Fibnally Grew A Pair ...

[BillyMac]

Right or wrong. Good or bad. I don't usually give high school coaches technical fouls. I have a very long fuse compared to most. It's not because I'm trying to stay on the coach's good side. Here in Connecticut coaches vote for state tournament officials and I'm no where near that caliber of official, so I can give a crap about whether they vote for me, or not. Maybe it's because I coached middle school basketball for over twenty-five years and know how frustrating their job can be. Maybe it's because I am so concentrating on what's happening on the floor that I don't hear, or see, what's going on off the floor. Maybe after twenty-nine seasons of doing this my skin has gotten thicker, and I've learned how to "tune out" the coaches. I would rather defuse problems with various game management techniques, including, but not limited to, warnings. My last technical foul to a high school coach was in 2006-07.

When I do charge technicals to coaches, it's usually because they are distracting me, which is pretty hard to do. As I stated above, I usually concentrate on what's happening on, not off, the floor, so when a coach starts distracting me, it's usually time for a technical, and when that happens, I'm more than willing to oblige.

Yesterday. Prep school. Visiting coach seems displeased with some of my foul calls and non calls, questioning why a foul "down there" is not a foul "up here". He's not distracting me, and after several times up and down the court, I'm not close enough to address his questions. All of a sudden he yells loudly, "That's ridiculous", at the same time I'm reporting a foul against his team to the table.

Whack, without ever distracting me, or swearing at me. What was I thinking as I was standing opposite table, at the division line, waiting for my partner to administer the free throws? Believe it, or not, I was thinking to myself, "Well, those guys on the Forum will certainly be pleased that I "took care of business". Seriously.

Also, game management was 100% easier after that technical. It certainly made the game better and smoother. Also, it felt good, real good. I hope that this isn't addictive, because I have an addictive personality.

[Mark Padgett]

Who is "Fibnally"?

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

1) Visiting coach seems displeased with some of my foul calls and non calls, questioning why a foul "down there" is not a foul "up here". He's not distracting me, and after several times up and down the court, I'm not close enough to address his questions.

2)Believe it, or not, I was thinking to myself, "Well, those guys on the Forum will certainly be pleased that I "took care of business". Seriously.

3) Also, game management was 100% easier after that technical. It certainly made the game better and smoother.

1) That statement is directly questioning your integrity. He's telling you that basically you're favoring the other team. He gets to say that once...maximum....not several times.

2) We're pleased.

3) And that's exactly why the technical fouls should always be judiciously used. They're just another call to be used to keep the game moving and under control.

[just another ref]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Who is "Fibnally"?

The Irish guy who has been participating in some kind of hormone experiment?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

1) That statement is directly questioning your integrity. He's telling you that basically you're favoring the other team. He gets to say that once...maximum....not several times.

No, I only heard it once or twice, just never got a chance to answer his questions, by being close enough to him, after several "trips" up and down the court. I believe that he was questioning the competence of my calls rather than my integrity. I would of liked to respond to him, because both the calls he was referring to were actually very similar, except one involved no displacement, and the other involved displacement. Of course, he never gave me a chance to answer is questions, unless you consider my whack a response.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

Who is "Fibnally"?

It's a new variety of rose (rosa testiculus), with two flowers on each stem.

[Jurassic Referee]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

No, I only heard it once or twice, just never got a chance to answer his questions, by being close enough to him, after several "trips" up and down the court. I believe that he was questioning my competence rather than my integrity.

Gee, that's so much better. He only questioned your competence once or twice.

He gets to do that once also, Billy, imo. You have 2 choices:
1) Whack
or
2) Warn and whack.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Jurassic Referee

Gee, that's so much better. He only questioned your competence once or twice.

If I T'ed up coaches every time they questioned the competence of some of my calls I'd be whacked out. They always think that they know the rule better, or the intent of the rule better, or had a better look, than me. All coaches believe that they're all-knowing, all-competent, omnipresent, and infallible. Kind'a like Carnac the Magnificent.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Kind'a like Carnac the Magnificent.

My favorite:

Carnac: "UCLA"
Envelope: "What do you see when the smog lifts?"

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

This is exactly what the coach looked like that I whacked yesterday. He told me that the envelope had my check in it and that I had better start making better calls "or else". I told him where to shove that envelope, and it wasn't in my pocket.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

If I T'ed up coaches every time they questioned the competence of some of my calls I'd be whacked out. They always think that they know the rule better, or the intent of the rule better, or had a better look, than me. All coaches believe that they're all-knowing, all-competent, omnipresent, and infallible. Kind'a like Carnac the Magnificent.

Or Diebler.

[tomegun]

I have some things to think about when it comes to giving coaches technical fouls and your post. IMO, a coaches job is one of the most helpless in basketball because they can only give instruction and not actually do what they would like done on the court. Having said that, a coach still has no excuse for certain behavior and that behavior should be addressed. I'm not saying call a T, but the behavior cannot be ignored.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Right or wrong. Good or bad. I don't usually give high school coaches technical fouls. I have a very long fuse compared to most. It's not because I'm trying to stay on the coach's good side. Here in Connecticut coaches vote for state tournament officials and I'm no where near that caliber of official, so I can give a crap about whether they vote for me, or not. Maybe it's because I coached middle school basketball for over twenty-five years and know how frustrating their job can be. Maybe it's because I am so concentrating on what's happening on the floor that I don't hear, or see, what's going on off the floor. Maybe after twenty-nine seasons of doing this my skin has gotten thicker, and I've learned how to "tune out" the coaches. I would rather defuse problems with various game management techniques, including, but not limited to, warnings. My last technical foul to a high school coach was in 2006-07.

Yesterday. Prep school. Visiting coach seems displeased with some of my foul calls and non calls, questioning why a foul "down there" is not a foul "up here". He's not distracting me, and after several times up and down the court, I'm not close enough to address his questions. All of a sudden he yells loudly, "That's ridiculous", at the same time I'm reporting a foul against his team to the table.


Also, game management was 100% easier after that technical. It certainly made the game better and smoother. Also, it felt good, real good. I hope that this isn't addictive, because I have an addictive personality.

It seems like you are trying to justify why you don't call technical fouls while making some back-handed remarks about those who do. I'm referring to the comment about your skin getting thicker. In the end, your game management was easier - sort of like you realized what other officials who call technical fouls realized.

Originally Posted by BillyMac

No, I only heard it once or twice, just never got a chance to answer his questions, by being close enough to him, after several "trips" up and down the court. I believe that he was questioning the competence of my calls rather than my integrity. I would of liked to respond to him, because both the calls he was referring to were actually very similar, except one involved no displacement, and the other involved displacement. Of course, he never gave me a chance to answer is questions, unless you consider my whack a response.

Like someone mentioned, this isn't part of coaching. Questioning an official's calls is simply that, questioning an official's calls. You can rationalize it all you want, but he did it and it should have been addressed.

It isn't really that big of a deal though. The good thing about a T is, if I'm around within half a court's length of a coach, maybe farther, I have no problem whacking him.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by tomegun

Making some back-handed remarks.

Back-handed? Sorry. Why should I have been so coy? Maybe I should have been more direct. I do not have a problem with officials who have a shorter fuse than me. None what so ever. They make our job easier when we go into the same gym a few nights later. I do have a problem with officials who allow coaches to get away with murder because they are afraid that they will not get enough votes to work state tournament games. I will be part of a crew that has to work in front of those coaches a few nights later, and now he thinks that he can get away with the same crap, so we have to pick up the pieces, with game management skills, with warnings, and, yes, with T's. On my off nights I will often go to games that my colleagues work. Some of them, not many, but a few, let coaches get away with things that I, with my very long fuse, would never get away with.

Slightly off topic. One night I guess that I showered a little quicker than normal. As I was getting out of the shower, I overheard my partner, in the outer office, practically begging the coach for a vote, "If you liked my work tonight, coach, then give me a vote for the tournament and you may see me there". I almost puked all over my bare feet. I know my limits. I know that I will probably never see a state tournament game. I also know that if I ever reach even close to that level, I will never kowtow to coaches to get tournament games. There are other reasons why I believe that I don't call a lot of T's, as outlined in my post above, which you are certainly free to agree, or disagree with, but one reason will never be to please a coach.

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

My favorite:

Carnac: "UCLA"
Envelope: "What do you see when the smog lifts?"

When we lived in Glendale, CA, the answer was Glendale and Burbank from Bonnie's office on the 59th floor of the old First Interstate Building.

MTD, Sr.

[26 Year Gap]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

Back-handed? Sorry. Why should I have been so coy? Maybe I should have been more direct. I do not have a problem with officials who have a shorter fuse than me. None what so ever. They make our job easier when we go into the same gym a few nights later. I do have a problem with officials who allow coaches to get away with murder because they are afraid that they will not get enough votes to work state tournament games. I will be part of a crew that has to work in front of those coaches a few nights later, and now he thinks that he can get away with the same crap, so we have to pick up the pieces, with game management skills, with warnings, and, yes, with T's. On my off nights I will often go to games that my colleagues work. Some of them, not many, but a few, let coaches get away with things that I, with my very long fuse, would never get away with.

Slightly off topic. One night I guess that I showered a little quicker than normal. As I was getting out of the shower, I overheard my partner, in the outer office, practically begging the coach for a vote, "If you liked my work tonight, coach, then give me a vote for the tournament and you may see me there". I almost puked all over my bare feet. I know my limits. I know that I will probably never see a state tournament game. I also know that if I ever reach even close to that level, I will never kowtow to coaches to get tournament games. There are other reasons why I believe that I don't call a lot of T's, as outlined in my post above, which you are certainly free to agree, or disagree with, but one reason will never be to please a coach.

Pretty sad that morons like the 7 on 5 guy have the power to select officials for the tournament. Too bad officials in your state weren't able to choose the coaches.

Good job ringing him up.