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Fri Jan 03, 2003, 03:54pm
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Last night during half-time one of my partners tells me that he's going to take a prescription pain-killer for some severe discomfort (I knew that he was hurting before the game, but he did not elaborate on the nature of the ailment). The margin was 16 pts, game's going fine, so despite my reservations, I keep my mouth shut.
Well, the game got tight. Overtime tight, as it turned out. With 45 seconds left in regulation, he calls a non-shooting foul. It's the 8th team foul. I was at trail for the free throws, and I saw the administering official hold out two fingers to the shooter. I quickly glanced up at the scoreboard to make sure the 8 was in the defending team's column, then I hit the whistle to turn around to the scorer and confirm the team foul total. She stated that the scoreboard was accurate, so we correctly went with the one-and-one. At this point I'm just thinking that my partner looked at the wrong side of the board, since the other team had 10 team fouls showing. FF to 7 seconds left in regulation of a tie game. TO is called, and we huddle. Rather than talking about what's going to happen next on the floor, he asks me why we only awarded 1-and-1 on the 8th team foul! Rather stunned both by this egregious lapse in rules knowledge and his refusal/inability to move on and focus on the moment, I reply, "Because they were only in the single bonus. Double bonus doesn't kick in until the 10th." His reply? "No, 7 is one-and-one, eight is two." At this point I'm speechless. He turns around to go ask the clock-keeper, who is a registered official, what he thinks. The clock-keeper straightenes him out. Long story short, we made it out of the game alive. But in the locker room after the game, I could tell by looking at the partner-in-question's eyes that the medication was having a significant effect. He also joked that he was "feelin' good." Regarding the rules gaffe, this is a decent official who's been working varsity ball for three or four years. I've worked with him before, and have had no major complaints/criticisms. All of this is to say that I think that it was the meds that screwed up his game in the second half, not simply being a bad official. Obviously, he should've known better than to take prescription-strength stuff before or during a game. To compound the lapse in judgment, this was a tournament, where any one of three or four officials were available to step in to take his place if the pain was not something he could deal with without the meds. My dilemma is this: this official is popular in the association, and understandably so; he's quite an engaging, easy-going fellow. Furthermore, this is my first year in this association, and I would certainly prefer not to make waves if I can avoid it without compromising my integrity. I've considered two basic options. 1)Report the incident to our board, which would likely result in a significant suspension for the official, or 2) Talk to him one-on-one. As I see it, the problem with the latter is that I really feel some sort of punishment should be meted out, and this option certainly would not accomplish that. I also don't want to come out with the upscale-prep-school-type "I'm giving you a chance to turn yourself in" line of sanctimonious bull. I'm 98% sure what I'm going to do here, but I'd certainly appreciate your input. 
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Fri Jan 03, 2003, 04:05pm
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If it were me, I would go to him one on one, and ask if he remembered what happened at that point of the game, and see how he replies. If he doesn't remember, remind him of the 2 shots on the 8th foul, but don't accuse him of the meds. Don't be personal, be caring and kind.
He should appreciate that you are going to him because you care and want the best for him, so he can learn not to take meds again, or get a replacment if he is ailing. I don't recommend going to the association. He may never forgive you. Be personal, caring and honest with your partner. It will pay off in the long run.
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Fri Jan 03, 2003, 04:09pm
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Well, it's what you can live with. The best thing for you to do as far as your getting ahead in this association is to bite your tongue. I know that is probably not a palatable solution to you right now, as you are emotionally charged about the whole thing. You might try to talk to him, jokingly mention his rules gaffe. But, if that doesn't go extremely well, I would drop it. If he does it again and screws up a ball game, so what. Let him hang himself, jmho. Get as far away from this stink as you can.
__________________
Church Basketball "The brawl that begins with a prayer"
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Fri Jan 03, 2003, 04:54pm
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I agree with both of the above answers. If you "tell" on him, you will look bad yourself. Is there anyone that is mentoring you or that you look up to that you could talk to about this situation without using names?
__________________
~Hodges My two sense! 
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Fri Jan 03, 2003, 09:44pm
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OK he screwed up "this game". You worked with him before with no problems. Drop it and go on about your business. Post game would have been the time to talk.
__________________
foulbuster
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Sat Jan 04, 2003, 12:06pm
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Before not after
Quote:
Bart, it sounds as though immediately after the game, partner still wasn't of a mind to be able to deal with this. I do agree that it is time to let it drop. Partner may now be aware that he had a problem during the game. Hopefully he won't make that kind of decision again.
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Sat Jan 04, 2003, 05:15pm
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I worked with ref a few years ago that had injured his back right before a big regional tournament game. He was given meds for the pain and did not realize the affect it was having on him. Did I turn him in? No. I had to work a heck of a lot harder to keep things going smoothly, but I really felt that he didn't realize the actions the drug were having on him. We talked about it after the game, I even talked him into getting a replacement for his next game. I would never turn anyone in unless it became a chronic thing.
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Sun Jan 05, 2003, 01:54am
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Here is a reply for you jbduke...quit being so ANAL!
Like another poster said..."Let him hang himself". Why would you want to try to "screw" over another official? Keep you mouth shut or you will never be trusted in that association! I may sound harsh...but I would rather officiate with a guy on a couple pain pills than a back stabbing "tattle tell"...and that is how you would come across. IMHO Dude
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Sun Jan 05, 2003, 02:13am
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It's interesting because a few weeks ago, I had a tooth pulled and was given a prescription of antibiotics, and a prescription of Vicodin. The Vicodin was "only for bedtime since it has such a sedating effect." As I rushed out to my games that evening, having taken one Vicodin after I got home from the dentist around noon, I grabbed the antibiotic bottle, and took two in the car (for the loading dose) and then another one just before the first game started. I did both games and drove home, and only realized at bedtime that I had actually taken THREE VICODIN, since I had grabbed the wrong bottle. It didn't affect me at all, and the pain was actually still a problem. Kinda makes one wonder...
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Sun Jan 05, 2003, 10:00am
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Quote:
Not nearly the same level, but last week I worked an early morning game with a member of the board in our chapter. He showed up 5 minutes before the game. Told me at half-time to be sure I told the assignment sec. that he was late, especially since he simply overslept. Kinda caught me off guard and he said "We have to police ourselves. When someone does something that puts a bad light on the chapter you have to speak up for the good of every member."
__________________
I didn't say it was your fault...I said I was going to blame you.
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Sun Jan 05, 2003, 11:36am
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Quote:
One problem with most drugs is that different people react differently to medications. There are people who become loopy after taking a half dose of Darvocet and some who won't even blink at an injection of morphine (which really stinks if you have a lot of pain). Just remember this and talk to your doctor the next time you need a prescription painkiller.
__________________
"To win the game is great. To play the game is greater. But to love the game is the greatest of all."
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Sun Jan 05, 2003, 06:03pm
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Quote:
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Mon Jan 06, 2003, 01:57pm
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RookieDude wrote:
------------------------------------------ Here is a reply for you jbduke...quit being so ANAL! Like another poster said..."Let him hang himself". Why would you want to try to "screw" over another official? Keep you mouth shut or you will never be trusted in that association! I may sound harsh...but I would rather officiate with a guy on a couple pain pills than a back stabbing "tattle tell"...and that is how you would come across. IMHO Dude ----------------------------------- Dude, to address your harangue point-by-point: 1) If you think that being concerned about the welfare and yes, safety of the young people who were in our charge constitutes being "ANAL," then I am happy to live with that description, and will not stop embodying it. Ours was a physical game, and late in the game my partner showed himself unfit to handle it. I did not state in the first post that the third member of the crew is a very weak official, so I was already covering for two before the partner-in-original-question went AWOL. I basically worked the last eight minutes of that game by myself, so I feel even more justified than I otherwise might about giving serious consideration to this matter. 2) Regardless of my course of action, I would not be the one "screwing" another official. I don't want to "screw" any of my colleagues, and could not in this case even if I wanted to. It is he that decided to pain-relieve at half, and it is he who gave tacit acceptance to any consequences from doing so. 3) "Keep you(sic) mouth shut or you will never be trusted in that association." It is quite possible that A), if I were to give air to this situation, some would recognize that I was aware of the ramifications for myself of such a claim, and respect and trust me even more for coming forward in the face of difficult circumstances. It is also possible (actually it is true) that B) I am more concerned with my own integrity, as well as the integrity of the crews that our association puts on the floor, than I am with losing the trust of people who would think that I am the individual in the wrong in this situation. Again, I am not the person who took strong pain medication at half, then proceeded to go out in the second half and overtime and nearly screw up a ballgame. 4) As for the "back-stabbing" line, if you think you should be able to take, with impunity, action such as the one above, then I am simpatico with your preference not to work with me. As I have addressed above, what disturbs me about you is not that you might disagree with me on how to handle the situation (which can by no means be clear to you), but that you hold my partner blameless. In fact, it seems that it is I who am contemptible to you for taking issue with such behavior. The logic implied by "let him hang himself" only reinforces my assessment. In this context, to say no more than "let him hang himself" implies that his is not a wrong worthy of any attempts at corrective action. But how can something be "wrong" if it cannot draw efforts to corrective action? At best, your words speak neutrally to the actions, and at worst they give them tacit acceptance. Even worse is to contemplate what it would mean if he actually did "hang himself." This would mean that he had again neglected his responsibilities, and again compromised a competition, and maybe even the safety and health of players. Your analysis of the situation puts me and my standing in the association at the center of the question. My concern is not with myself nearly so much as it is with the students who are put directly under the care of me and my colleagues several times a week. If anyone would be "stabbed in the back" by any course of action, it would be these blameless students, by me doing nothing.
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