Old school
 

So I did a JV game last night and stayed to watch some of the Varsity game. These officials were a little older. One official showed up with his old school collared shirt, wearing a belt, and was calling every foul using the birds eye signal. I am guessing this guy was about 62. It was a girls game, so all in all they called a decent first half.

I think you mean "bird dog", but you must be one of them young whippersnappers... :p

Birds eye.....isn't that what the fans are calling all the time. after all they have that view. :p

I always wear a belt, keeps my pants from falling down ( I have a large stomach).

I am a 10 year vet and I still use the Bird dog. It works in a crowd.

Personally I think the bird dog looks "goofy". I was thrilled when they did away with it.

Bird dogging is still in almost all the mechanics books or uses that the HS and college level. Only NCAA-W does not use it to my knowledge. So I would get surprised by that as much as the collared shirt and not even that surprised by the belt. But it does tell me he is probably not up on the new officiating expectations or does not care. But that is another conversation.

Peace

What IS a bird dog signal? I am so new, I don't even know what it is. (Don't worry I don't officiate anything above 3-4 grade city rec league ball...yet.)

We have a guy in our local kids rec league who wears "nerdy" glasses and a collared shirt that has a pocket! A few weeks ago I worked with him and asked him if he had a slide rule in there. ;)

Oh yeah, he wears belted, cuffed pants, too. The good news is he does a pretty good job of officiating.

The bird dog is the hand extended, palm down, at the hips of the player who fouled while still giving the stop the clock-foul signal.

I've never understood the dislike for the mechanic, and still use it occasionally when there are multiple people in the area of the foul.

Does he still rock those Chuck Ts? :D

Definition
 

BIRDDOG: (archaic) The action of a basketball official whereby s/he, with one closed fist thrust skyward as far as it will go without detaching from her/his body, positions the other hand perpendicular to the vertical line of her/his body to the extend that it will reach with downward facing open hand or single finger or index and middle fingers pointing at or about the person who committed a foul. More difficult to execute in cases of a double foul, unless said official was born with three arms.

I did a game with a rookie official earlier this year who gave the bird dog simultaneously with putting his fist in the air. There was also a little hop involved. It made him look extremely eager to call fouls.

Why would he if he didn't have a pocket protector?:confused:

He does. It seems to be built in. He also keeps track of the fouls on an adding machine. :D

That's exactly the situation when it should be used. And why it was left in the mechanics and in the book.

Is it like the one Maxwell Smart's buddy had?

standing up for old guys!
 

Watch it 'Rook'! There are many officials over the age of 60 that are outstanding. Granted the collar and belted pants must go! Do not be fooled by someone's age it is only a number.

True that! Age is just a number but the description of the uniform tells a bigger tale ;)

As opposed to an old snapperwhipper?

as a third year guy, i treasure the older guys in our pool. we've got one guy who is 72, looks 62 and runs like he's 52. by the luck of the draw we had a lot of games together last year, and he taught me many things.

i did a jr. hi tourney two weekends ago, and this one guy came out of retirement to help...he was probably 80 or so. he's forgotten more about officiating than i will ever know.

I resemble that remark, :D. If you want to wear beltless pants, try the Ultimate Belt under your pants.

MTD, Sr.

Dick Bavetta of the NBA. :D

MTD, Sr.

I didn't mean anything by his age. Just that he is older. I'm sure there are plenty of good officials that are older. I am not a rookie though, been doing it for 10 years now. I guess I can't say too much about the belt, because until last year, I wore a belt also. Then again, I'm not doing varisty games. This guy was.

A lot of us are older, which is a relative term. I've been doing varsity for ten years, wearing a belt for all of them. Consult your local listings.

Bottom line: Generally speaking, generalizations are dangerous.

Was this individual standing across the bathroom sink from you????:D

The Good Ole Slipstick ...
 

Hey Mark Padgett. I have a slide rule, I know how to use it, and I'm not afraid to use it.

If slide rules are outlawed, then only outlaws will have slide rules.

Got That One Nailed
 

Slide Rules: 4.44.5 SITUATION B

It Scares The **** Out Of Me ...
 

Why can't vBulletin® set it up so the these two words are automaticaly replaced by "*** ******" ?

+1

When I entered engineering school in Fall 1969, it was a right of passage to buy one's first slide rule, just like a Wizard in Training buying his first Wand before enrolling in Hogwarts. I have owned a full-size Post Vesalog for 42 years (when I entered engineering school), and I also own a half-size Post Versalog and a full-size Post Trig slide rule.

MTD, Sr.

If you have a slide rule, then you certainly know when to come out of the rain.

Pickett's Charge ...
 

I've got an aluminum Pickett Model N 1010-ES Trig, in the original leather case, a plastic Pickett Microcline 120, also in it's original leather case, and a brand new (yes, one company still makes them) ThinkGeek Nanoline 1337. The Picketts are from high school, and undergraduate college.

I bought a new pair of pants at the beginning of the season. Lost a few pounds right then. Wish those new pants had belt loops. Fortunately I can wear my old pants again. A few more pounds and I can wear my really old pants with a belt. The collared shirt is acceptable, per State guidelines, as long as all partners are wearing the same thing. I actually prefer them only because I can hide the lanyard under the collar and it's not rubbing my neck. If an official does his/her job well, are the latest fashions all that important, especially for a seasoned veteran?

Other than first impressions, no, they're not important. But how important are first impressions?

Also, have you tried a smitty instead of a noose?

I don't think I'm outstanding, but I am over 60 and a new official. I don't wear a belt, but I've considered it. I do use one of those rubber Flex belts that helps hold up my pants and keeps my shirt tucked in.

I also have a Pickett 600T slide rule - a la Buzz Aldrin. Unfotunately, it has been too long since I used one and doubt I could accomplish much with it now. ;)

Been a while since I have seen the Flying Nun.:D

Jordan,
If CMH=Columbus, I am pretty CERTAIN that I know the official you are discussing. He is a nice guy. I have reffed some Catholic League games with him. He is frequently kidded about the collar. Of course his response is, "it isn't worn out, yet." :D

"To Infinity, And Beyond!" ...
 

Maybe it is as difficult as rocket science? Aluminum Pickett slide rules were carried on five Apollo space missions, including missions to the moon. Watch the movie "Apollo 13" and you'll see Tom Hanks, as Commander Jim Lovell, use one. My favorite scene in the movie. It makes me all misty eyed.

Didn't Think It Was Possible ???
 

Wow. Someone cheaper than me. I still wear one of my very first warm up jacket to Catholic school middle school games. It's an unlined, black, windbreaker. The insignia was silk screened and the whistle fell off, leaving just the lettering. It's got to be at least twenty-five years old.

I've still got one of the original IAABO black and gray jackets with the old IAABO crest still on it from when they first came out with them. It's at least 35-40 years old.

Wow, At Least Two People Cheaper Than Me ...
 

Wow. Mine was blue (back in the blue pant days) and gray, and actually fell apart. Gray piping on the sleeves, and neck, just wore through. I did salvage the the IAABO emblem off the jacket, and still have it.

The original IAABO jacket was black with gray trim. It's successor was the deep blue with gray trim that you had. I've got one of those too. Part pack-rat, I guess.

Who's getting that first impression? If the referee has been around a long time, first impressions have long been replaced by respect.

Old habits die hard. The Smitty is too short. Can't take the whistle out of my mouth and talk to the players without braking the loop on the shirt. Plus my lanyard is so old, frayed and rusted, giving it up would be like losing an old friend.

..and after having lost a couple whistles because of the thing, I cut the loops off my shirts to discourage myself from using those Smitty lanyards.

Misty Water Colored Memories ...
 

The preferred pant color with the "in crowd" was black (kind of like the more modern belt versus no belt debates), even though IAABO allowed us to wear black or blue pants. I did wear blue pants once when I forgot to pack my black officials pants in my bag, and happened to have worn blue pants to my day job that day. The blue pants actually looked better with the gray jersey with blue piping than the black pants. But I wanted to be one of the "cool" guys.

I Cry About It Every Night ...
 

I had the same problem. I wanted to be like one of the "cool" guys and use a Smitty, but I kept on breaking the little loop.

Best loop replacement is a small black rubber grommet sewn on with heavy black thread. The elasticity of the rubber keeps the smitty from breaking the threads.

There were two different length smittys. A shorter one for zippered shirts since the point of attachment was higher (at the top of the zipper) and a longer one meant to reach the the loop at the bottom of the V. Sounds like you have the shorter one (or you have a really long neck).

Uh-oh.....

Actually, that sounds relatively new. I still wear my Springfield YMCA sweater that was given to me by Dr. Naismith to games. I also carry an extra peach basket in my buggy.

They come in different lengths.