Partner takes care of jerk fanboy
 

Last night, there was some clown sitting in the second row near the baseline. He looked to be about in his late 30s or early 40s. Three times, he yelled at my partner stating that my partner "didn't know the rules". Of course, my partner had it right every time. One was letting a team run the endline after a made basket and a timeout, another was having a shooter catch his own airball (although the kid's hair was so long it could have been a "hairball") on a valid shot attempt and the third was not having a five second count when the ball handler picked up his dribble on about the three count and held it for about three more seconds before passing.

At the quarter break, my partner goes over to the stands, points at the guy and announces "Folks, we are in the presence of a real rules expert here. This gentleman apparently knows the rules better than the two officials on the floor who have almost 40 years experience between them. Make sure you come over at halftime and get his autograph." He then looked at the guy and said loudly, "Sir, how many years have you officiated and what was your score on this year's rules test - 100%?"

Lots of people started laughing, most of them directly at the guy. Guess what happened? HE GOT UP AND LEFT!!! He didn't come back, either.

I wish I had it on video.

That hysterical. I wish I was there for that. Oregon definitely has all the entertaining officials.

HAHA Classic!

Wow. Good thing the guy didn't have a gun or some other type of weapon. May seem funny, but it's pretty risky imo.

Great story and I wish I had your partner's nerve. I try and tune out the loonies in the stands but sometimes its not possible in a small gym or during the (relative) quiet of a time out.

I actually asked a game administrator to eject a fan this year after he loudly, and repeatedly, questioned our integrity. I waved the administrator over and, I was I was turning to identify the fan, saw that the fan was "self deporting" himself out of the stands.

I asked the administrator to make sure he found an exit and did not return. The administrator was all over it and eager to help out. Crisis averted.

I always have my cousin Tony and his pals check for weapons at the door at all my games. I never seem to have any problems after that.


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Two wrongs don't make a right
 

What the fan was doing was wrong; no question about it. And -- while this conclusion is not quite as clear -- I think your partner was wrong, too. What he did was designed to demean another human being. Is that desire understandable? Yes. Was the response "deserved" in that it was brought on by the fan's behavior? Perhaps.

My first reaction to reading the account was to smile and appreciate your partner's courage (although perhaps not wisdom) in putting the guy in his place. But my more reflective reaction is that your partner's conduct is not to be condoned. Treating others the way we wish to be treated is easy when others treat us nicely. Treating others the way we wish to be treated, even when we are not being treated nicely, is the right thing to do (even if it's not easy).

What rhymes with "sanctimonious" and sounds a little like "preachy?"

It's stories like this that brighten my day! :)

I give up? What does??

Bgtg19 has a very valid point. While most of us chuckle at stories like this one, it ain't the way to handle the situation. All it does is lower us to the same level as the idiot causing problems in the first place.

Yeah, but it still makes me :D

For the amount of abuse that we take, it's refreshing sometimes to hear about an idiot being put in his place when he is clearly wrong and a moron!

Not saying that you should do this, but it still makes me LOL when I read these stories because so many fans are such complete idiots!!!

Oh, I completely agree. It's kind of like watching the show "Cops" or others like it...the main reason we watch is to see some knucklehead get pepper-sprayed or something when they behave like idiots. It's hilarious...but in this case, did it solve anything other than getting the clown to leave? Will that clown change his behavior or be the same at the next game he goes to?

I don't know...and I laugh along with the rest of us when I read these stories. I'm just not sure that it's the best way to deal with it.

I'll stop being "sanctimonious" and "preachy" now...

Word.

Very true - one of my favorite shows! :)

Some would argue that getting him to leave WAS solving something :)

If that official is working the game, I suspect so! :)

Sorry - my personal philosophy and yours seem to be worlds apart. I believe in:

A. What's good for the goose is good for the gander
B. An eye for an eye
C. If you can dish it out, you also have to be able to take it
D. You have to stand up to bullies
E. All of the above

Correct answer: E

Remember - appeasement didn't work for the British before WWII.

Sheez, bgtg, what makes you think that taking the high road is something anyone respects or appreciates? Just say whatever happens to pop into your head, and the hell with anyone's feelings. THat's their own problem, not yours. Especially people who you don't like. If you want to be nice, reffing isn't for you.

That's one of the things I like about Juulie - she's got my back. Now, if I can just get her to return it 'cause it's really getting windy inside my rib cage. :p

I think there's some benefit to someone like this guy actually getting to taste his own medicine.

And my guess is he'll think twice before ridiculing officials in the future.

Thank you. I think that probably was the point. Plus, of course, having some fun.

We're supposed to be above the crap.

Not saying I didn't get a chuckle out of it. Or that I haven't felt like doing that myself. But unless the guy was being relentlessly belligerent, profane, or getting personal, I don't see why being a sarcastic a$$ in return is appropriate.

BTW - it's true that appeasement didn't work, but brinkmanship was almost as disastrous 30 years later.

Preachamonious? :confused:

Mark, I'm sure you'll want to know that the correct expression is: "What's sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander."

Speak for yourself, Sparky. Some misanthrope insults me, they're gonna get it back with both barrels. In fact, in my state I am legally obligated to inform anyone who gets sarcastic with me that I am a professional with a fifth-degree black belt in sarcasm and they proceed at their own risk.

Sheesh - some of their comments tick me off almost as much as when I get my opera cape snagged on some homeless person's junk. :mad:

Okay, good for you.

I guess.

Thank your partner for providing a 'community service'. I'm sure the rest of the crowd was annoyed with him as well, so I bet most of them were clapping on the inside when he left.

Secondly, most fanboys like this don't even have a clue what they're doing, or how much of a spectacle they are being. A situation like this will hopefully spur a little introspection by fanboy.... Nah, probably not :)

Yeah, fanboy will be back again next week.......to continue to help us do our jobs properly. :(

I'm mainly a lurker on this board but feel I have to speak out for the minority on this one. The result was fine, the method was not. If you feel you need to get rid of a fan, use game management. The method used in this case, while humorous, is not the way to deal with the situation. I totally agree with those who said it we as officials need to above this type of behavior.

Mark, off the court, go ahead and blast away with both barrels but while on the court, representing all of us, please show a little constraint, for all of our benefit.

Here's a different approach...watching my son's JV game the other night. Officiating was sketchy, but it's a JV game. There is one of those clowns sitting at the other end doing the same thing as the guy in Mark's OP. During the second quarter, there is a time-out and the guy is reciting his litany of all the things the officials have missed so far. One of the refs calmly walks over, sits down beside the guy and has a quiet conversation with him. The guys laughs, pats the ref on the back, and never says another word the rest of the game.

Now I have no idea what the ref said to him, but they both ended up smiling and the problem was solved. Seems to me that that was a much better way to handle the situation than what was in the OP. But that's just my opinion, and while my opinion is not worth as much as Jurassic's, it's gotta at least be worth as much as that snaqwells guy!!:)

Remember, guys, this was done in a kids' wreck league game (I'm assuming, anyway); not high school varsity.

Don't sell yourself short, dude.

It was the method that obtained that result.

This was a rec game for an "independent" group. There is no game management. Coaches aren't responsible even for the behavior of their player's parents. We're on our own in dealing with problems.

Maybe he said, "Is that a possession indicator in your pocket or are you just glad to see me?" :D

How else could he sell himself?:confused:

Don't know. I've never been to Hackensack.

Luckily, neither have I. But I hear it's a happening place!:eek:

Agree.

100% wrong.

And level of ball has nothing to do with it.
What if he's "waiting" for you outside?
What are you showing the kids? Making fun off someone is the answer to how to handle those situations?

Let's see, the official used the jerk's own methods against him, and the jerk went away. No confrontation. No need to get some "authority" involved. No violence. A bully was stood up to and the problem was solved. Hmmmm, wouldn't want that lesson on display for impressionable kids. :rolleyes:

Based upon this statement, since the fan was a jerk due to his methods and the official used those methods against him, then the official must also be a jerk. Also, there was a confrontation, it just (luckily) didn't escalate to violence.

I agree that a bully needs to be stood up against, but it needs to be done with a measure of decorum. Regardless of poorly some schmuck acts, the official should not stoop to the schmuck's level. Even if this is in a rec league, there should still be a gym administrator or someone in charge of the facility to take care of the problem.

Sigh...and when that impressionable kid decides to ridicule some other kid at school because that's what he saw the ref do at his game last night, you're OK with that?? I'll give you two of your :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Let's see, if the Official ignored the jerks methods, still no confrontation, no need for "authority", no violence, and only one adult looks like a jerk.

Which is the better impression, again?

Let's see, Official ignores the jerks methods, jerk continues, maybe spurs other probing jerks in the stands, players start complaining or showing attitude on the court.

Sorry, did that once, shame on jerkboy, if I did that again, shame on me......

Again, other fans in the stands, who probably aren't going to say anything to said jerk, are having there watching experience soured. Take care of it. If you have game admin. come in and take him out, he's still going to be embarrassed/ticked off. Which ever works........

Apples and oranges. Official in OP never STARTED anything, he just finished it.

If my kid takes crap from some punk at school and he can retaliate with a swift verbal comment (non-vulgar) to shut him up, more power to him. I sincerely doubt that would end him up in the principal's office. I'll give you two eye winks ;);)

Did not!

Did too!

Waaahhhhh!

I'm holding my breath!

(I didn't think this all out well.)

I'm guessing there's one in every gym. Gonna jump on a soapbox every game?

There ya go, something by rule you can address.

There ya go, something by rule you can address.

But you know, of course, that that is seldom the way it works. It's usually more like this: Punk throws crap at kid; kid responds with swift, verbal comment; punk beats sh!t out of kid. :cool: :cool:

Anyway, let's get back to really interesting things - like when does a held ball actually "occur" on a shot attempt? When the ball is touched by the defender, or when the shooter lands with the ball?? :p

You went to school with Jurassic's grand kids, didn't you? You've got issues.

ROFLMAO! Nope, just teach at a school with a bunch of farmer kids and logger kids...usually good for a fight or two per month.

First of all, nobody to this point of the thread has even mentioned that OP was a soapbox situation. You, however, may want to take a step down about now. :D

Second, nope, not every game. HS games never. Game with a handful of people there, probably. The exact method of dealing with fanboy would depend on fanboy himself. ;)

Like Rocky said, let's get back to the fun stuff! :)

Everyone gets a free shot at the officials. What are the coaches showing the kids when they continuously harp about the officiating? As far as waiting outside, so be it. I'm in Mark P's camp on this one.

I must admit -- yesterday we had the greatest official in the stands of my last regular season game of the season. He was in about the 8th row and made all the tough calls AGAINST the home team. He was really good. His critique of my partner and myself was amazing and accurate and I almost gave him my whistle at half time becuase he was just THAT GOOD.

Here's to you -- super ref in the sixth (maybe eight) row of my last girls varsity game. Tonight I shall celebrate your greatness http://smiley.onegreatguy.net/cheers.gif

Nope.

Guys - this argument can go on forever. Frankly, my philosophy has served me and my kids well throughout our lives. Simply put, it's based on standing up to bullies and not taking any crap from them. I taught my son that if someone hits you, hit them back. He only got into one fight when he was a kid and that's exactly how it happened. He stood up for himself and the other kid stopped. As soon as he did, my son stopped too. I told him he did exactly the right thing and neither one of us has ever regretted it. He told me the other kids knew they would get hit back if they hit him first which, I would bet, partially accounted for a pretty smooth childhood for him.

Growing up where I did (the South Side of Chicago), if I had let bullies push me around I probably never would have made it out of my neighborhood alive. OK, that's an exaggeration, but I certainly would have spent a lot of time in the hospital.

I don't really care what the situation is. Someone tries to insult me or push me around, they're gonna get it right back. You don't like it? I don't care.

As to the "what if the guy was waiting outside for you" comments - fine. Let him. I can take care of myself. The odds against that particular guy having a gun are pretty slim. I'll take that chance.

Sorry to sound so serious, but it struck a nerve.

I agree -- sometime idiots need their place.

and so will everyone else in the stands who was thinking about joining in with him.

Resistence to constructive criticism is one of the mainstays of veteran officials. Get used to it, fellas.

I don't care that you don't care.

So there.

South Side??? "Over by Der"

So, what Parish were you in?

Youse guys............

That's just precious. A coach lecturing us about the virtues of just ignoring the jerks. You'll have to excuse me if I seem a little jaded on this subject. But when it comes to youth, rec league basketball, my experience is that most of the jerks are found standing in the coaches box. Ranting. Raving. Waving their arms and stomping. And if you ignore that jerk, the crowd starts feeding off his bad behavior, and so do the players.

But hey, I'll sleep better now knowing that as long as I don't act like a jerk, everybody will respect me for just ignoring him.

Get a life.

I worked a varsity game tonight and the visiting team was getting thumped after hanging in for the first half.

Visiting team called their fourth timeout, and I walked over to the huddle to let the coach know he only had one left.

When I got there I got this: "How could he call a travel on that play? And what about three seconds at the other end? And they double dribbled on the last possession? And my girls are getting hammered?"

All before I could get a word out. Finally, I said, " You have one full time out left and we aren't going to be looking backwards so you may as well leave the past in the past and look forward." And I walked away. Once he realized I wasn't going to engage on this, he stopped. Ignoring him? Yeah, that would've worked well.

Stay Away From The Huddle
 

This is why the rules, and I believe proper mchanics, only require us to inform the coach when he has used up all of his time outs.

I ain't "cat-lick" (not a put down, just trying to illustrate how it was actually pronounced in my area) but the parish was St. Agnes in Chicago Heights. Before that, I lived near 100th and south Jeffery in the city and before that at 72nd near Jeffery. My grandparents lived at 52nd and Blackstone.

"Really coach? Then you shouldn't allow alcohol in the huddle. Especially not to minors." :rolleyes:

Neener, neener, neener.

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Ah, nonsense. I don't "avoid" anything. We always extend the same courtesies -- telling an assistant when there's one timeout left, letting them know where a ball will be inbounded, etc. to ALL teams.

Guy wants to act like a jerk, that's his choice. Then the ball's in my court. I may ignore the guy, I may tell him to stop whining. It depends on the situation.

I won't whack him in his own huddle, though. I know how that would look.

Ooh. Someone with no sense of humor (humour under FEEBLE rules) will be along soon to tsk-tsk you.

Missing the point there.

The OP has the official, AT THE BREAK, standing on his soapbox, with an audience, berating a fan. That is (IMO) wrong.

When you see me "Ranting. Raving. Waving their arms and stomping...." then you may tell me to get a life.

I agree.. we are not there to be the parents of the fans.. although sometimes they need it... although deserved it wasn't nessesary, and the only purpose it served was to boost the ego of the official.

Funny YES...

but I understand too that it probably wasn't the right thing to do in retrospect.

Seems to me it served its intended purpose: To shut the jerk up.

Just sayin'

We weren't in retrospect. We were in Oregon. "Things look different here." (at one time, that was proposed to be our state motto) Things really are different here. We actually have an "official state rock song". It's Louie, Louie (which was written in Oregon). And no, I am not making this up.

The Constitution State
 

Connecticut State Symbols:

Song "Yankee Doodle"
State Motto - "Qui transtulit sustinet" - He who transplanted still sustains
Animal Sperm Whale During the 1800's Connecticut ranked second only to Massachusetts in the American whaling industry
Bird American Robin
Fish American Shad
Cantata "Nutmeg" by Stanley L. Ralph
Composer Charles Edward Ives He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1947 for his Third Symphony
Flower Mountain Laurel
Folk Dance Square Dance
Fossil Eubrontes Giganteus three toed fossil footprint of Dilophosarus
Hero Nathan Hale "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country."
Heroine Prudence Crandall Established the first academy for African-American women in New England.
Insect Praying Mantis
Mineral Garnet (Almandine garnet) Connecticut is one of the finest sources in the world of the almandine garnet
Shellfish Eastern Oyster During the 1890's, Connecticut held the distinction of having the largest fleet of oyster steamers in the world
Ship USS Nautilus Built by Connecticut craftsmen and women, USS Nautilus was the world's first nuclear powered submarine
Tree White Oak Captain Joseph Wadsworth is credited with having removed and secreted the Charter in the majestic white oak

Still got all of ya' beat: Oregon's Official State Kneebreaker - Tonya Harding. http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra...s/blueevil.gif