Have a question here about something that happened last year to me. I was working the scoreboard and time for a girl's basketball first-round playoff game. The first official comes out and goes out to center court. A few minutes later the second official, the referee for the night comes out, goes over to the table to check on the official book for the evening and the sort.

Well, after looking through the book he looks over at the visitors bench and asks where his partner is. I'm the only one at the table so I'm wondering if he is talking to me. Still looking over at the visitors bench he asks again if I've seen his partner. I kinda move over so I can see if he is talking to me, get in front of him and the guy has a lazy eye, the left is looking straight ahead and the right eye is looking toward my direction at the table.

Kinda stunned by what I am seeing I say yeah, your partner is out at center court. He turns to try to see him, says ahh there he is..then turns back kinda toward me and says, "Man it's tough to see out there tonight." and walks away. I was stunned, couldn't believe what I had just heard. My question is should I have told his partner what he said or told the coaches? I just kept my mouth shut and it was one of the worst officaited games I have seen in a long time.

When I think back on it it was kinda funny, but I still think I should have done something about it. What do you think?

Leave it alone.
Everyone knows.

Trust me. This person KNOWS he has a lazy eye and he knows when people aren't sure he is talking to them. It has been so for his whole life. His remark (about it being tough to see tonight) was probably a quick comment to cover an embarassing moment (for him).

That being said, he may have been the best referee you ever saw, and he may have been the worst, but the lazy eye would account for neither. There are excellent officials with this (and other) vision problems. You were wise to keep your comments to yourself.

First few times I wore contacts on the floor, I couldn't see well either. I told the coaches before one of the games that I can't see tonight. I'm not wearing my glasses. That broke the ice too. If he really couldn't see too well, he will tell his partner. His partner needs to know so that when that foul happens right in front of his partner and his partner misses the call that he gets it. But this is not the responsibility of the scorer or timer so let it go.

I agree you did the right thing. If you had notified someone ie. the coaches I believe the situation could have been alot worse. Sometimes it is best not to say anything at all