Coach's respect for officials.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

On Feb. 25th, a person using the nom de plume of COACHJF made the following posting:

"As always when a make a post, I get the same response from this fine board. I receive the how dare you response. We are officials, we deserve respect. No I'm sorry just because you put on an officials uniform does not mean I should show you respect. You need to earn respect like everyone else in the world. There are some people that gain instant respect..... policemen, firemen, teachers, doctors, nurses, and military personal etc. No way are you as a basketball official in that category. If you think you are, you have bigger problems then being a legend in your own mind."

The sameday I made the following reply:

"I am a human being, that means I have your respect instantly, just you have my respect instantly because you are a human being. Your attitude about earning respect is the reason we have trouble with students having no respect for their teachers or anybody else.

I am fifty years old and a college graduate (double major in civil and mechanical engineering). I have been a boys'/girls' high school basketball official for 31 yrs, a women's college official for 28 yrs, an USA Basketball Referee for ten years. I am a rules interpreter and a OhioHSAA Certified Basketball Officiating Instructor. I sit on three national committees for IAABO, including Visualization and Education.

I probably spend more time in one year attending basketball officiating seminars, teaching officiating in my class, being a staffer in officiating camps, and conducting rules/mechanics meetings for my local officials association, not including the preperation for the classes and meetings that I conduct, than you all of the preperation that you do for your team in five years.

Adding to that, I attend one camp myself every year as a camper, and officiate between 350 and 400 games a year, from CYO, jr. H.S., H.S., men's and women's college, and AAU and YBOA regionals and national tournaments.

Not all officials put in the amount of time that I do but there a lot of officials that put in far more time each year to being a good official than you do to be a good coach. There are many officials that give of themselves to make the basketball officiating profession a good and honorable avocation. When I walk out on the basketball court I expect your respect immediately and you get my respect immediately.

If you were my son's high school coach, I would do everything possible to have you removed as coach because you are teaching the wrong things to your players about officials and people in general.

Am I ranting, you bet I am. You do not know how much it disgusts me to have you tell me that you have now respect for officials. You do not deserve to be allowed to coach young people. I just hope that you are not a teacher, because if you are I wonder how you feel when students disrespect you and will not do anything you tell them because you have to earn your their respect.

It is time to get to bed, I have a Ohio Special Olympics Men's Sectional Tournament DH to officiate tomorrow night and I need my beauty sleep. And that is another thing, I suggest that you try coaching Special Olympics sometimes, I think that you need to eat some humble pie."

On Feb. 26th, COACHJF made the following posting as a follow-up to the many responses his posting of Feb. 25th.:

"From reading all of these posts on this board, one would believe that you are very professional upstanding people that never ever make mistakes or effect the outcome of the game. Why I know this is not true, I'm sure there are some of you who that is a true statement for. However, from the responses I have gotten on this board, it is obvious if someone had to describe an official in one word it would not be professional. Please quote for me anytime I have used inappropriate language on this board, or called someone a "moron". As an educator I take the word "moron" to be demeaning to those people that have a mental disability. I take even greater offense to that comment being a special education teacher. You may think I have no clue about basketball, that your better then me, that I lose all the time, which is fine I know the truth. What you are showing from your use of language is how unprofessional you are, and the reason why you do not get the respect you feel your entitled to, because you run up and down a court for two hours.

Ps: I'm sure you will ridicule me for my comments but as you do and you use your wonderful mastery of the English language.... think about this how professional is your behavior?"

The sameday I made the following response to his posting:

"Coach, you still have not responded to my posting of Feb. 25th. I would have hoped that you would have at least emailed me since you can access my email address at the top of this posting. I am a professional both as an engineer, high school mathematics and physics teacher, and as a basketball official.

More importantly, I am a human being. I am a son, brother, nephew, husband, and father. I am entitled to respect because I am a human being just as you are entitled to respect because you are a human being.

Even when a coach acts like a jerk and I have to charge him with a technical foul, I still treat him with respect. I treat him with respect even though he has yelled and screamed at me when he does not have a clue about the rule about which he is ranting.

When I walk out on that basketball court you have an obligation as a member of the human species to show me respect. I show you the respect that you deserve as a human being. I will agree with you (and there are many officials that will agree with me) that there are officials that are incompetent, but there are incompetent people in all professions and vocations, and that is a shame, but that is no reason to lump all people in that incompetent category.

Your problem is that you do not know the rules, and you think that you do. Furthermore, you also have a problem understanding the fact that sports officials do not care who wins or losses the game they are officiating, our job is to see that the game is played per the rules and that the integrety of the game is protected.

I really do not expect you to respond, either on this discussion board or via email, because you do not have the intestinal fortitude to admit that you do not know or understand the rules of basketball or how the rules are to be applied or the mechanics of officiating. It is always easier to criticize what you do not understand or know rather that learn about it.

I do not know where you live, but I challenge you to become a basketball official, but I really do not expect you to take up the challenge because you to not have the intestinal fortitude to admit that you are ignorant of the rules of the game in which you are entrusted with the responsibilty of teaching the game to young people.

Please email me and I will get you information about becoming a basketball official for next year."

My posting generated a number of favorable responses with the exception of one posting by Bill McQueen, and he was nice enough to post his email address with his posting ([email protected]), here is his response verbatum:

"suck a fat one denucci and enjoy teaching the tards. you are a window licker just like your students. i think once somebody reaches high school they should at the very least be able to keep their tongue in their mouth and not drool on themselves"

I am sure that some of you would like to personally respond to Mr. McQueen and tell him how much you love his prose. I only regret the COACHJF did not post his email with his postings. Isn't wonderful to know that there are so many literate people in this country.

[Oz Referee]

Mark -

What exactly is your point? Some people are idiots - sure. Some idiots are coaches - definitely. All coaches are idiots - I don't think so.

Posts such as this do nothing for the image of referees as a group, or you specifically.

[JRutledge]

Why are you bring that crap here? I understand that you feel strongly about us getting respect, but why bring that confusion to this board? I do not think any of us are going to grow by emailing this fool. In the end, we will look like the fools.

Peace

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

My postings were a theraputic rant, plus it is amusing to see that there are such fools still roaming around this country.

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.
My postings were a theraputic rant, plus it is amusing to see that there are such fools still roaming around this country.

I work with the public, and there are always people that are too stupid to realize many things. I just do not think it serves a purpose to bring this issue to this board. But you do have that right.

Just my two cents.

Peace

[BktBallRef]

Originally posted by JRutledge
But you do have that right.

Not according to Padgett. No one has any rights here.

[rockyroad]

If JF sends his address, can we all go there as a group and do a group puke on his shoes???

[devdog69]

Originally posted by BktBallRef

Not according to Padgett. No one has any rights here.

Hear, Hear, lost some respect on that one too, TH.

[BigDave]

Originally posted by devdog69

Hear, Hear, lost some respect on that one too, TH.

I must have missed the comment by Padgett. Please fill me in or provide a link to the thread. I often enjoy his posts.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by BigDave

I must have missed the comment by Padgett. Please fill me in or provide a link to the thread. I often enjoy his posts.

I think they're referring to my comments about this forum being owned by a company, and therefore not subject to the same standards of allowing free speech as in a true public forum. If they don't understand that, I can't help it.

BTW - what's a "window licker"?

[williebfree]

Here is the thread that contains the statements that are referenced above

http://www.officialforum.com/thread/4240

[BigDave]

Originally posted by williebfree
Here is the thread that contains the statements that are referenced above

http://www.officialforum.com/thread/4240

Thanks.

[stripes]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett

BTW - what's a "window licker"?

Someone who licks windows. I watched a kid do it the other day one a train--it was really gross.

[Brad]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
I think they're referring to my comments about this forum being owned by a company, and therefore not subject to the same standards of allowing free speech as in a true public forum. If they don't understand that, I can't help it.

And you happen to be entirely correct

Ever wonder why those "MAKE MONEY FAST" posts disappear and why we don't have extended flame wars here? Someone comes along and deletes those posts.

[BktBallRef]

No one questions that you have the right to delete any posts that you deem offensive.

At the same time, you provide a service with this forum. As long as those who post here follow the rules, they have a right to post their thoughts. Perhaps "right" isn't the proper word, but hopefully, you understand what I'm saying. I don't anticipate that you delete a post just because you don't agree with it, nor do I believe you attempt to prevent someone from posting just because you don't agree with them. That's all I'm saying. People who are worried about what a poster puts in his/her signature need to get a life. And that's all I'm going to say on this subject.

Thanks!