Okay, I used it with a coach
 

GJV the other day, and V34 fouls out in the 4th quarter. I'd been kicking myself at half time for not having a patient enough whistle, and it seemed particularly hard on the visiting team; but that's another story.

Anyway, white player got a rebound legally from behind V34, then V34 ended up pushing her while trying to get the steal. I called the foul, reported, and the table told me it was 5. I turned to the coach to let her know (only thing I heard from her all game was a question on a travel call), saying "Coach, that's 5" and held five fingers up.

She's standing with her hands on her hips, "What about the over the back right before that."

Me: "Coach, that's five." I left my hand up with the 5 fingers out.

She turned and got her sub before I could turn to the table to start the clock and we played on.

I felt bad, because I didn't clarify in the coaches' meeting that we would only be answering good questions and not the dumb ones.

Well, I didn't feel bad until much later, and only for a moment.

Well, it wasn't really the stop sign, but it probably looked like it on video. :D

:eek: Gone to the dark side!;)

I dunno, Snaqs.
I'm overly sensitive about that stuff, and I only saw "5 fouls" [and no *Stop Sign*].

Yeah, I didn't even think about the stop sign thing until later. It just made me chuckle.

Oh you definitely used it! :D

Tried it with the wife......it doesn't work there either.:D

If you have to give the stop sign to your wife, give her my phone number. :D

:d

The stop sign only works if you also say something like "coach ive had enough"

by itself its useless.

I don't think it's any more useful with the comments than without, but I never tried it alone, so I can't say for sure. I frankly think "i've had enough" just reinforces the dismissiveness of it. "I've had enough" is nothing more than a polite euphamism for "STFU." Adding "the hand" to it is just inviting the lava, IMO.

Again, there are those I respect in here who disagree with me, so obviously YMMV.

Then if the coach cant read between the lines as to what is coming next - oh well. I wont lose sleep over it.

It also shows that you have tried communicating with a coach, you reach that point and everyone sees that you hav had enough. You tell your partner that coach has been warned. Everyone knows that the coach is on the hot seat and if he doesnt change his behavior it will cost him.

Oddly enough no matter what you do the coach is almost always surprised that they got a T. I don't think the stop sign with a "Ive heard enough" is bad. Its the last straw and coaches need to understand that. If they dont like I said above. OH WELL!

I use "That's enough, coach" when I give the stop sign. It's a somewhat less confrontational, but pretty much gets the same idea across.

Ok, I'm a recovering hand jobber
 

When I first started officiating I needed a well defined method of dealing with the coaches. I was like many new officials in that I had no game management skills other then having thoughts of punching them in the face.

So the stop sign served its purpose for awhile. It was like step 2 in the whole process of dealing with the idiots. DO I think it inflamed the coaches, Yes. But it also let me practice giving T's due to them getting inflamed even more, so that was the good that came out of it.

Now I don't use the stop sign.

If it's a persistent thing I'll try and communicate with them but if they're being buttheads I move on. And when I've had enough they get their richly earned T's.

I have a very small rep of being a little quick on the trigger.;) Good. I like my rep. I think in our area the refs take way too much crap from the coaches.

Having said all that, 3 player T's, 3 coach T's, and 1 coach ejection this year.
That just doesn't seem all that unreasonable for about 45 Varsity games.:)

Then again, we've all come to know you as a reasonable poster.

This is exactly my problem with this procedure. You're telling everyone in the gym that the coach is misbehaving. How is this not showing him up?

If I take the step of telling everyone in the gym that Johnny is being a bad boy, I've backed little Johnny into a corner.

My point is, I don't need to let everyone know. When I warn him quietly, he knows. That's all that matters. I'll tell my partners. I don't need to make a show of it in order to feel justified.

Look, as I've said before, if your area wants this done and your coaches see it as just another signal, fine. I recommend against using it for those officials who haven't been told specifically to do so.

If you need it as a crutch, use it.