Nope - not gonna do it

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

But the ones I've worked have just not been worth the abuse I've taken.

Abuse? Since when do you "take abuse," Smitty?

First nasty look I get is a warning. Second bad behavior is a T, third and you're gone. Any escalation after that and it's "tweet....that's ball game." It actually works really well.

In rec league, you only get "abused" when you allow yourself to be "abused."

[Smitty]

Sure, that's one point of view. You have fun giving out T's and throwing people out, and ending games. That's not my idea of a good time. I prefer a controlled game in a controlled environment where I don't have to be throwing people out left and right. The adult games are all yours. Have fun!

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Sure, that's one point of view. You have fun giving out T's and throwing people out, and ending games. That's not my idea of a good time. I prefer a controlled game in a controlled environment where I don't have to be throwing people out left and right. The adult games are all yours. Have fun!

Where did I say it is fun? It's just part of the job.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by fiasco

Where did I say it is fun? It's just part of the job.

Funny - I don't have to do all that with the youth tourneys. It's only a part of the job if you choose to do that level of crap. I choose not to.

And as a caveat, I do this job because it's fun. If it's not fun, what's the point?

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

Funny - I don't have to do all that with the youth tourneys. It's only a part of the job if you choose to do that level of crap. I choose not to.

That's fine. I was just commenting on your "take abuse" comment. IMO, it's a poor reason for looking down on rec league ball.

Some people have just have thin skin, I guess.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by fiasco

That's fine. I was just commenting on your "take abuse" comment. IMO, it's a poor reason for looking down on rec league ball.

Some people have just have thin skin, I guess.

I choose not to work adult rec league because in my experience it is not fun. If you can make a giant leap from that to making a deduction about how thick my skin is, let's just say that makes your opinion even more meaningless to me.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

I choose not to work adult rec league because in my experience it is not fun. If you can make a giant leap from that to making a deduction about how thick my skin is, let's just say that makes your opinion even more meaningless to me.

You are the one who says you don't like "taking the abuse."

To me, that signifies either thin skin or an inability to get the job done. I've gotten a lot of flak here over the years whenever I mention how I let a coach or a player cross the line without laying down the law. No different here.

There's no one to blame but yourself when you put on the whistle and fail to blow it when the occasion permits. It only becomes "crap" ball when you allow it to become that.

Originally Posted by Smitty

Sure, that's one point of view. You have fun giving out T's and throwing people out, and ending games. That's not my idea of a good time. I prefer a controlled game in a controlled environment where I don't have to be throwing people out left and right. The adult games are all yours. Have fun!

Not saying it's fun or I enjoy whacking/tossing people & ending games, but utilizing those tools certainly payoff in the longrun. I hardly have to go there lately, I have a "look" I give 'em now & it seems to be very effective.

Thanks, I'll take all the games I can get! I'm not as fortunate as others who are able to pick & choose... yet

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Ch1town

Not saying it's fun or I enjoy whacking/tossing people & ending games, but utilizing those tools certainly payoff in the longrun. I hardly have to go there lately, I have a "look" I give 'em now & it seems to be very effective.

Agreed

This summer marks my third foray into the men's league in this area.

The first year, I let players get away with a lot. Smack talk to my face, cursing, whining, etc etc. Boy was that a long season. Toward the end of the season, I started issuing T's, but fairly conservatively. Things calmed down a bit, but not much.

Last year, I came into the league with the mindset that I'm going to call it as I would a high school game. I think one night at the beginning of the season I called 10 T's over the course of three games. The guys got the picture.

Now, as Ch1town said, when I walk into the gym, the guys know who I am. They adjust their games (and attitudes) accordingly. Most nights I really enjoy the games I do, and some of the guys who used to curse me actually pat me on the back at the end of games.

It's all about your attitude. If you look at them as crap games, they will always be crap games. That's no one's fault but your own.

But if you look at rec league as a place to hone up on your skills (both reffing and people skills), it can be a valuable place for tuning up and making extra cash.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by fiasco

It's all about your attitude. If you look at them as crap games, they will always be crap games. That's no one's fault but your own.

When I first started working men's rec, I had no particular attitude about the players, but over the years, the way they played and acted forged my attitude to the point where I just couldn't work them anymore because I was having no fun whatsoever and only annoyance and stress. My experience was that a lot of these guys are trying to prove something to themselves, mostly that the only reason they weren't the star of their old HS team was because the coach had something against them personally - it couldn't possibly be because they weren't a good enough player.

Once it became wreck ball in my mind, I quit working it. As others have said, if it isn't fun, why do it?

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

As others have said, if it isn't fun, why do it?

I agree, but I'm glad I still have fun with it! Maybe I'm still too green to know any better...

How about womens wreck leagues? My experience has been that they don't chirp nearly as much as the men do. Actually, the majority of them played some level of college ball in the 2 womens leagues I work. With the men, most didn't even start for their HS team, let alone college

Originally Posted by Smitty

I'll stick with the youth games.

I'll take those too still 4-6 nights a week for me, no drop off since March.
While I get more atypical situations in youth games, I don't get much above the rim play at that level & the parents (oh boy). "Let 'em play ref" 20 seconds later "somebodys gonna get hurt" gotta love it

Honestly, I get more joy & less grief working adult wreck than youth. But I enjoy seeing the kids have "fun" while they're on the court, so I guess working both in the off-season helps with different aspects of my development. But that's just me, to each his/her own.

[Smitty]

Originally Posted by fiasco

First nasty look I get is a warning. Second bad behavior is a T, third and you're gone. Any escalation after that and it's "tweet....that's ball game." It actually works really well.

This is training adults to behave properly. They have no coaches. I have no interest in doing this. It's not fun. If you want to jump to a bunch of unsubstantiated conclusions based on my decision to avoid working adult rec ball, that's your prerogative.

[fiasco]

Originally Posted by Smitty

This is training adults to behave properly. They have no coaches. I have no interest in doing this. It's not fun. If you want to jump to a bunch of unsubstantiated conclusions based on my decision to avoid working adult rec ball, that's your prerogative.

Last word, huh?