What are your pet peeves about other officials?

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

All I really ask is that you communicate with me and let me know what is going on from your mechanics or what you called.

Last night. Girls varsity. Visitor undefeated, and ranked. Home has only lost a few games. Place is rocking.

Visitor on offense. Home on defense. Partner is lead, sounds his whistle, puts a fist up in the air, signals a holding foul, points to the closest spot on the endline, and heads to the reporting area. No shot attempted. We're not in the bonus for either team. The place is rocking, so I don't hear his call.

I switch and move to the endline, where a Visitor is waiting, out of bounds, for me to give her the ball for a throwin, and I'm ready to oblige, just as soon as my partner finishes his reporting, and turns around.

He turns around and realizes that I'm about to hand the ball to the wrong team, and stops my throwin administration.

Now I look like a fool. To the players, the coaches, the fans, and the two subvarsity officials sitting in the stands.

A bird dog signal, which I know is optional, would have helped. A team control foul "punch", which is not optional, and should have been signaled, would have definitely prevented this, either made by him at the site of the foul, or at the table. Not only did I not know who the foul was on, the girls who were near him didn't know either.

There are reasons why we have approved mechanics, and approved signals, and some are not optional, and these must be used to achieve good communication between the officials.

Yeah. You're right. I'm pissed. I've got a rare Friday night off. What's on television tonight? I need a distraction, and a cold Schaefer, to calm me down.