Good luck or not?

[JRutledge]

I think many here worry waaaaaaayyyyyyy tooooooo much about what others think of them. We are human beings first. If someone wants to make an issue out of that kind of interaction, this is their paranoid problem.

And for shaking kids hands, why not shake their hand? They are showing sportsmanship like we claim they are supposed to do. We are not adversaries; we are playing a role in a game. What is the big deal? And when kids have seen you over and over and over again, I am not going to treat them like I do not know them. In my case I might see the same kid in a college game and they will remember me. I care about these kids as people, not just some player that I will never see again. I take my job as an official very seriously, but I am a human first and foremost before everything.

Peace

[tref]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

And for shaking kids hands, why not shake their hand? They are showing sportsmanship like we claim they are supposed to do. We are not adversaries; we are playing a role in a game. What is the big deal? And when kids have seen you over and over and over again, I am not going to treat them like I do not know them. In my case I might see the same kid in a college game and they will remember me. I care about these kids as people, not just some player that I will never see again. I take my job as an official very seriously, but I am a human first and foremost before everything.

Peace

+1

I dont see why so many guys hate doing it so much!
I've seen it avoided 3 different ways:

1. Stay opposite until intros are complete (theres a chance they will run 50 feet to give you some love anyway).

2. Aftet the Anthem plays Umpires run to the block & R goes opposite (the seperation may deter them from showing you some love).

3. Just go behind the table & begin stretching.

IMO none of the above promote good sportsmanship

[Adam]

I don't see anything particularly compelling either way with this. I don't seek it out, but I don't balk at it either. It's the same as the kids shaking my hand after the game.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I don't see anything particularly compelling either way with this. I don't seek it out, but I don't balk at it either. It's the same as the kids shaking my hand after the game.

I am not advocating going out of your way to shake hands. I am just wondering what is the big deal?

Peace

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I am not advocating going out of your way to shake hands. I am just wondering what is the big deal?

Peace

I wasn't responding to your post.

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I wasn't responding to your post.

That is the funniest thing you have said in some time.

Peace

[Adam]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

That is the funniest thing you have said in some time.

Peace

You know what they say about a stopped clock....

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

I don't see anything particularly compelling either way with this. I don't seek it out, but I don't balk at it either. It's the same as the kids shaking my hand after the game.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I am not advocating going out of your way to shake hands. I am just wondering what is the big deal?

A few years ago, during a particularly bad influenza season, after all the hand shaking before the game, my partner took a bottle of hand sanitizer out of his jacket pocket and rubbed it all over his hands. Really.

[RobbyinTN]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

A few years ago, during a particularly bad influenza season, after all the hand shaking before the game, my partner took a bottle of hand sanitizer out of his jacket pocket and rubbed it all over his hands. Really.

Did he do it each time after handling the ball as well?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Snaqwells

It's the same as the kids shaking my hand after the game.

Do you officiate in Massachusetts?

[dsqrddgd909]

Originally Posted by jrutledge

i think many here worry waaaaaaayyyyyyy tooooooo much about what others think of them. We are human beings first. If someone wants to make an issue out of that kind of interaction, this is their paranoid problem.

And for shaking kids hands, why not shake their hand? They are showing sportsmanship like we claim they are supposed to do. We are not adversaries; we are playing a role in a game. What is the big deal? And when kids have seen you over and over and over again, i am not going to treat them like i do not know them. In my case i might see the same kid in a college game and they will remember me. I care about these kids as people, not just some player that i will never see again. I take my job as an official very seriously, but i am a human first and foremost before everything.

Peace

imo +12

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

And for shaking kids hands, why not shake their hand? They are showing sportsmanship like we claim they are supposed to do. We are not adversaries; we are playing a role in a game. What is the big deal? And when kids have seen you over and over and over again, I am not going to treat them like I do not know them. In my case I might see the same kid in a college game and they will remember me. I care about these kids as people, not just some player that I will never see again. I take my job as an official very seriously, but I am a human first and foremost before everything.

Peace

Agree completely. I think it is a sign of respect for a player to offer a hand shake or fist bump. I'm not going to pull the ol' Smitty Little League ump move and get in line behind the players to shakes hands but I'm not going to run away from it either.

[chartrusepengui]

Originally Posted by Welpe

Agree completely. I think it is a sign of respect for a player to offer a hand shake or fist bump. I'm not going to pull the ol' Smitty Little League ump move and get in line behind the players to shakes hands but I'm not going to run away from it either.

Agreed! I think that if you will not shake/bump the hand offered you appear to be aloof, disrespectful and unapproachable. If a hand is not offered by one team - fine - no problem but I am always going to shake/bump when it is offered. It is a sign of the kind of young men and women we would like them to become IMHO. I believe it shows a sign of their maturity as well.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by chartrusepengui

Agreed! I think that if you will not shake/bump the hand offered you appear to be aloof, disrespectful and unapproachable. If a hand is not offered by one team - fine - no problem but I am always going to shake/bump when it is offered. It is a sign of the kind of young men and women we would like them to become IMHO. I believe it shows a sign of their maturity as well.

Quite frankly, I only see it here when I work junior college games. The WIAA has a strict protocol for pregame introductions and teams are instructed not to seek out the other players or coaches or the officials for handshakes/fist bumps/etc. They are introduced and come onto the court right in front of their benches.

[chartrusepengui]

Originally Posted by RichMSN

Quite frankly, I only see it here when I work junior college games. The WIAA has a strict protocol for pregame introductions and teams are instructed not to seek out the other players or coaches or the officials for handshakes/fist bumps/etc. They are introduced and come onto the court right in front of their benches.

I don't get it much with WI schools either. Mostly with my JUCO schedule and when I am in MI. When the WI schools play a MI school is when I usually get the MI captains shaking hands and the WI captains that won't