Question from a fan
 

I have to say that my respect for officials has increased dramatically since I started following you all on here. Question from a fan:

Our area (eastern Colorado) is made up of many smaller towns and all the adults know most of the kids as it really does take a village. Some kids especially make me proud as I have watched them grow up.

My question for you as officials: In that environment can you still officiate a game? Do you worry about being percieved as a "homer"?

Would you worry that after a close game the losing team might express their sour grapes by saying, "Well, no wonder. The center for that team is in the Ref's 4-H club!"

Thank you again for what you do.

There are a lot of "small towns" where I live, and I know a lot of officials who block themselves from games in the towns where they live or work. Some don't have a problem with it. It all depends on each individual situation. I don't have a problem because I'm not from around here and not in the "good ol' boys" network.

P.S. Thanks for hanging around the forum.

Dont know what a "4-H club" is, but whenever I'm asked to work in a situation where I could be perceived as a homer, I simply hit the decline button.

How far east?

What I assumed
 

I thought you were going to say the same question a fan asked me early this season as warm ups were going on.
(From a fan)

"Would you give a T to a player if he dunked the ball and then Tebow'd?"

My response:

"You live in Denver, of course not." pause pause "Of course I would."


As far as homer or whatever, it all depends on the comfort level of the referee. I have never felt uncomfortable in a gym yet. So apparently my comfort level is pretty large :D

U serious
 

I can't tell if you are joking or are serious.

Oh man, that reminds me. Had a game a couple of weeks ago where two of the visiting players tried to Tebow during a free throw I was administering. I stepped into the lane and started to bounce the ball to the free thrower when they looked at each other and said "this free throw calls for a Tebow" and started kneeling to the ground. I turned to them and said, with a smile, "Hey knuckleheads....get up."

Everyone in the lane laughed and we had no problems the rest of the game.

I could literally give a damn what fans think of my job. They do not hire me and they certainly have no role in my working any game. And if the fans are that upset, they will probably see me again when they least expect it. Not something other than the entertainment value do I even consider their comments or what they think. They think everyone stinks if they do not call what they want and if most of them were given a whistle to officiate anything, they would pee down their leg the first few seconds of the game.

Peace

I live in a small town and many officials wear many hats. I stay away from crap, and i remain professional in my conduct.

If other people want to play conspiracy theory, they can go for it.

This is a great answer. Whether an official can work a game where he or she's well known depends on the official's character, professionalism, and attitude. An official with integrity can work anywhere.

I also agree that the losing side might still carp, but that always happens.

+1...

Fans are biased and will always not be viewing the game from an objective point of view. Get your plays right. At the end of the day that is what matters.

I would be aware of the perception of being the "hometown" guy. Being extra careful not to be too buddy buddy with coaches, other fans, etc. We should really be doing this every night anyway no matter where the game is.

Actually, I've found that the nastiest people are often the ones you know best.
When the local team loses a game called by the local ref, people often say things they (should) regret. Recently I called a game a mile from my house. The home team lost to a team they expected to beat.

Boys head coach is a pretty good friend of mine that I have known for many years. "Y'all should be ashamed to take money tonight." He later apologized, sorta.

One of the players is the grandson of the lady who babysat my son when he was small. He was like the little brother my son never had. This boy's mom approached me after the game. "Tonight when you take that striped shirt off, you should never put it back on!"

Basketball officiating is the opposite of Cheers. Sometimes you wanna go where nobody knows your name.

You are a city slicker, aren't you? :D

I have only been in this area a few years and I call in such a large place that it's not a big concern to me.

A few years ago, when I was first started calling football, I did a couple of games involving a youth team I had coached several years prior to that. I didn't think anything of it because I knew nobody in the program and called the games fairly. It hit me after the fact that maybe it wasn't a good idea to do their games though and went ahead and blocked them from my schedule.

If possible, it is good to avoid these situations to deflect even speculation of impropriety but sometimes it just isn't possible.

As to JAR's stories, it simply amazes me how ugly people can get when it comes to athletics...especially people that you thought were otherwise dignified.

Literally that means that you could give a damn what fans think. You do care about what they believe. Going by the rest of your post you probably meant to say that you couldn't give a damn what fans think. You do not care about what they think.

I didn't say this lady was ever dignified.:D

Hmm....
 

Wonder if he's gonna give a darn about this post.

(or as another poster might say, "He just might not give a carp!") ;)

Agreed, but I also don't look down on officials who choose to remove themselves or block themselves from games where there could be a conflict of interest, perceived or otherwise. What works for you may just not work for someone else.

To each his (or her) own.

I block myself from games involving my sons' middle and high schools (exhibition games notwithstanding). While I know I would be objective at them, there are plenty of schools to serve, so I don't see why I would even put myself in that position.

As for what fans think, consider the source.

Verb 1. give a damn - show no concern or interest; always used in the negative; "I don't give a hoot"; "She doesn't give a damn about her job"
care a hang, give a hang,

I know what you were going for here.....had to look it up.

I live in a BIG town for almost 15 yrs. I have coached my kids and hundreds more for that much time and think I've been a pretty solid member of the community. I can do any one of ~ 75-100 local HS, ~ 10 of which are w/in 15 minutes of my house. Chances of me knowing or having coached someone is pretty good. I don't do my son's school, but other than that, I'm not avoiding them. I can do the job and be fair and impartial.

I've shook hands with the Captains and had them say, "Hey Mr. G how are ya?" (No one has called me by my first name - but, that's another thread) :eek:

That being said, in a small town, with few officials, what are the choices?

The other choice is all officials travel 50-100 miles to call their games on a given night, sometimes literally passing each other in the road on the way.

JAR - I know we've had that discussion on the Forum before - "How far do you travel for a game?" I am very thankful I don't have to concern myself with that. Those are some dedicated folk!

OK if it matters to you.

Peace

Live in a small town, but just moved here from out of state. My partners all know someone either on the team, coaching or playing.

As I tell my friends, when I make a mistake in passing on a call or making a call it's because I made an error in judgement, not because I have any bias.

Meet Mr Annoying Cliche Guy.

And if you made officials do that on a regular basis, you'd probably have no officials for some of the more rural small-town schools. These small areas have a tough enough time getting good officials and they'd be a lot less likely to work at all if all of their games were 100+ miles away.

Northeast part of Colorado. Closest towns are Ft. Morgan, New Raymer, Sterling. Crop prices are WAY WAY up, by the way. Everybody's in a good mood.

And that's just it. Many a Middle School game has been officiated by one of the Dads, wearing a black shirt and whistle purchased at the hardware store on the way to the game.

One of the coaches at a school where I work a lot of non-conference games played the town I live in a BV contest last night. Over Christmas (I was working a holiday tourney), he mentioned his next game, looked at me, and said, "Of course I didn't ask you to work that game."

I was a bit disappointed -- not with the snub (I can't work every game *and* I was already booked nonetheless), but with the mindset. The coach is an excellent high school baseball umpire in the area and seems pretty happy with my work (considering he has me back, I'm assuming that's true).

(BTW, I've lived here for 3.5 years and still work non-conference games at the HS, which is about a 2 minute drive from my house. Hiring me doesn't buy a single call -- I still don't care who wins and I don't have any relatives or children working or going to school at the HS. I'm just thrilled that it's close to home and a pretty nice place to work.)

You Can Look It Up ...
 

From our recently approved Code of Ethics and Conduct:

Board members shall recognize that anything which may lead to a conflict of interest either real or
apparent must be avoided. Gifts, favors, special treatment, privileges, employment or personal
relationship with a school or team which can compromise the perceived impartiality of officiating must be
avoided.

I drive almost 100 miles a few times a season. The rural conferences here do something that the more urban and suburban conferences do not -- they pay higher game fees and also pay travel money (I'll work some schools that pay up to $50 travel). To me, it's a sign that they *want* officials from my area to come and work or that there's a shortage of varsity level officials in the area. And those schools pack the gym and provide an atmosphere rarely seen at bigger schools, where the gyms can be less than half full. It's OK to do this once in a while, but I do appreciate the rare occasion where I have to drive less than 20 miles, too.

Zip Code To Zip Code ...
 

I had Catholic middle school games (not my parish) last night in the town that I live in. The distance, as listed on Arbiter, was 0 miles. Two "varsity" games, girls, then boys. Walked into the gym at 5:50 p.m. Home before my car warmed up. Eating dinner at 8:20 p.m. $82.00. Cash. As Jackie Gleason used to say, "How sweet it is".

Do you find the mileage on Arbiter is usually accurate for you? I've worked in two separate areas and it has been way off on both for me.

Zone Improvement Plan ...
 

I believe that it goes from zip code to zip code. If your home is in the most distant part of your town, and the school is in the most distant part of it's town, your actual mileage will be longer than Arbiter's. If your home is in least distant part of your town, and the school is in the least distant part of it's town, your actual mileage will be shorter than Arbiter's. Mileages to most of the schools in my area have been pretty close. Close enough for tax purposes, according to my accounting firm, Dewey, Cheatum, and Howe.

http://ts1.mm.bing.net/images/thumbn...9de160f4d72846

Not for me.....
 

But, it's relative. I live in a big area and my zip area is pretty large. It's within a few miles, but not spot on.

Our association is almost all small town schools in a rural area. The area serviced is about 135 miles long from top to bottom with the home of the association in the center. We are paid travel for all levels based on one car, one way, from the home of the association to the home school, regardless of actual distance traveled, with a minimum of $30. This money is split between the 2 or 3 officials working that night.

I live about 15 miles from the north end of our territory, so I have to travel more than most. But, when the game is on the south end, I usually drive down to meet a partner halfway, more or less, then ride with him.

I'll Cross That Bridge When I Come to It ...
 

We service two counties in Connecticut. If you'll imagine a big rectangle, I live at southwest corner of the rectangle. Longest trip from home is about fifty-five miles, one way, to the northeast corner. Luckily, my day job is located in the center of the rectangle.

My major problem is that the Connecticut River cuts our service area in half. Home on one side of the river. My laboratory is on the other side of the river. There are just a few bridges that cross the river, and they're all very busy at rush hour.

I went to reconciliation (confession) during Advent. Told my pastor about my offensive language when stuck in traffic. He told me that instead of swearing, I should say a prayer for the other drivers, like he does. No penance because he said that he is very familiar with the highway that I was talking about, and that the understands my frustration. I left with the feeling that he does more than just say prayers when stuck in traffic. If one swears in Latin, is it still swearing?

I'm a city kid...
 

...and I have an idea of what the 4H is.

"And the blue ribbon goes to..."

Cobra,
I've now been on this forum for ten years. Let me share something that I've learned with you.
Trying to tell Rut anything = http://www.runemasterstudios.com/gra...s/banghead.gif

But, that is a local thing. ;)

I only listen to people I respect. You are not one of those people. And it appears I am not alone as the comments you have gotten over the years. ;)

Peace