Yes you should, as you were almost sounding like one of his disciples! :D

First off. Its not an either/or verbal warning or stop sign. Its a gesture I use while speaking to the coach. Think of it as me being the classic Italian Godfather who speaks with his hands. ;)

There's nothing in the rulebok about me applauding when an injured player is helped to their feet and to the bench, but I do that too. SHould I refrain from showing some sportsmanship and/or goodwill along with the crowd and both teams? Thats another gesture. I have never advocated walking up to a coach and in my best Charlie chaplin imitation give him the "talk to the hand" sign. That would be ludicrous and if you think any referee is advocating that you have a pretty poor opinion of some of your posters without ever having seen them work which strikes me as pretty arrogant. :rolleyes:

It works for me.

Where did I leave those two words I'm looking for?

After E and T. :)

I have tried to look at the stop sign from the perspective of the recipient. This includes using it at home. If you have a point to make and to me it sounds imagined or ridiculous (or whatever) and I give you the stop sign or simply dismiss your point. What is your response? Most would only become more upset for not allowing you to express your point of view or concern.

A simple acknowledgement can be much moer effective than a stop sign. A signal that basically says "shut up, don't talk back to me."

If it becomes bad enough, give them their warning, everyone will understand that as well.

Snaqs, that's gonna leave a mark for sure!:p

After all my debating on this topic, I actually used it tonight; on a player.

I'll still never use it on a coach again, but I thought of this thread immediately after using it on the player.

I don't use it anymore, but that is what happens after 27 years of marriage. :D

MTD, Sr.