focus needed on playing.

Lastly, if your sons are officiating, they should know that they have different angles on plays than the referees and know that we will miss some plays. The best thing they could do as captains is to keep their teammates under control and focused on the game rather than the officiating. Anytime a player or a team becomes fixated or distracted by the officiating, or other factors beyond their control, it usually leads to negative results for them.

I am in complete agreement that there is no justification to be second guessing judgement calls, and all such efforts are counter productive. On the other hand, if a blatantly erroneous rules application can be avoided, their instincts are to provide the officials the concise rules citation for the situation. I think most officials with an ounce of integrity would value the right info regardless of its source.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by Nevadaref

I would advise them to only inquire about a rule interpretation or rule enforcement situation. I would tell them to roll their eyes and not say a word about any judgment call.

And if they rolled their eyes at me, they sureashell wouldn't be getting any answers from me later on re: rules interpretations/enforcement either. And if they asked why they weren't gonna get an answer, they'd hear "Why do you want an answer? So that you can roll your eyes again and show everybody in the gym what a doofus I am?"

Great advice, Nevada. Advise players to openly show their disgust at an official's call. Heckuva idea.

[JugglingReferee]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

And if they rolled their eyes at me, they sureashell wouldn't be getting any answers from me later on re: rules interpretations/enforcement either. And if they asked why they weren't gonna get an answer, they'd hear "Why do you want an answer? So that you can roll your eyes again and show everybody in the gym what a doofus I am?"

Great advice, Nevada. Advise players to openly show their disgust at an official's call. Heckuva idea.

Human emotion is heavily involved in contests and if the method used to avoid speaking to officials about judgments that are very different from the norm, then I say go for it. The captain in this case is then doing the proper thing: avoiding a discussion about judgment while still venting his emotion.

If an official can't handle a V player rolling his eyes, maybe he should be officiate tidleywinks.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

Human emotion is heavily involved in contests and if the method used to avoid speaking to officials about judgments that are very different from the norm, then I say go for it. The captain in this case is then doing the proper thing: avoiding a discussion about judgment while still venting his emotion.

If an official can't handle a V player rolling his eyes, maybe he should be officiate tidleywinks.

Oh? Do you let 'em jump up and down as long as they don't say anything? Throw their arms up in the air? Smack walls? Kick chairs? Is that all OK as long as they're not saying anything but just "venting their emotions"?

Hey, if you want to let the l'il sh!ts make you look like a schvantz, be my guest. I'm not, and I never have been, into letting ballplayers make me look like an idiot.

Note that I didn't say that you should nail them with a "T". I said that you show them the same respect that they showed you. Which is none!

[JugglingReferee]

To answer your specific questions...

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Oh? Do you let 'em jump up and down as long as they don't say anything? Throw their arms up in the air? Smack walls? Kick chairs? Is that all OK as long as they're not saying anything but just "venting their emotions"?

No. No. No. No.

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Hey, if you want to let the l'il sh!ts make you look like a schvantz, be my guest. I'm not, and I never have been, into letting ballplayers make me look like an idiot.

Note that I didn't say that you should nail them with a "T". I said that you show them the same respect that they showed you. Which is none!

There's a far cry between a player rolling their eyes, which is highly likely that few people will see compared to that player who goes to the endline and smacking the wall in a high school gym. If you feel that the rolling of the eyes should be addressed, then a quick conversation with him/her or their coach has always worked for me.

As for people talking to me, I don't care if I've previously T'd them up or used a preventative officiating technique: if they ask in a polite and respectful manner, they get my attention. That's how do I my job: with integrity.

Edit: or, not of.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by JugglingReferee

If you feel that the rolling of the eyes should be addressed, then a quick conversation with him/her or their coach has always worked for me.

Um, yeah, I think that I already said that the eye-rolling should be addressed. And I've said that personally I'd address it too.

But, you're now saying that a quick conversation with the player/coach has already worked for you. That's kinda confusing since you've also already gone on the record as also saying that a player rolling his eyes is doing the proper thing and that anybody that can't handle a player doing that that should be doing tiddleywinks. Soooooo, that's kinda confusing to me. Are you saying that you recommend that others should leave it alone but you'd personally address it(and have already done so)? Or that you should be doing tiddleywinks because you have addressed eye-rolling in the past?

Pick a side, please.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Hey, if you want to let the l'il sh!ts make you look like a schvantz, be my guest.

Wow! A Yiddish reference. I'm impressed!

[26 Year Gap]

A son of an retired official around here got into the habit of asking way too many questions about 'What happened?'. Unless they have striped shirts on, they need to focus on playing.

[mbyron]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Wow! A Yiddish reference. I'm impressed!

Yep. One of the 1,029 Yiddish terms for the male anatomy. Now that's impressive.

[rainmaker]

In response to the OP, I'd say tell the players to not talk to the officials. Officials that can handle it won't be making many obviously kicked calls, and officials who are a little iffy in their calling may not have the kind of attitude that would adjust for being corrected by a player (Speaking as an official that can be somewhat iffy in my calling). They need to focus on talking to their teammates about following the rules and using their rules knowledge as an advantage -- a legal advantage! And on learning to respect appropriate authority, and accepted what comes from the officials.

[Dan_ref]

Originally Posted by mbyron

Yep. One of the 1,029 Yiddish terms for the male anatomy. Now that's impressive.

Especially since they go to such great lengths....errr...they try so hard...i mean they cut no corners...hmmm...let's just say they are stiffly opposed to leaving no schmeckle unscarrred.

[refnrev]

[QUOTE=JRutledge]This is why he needs to stick to quoting rules....
___________________________________

But Rut, give credit where it's due. The guy can seriously quote rules.
I don't know about the rest of you, but I've only had a captain ask about a call once and that was when the ball got stuck onthe dribbler's hip and I had a travel. The one exception was an 8th garde Jr. High player with special education/developmental needs playing in a team with other players who did not. After he would foul he would ask me what he did wrong. I did answer him each time and was glad to do so!