This is a "complaint"? You're kidding, right.
 

Seventh grade boys rec yesterday, working with a fairly experienced partner. Green team beats white team by about 20. After the game, the green coach comes over to us (we couldn't leave because we had another game) with a "complaint", as he calls it. He was upset because we didn't tell one of the kids on the white team enought times to tuck in his jersey. No - I am not making this up. This kid is "cholesteral challenged" and his jersey would sometimes come out during play. He started the game with it tucked in and every time he came off the bench, it was tucked in. We told him probably five or six times and each time he tucked it in but this coach thought we should have told him another five or six times.

At first, I thought he was just kidding, but he wasn't. He explained the reason he was upset was that the previous week, the ref at that game told his kids repeatedly to tuck their jerseys in and if they didn't keep them tucked in, they would have to sit down (on the bench, not the court). He thought we should be consistent with the other ref. I guess he wanted us to "call it both ways".

I looked at him with a straight face and told him I would file his complaint with the league commissioner and then the Board of Directors would hold a hearing on it. He just stared and then said, "OK, thanks". When he left, my partner patted me on the back, laughed and said, "I gotta remember that one".

That has to be the most lame "complaint" I've ever heard. Any of you guys or gals ever heard anything as insignificant along those lines?

Smitty Foam Belt ...
 

I had to laugh out loud on that one. I love it.

Thanks for sharing Mark.

If the rule is being enforced (significantly) differently by different officials in the league, then the coach has a valid point.

As Howard Stern's dad would say..
 

Hey Coach..SIT DOWN AND SHUT UP YOU MORON!

I agree about keeping shirts tucked in - to a point. But, we have had several boys over the yrs that when the league buys their shirts, even XXL, it just doesn't do them service. They're abnormally large for their age and when they rebound and hold the ball over their head, as their taught, the shirt comes out.

To me, that's different from the kid who's shirt goes to his knees and can't keep it in or the kid who can always be seen pulling it out intentionally.

I will tell them to tuck it in at the foul line or to start the quarter, but, I'm not gonna be an A-Hole about it.

While that's how I think it should be enforced, it's not (apparently) how the officials in the coach's earlier game were enforcing it. The officials (across the league) should be (rasonably) consistent on the issue.

Well unless everyone in the league comes together and tells the officials what do do on every little thing, then you will not have that level of consistency.

Also who cares what a coach claims from other weeks. Half the time they are lying or exaggerating those things to make a point.

Peace

Consistency is the key.

Had a player a couple weeks ago who couldn't keep it tucked in. We told him three times in the first half. First dead ball of the 3rd quarter, I see it untucked again. As my partner is telling him for a fourth time (I realized later), I'm telling the coach that I need a sub. Coach looks slightly annoyed (but doesn't say anything) as he sends in a sub.

Not another issue the rest of the game.

Or the next game I had with them 5 days later.

Let's keep in mind that we haven't heard from officials from the previous week.

Agreed with both these points. But, if this is the league which Mark is on the board of directors, both these points can easily be addressed.

I can see the coach's point of view, particularly if his players were harassed about the shirt-tuck constantly in their previous game.