Your worst call ever?

[bainsey]

Originally Posted by Adam

Way back when I was, well, less than 20...

Wait, do intramurals count? I could post a novel of bad calls from those days. (Nothing is more challenging than officiating your peers, when you're barely an adult yourself.)

My favorite: I'm put into an "A" level game, which means varsity athletes from other sports. I'm the lead, and one big dude (former starting quarterback turned pitcher in his senior year) gets hammered by two guys during a lay-up. Easy foul call.

Except, I don't call it. Rationale: I couldn't tell which guy actually fouled him. The QB/P was pretty irate at me, and I don't blame him.

I call those fouls now, and get paid a little better than those days. I'm certain that old QB still barks at officials from time to time, but he gets paid a little better. He's now the head football coach at Old Dominion.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Gets hammered by two guys during a lay-up. I couldn't tell which guy actually fouled him. I call those fouls now.

The proverbial multiple foul?

[Pantherdreams]

Two bad call stories:

A) I was the other official. I was working a game where a buddy of mine coaches the home team. Best player on home team is referred to by his coach a Captain Fake Hustle. To avoid actually playing d he will stab and dive at balls he has no chance of getting or that are already out of bounds to make it look like he's working. Will step in as if taking a charge but bail out at any contact at all. Partner has warned him a couple of times about flopping. He's defending the ball as part of a trap. Defended player puts head and shoulders down and pivots hard ripping head/shoulders/ ball etc. Through the trap. Captain Fake Hustle goes down in a heap. Fans want a PC, partner blows whistle and calls a tech on the kid for flopping. Crowd goes nuts, kid stands up spits out a mouthful of blood and a tooth on partners' shoe. Gets teched up for unsportsmanlike conduct. Ruh-Roo Shaggy.

B) Was working down in the US at a girls tournament AAU. THey were apparently using NCAA W rules. I'ld only ever worked FIBA and some NFHS. Early in my first game team A is beng pressued in their backcourt. I call an 8 sec violation for not getting the ball pas the timeline. Everyone the gym starts freaking out. My partner runs in and reminds me that there is no such thing as a 8 sec back court violation in the States and for good measure makes sure to remind me there is no 10 either. No time violations at all in NCAA W for advancing the ball past the timeline. I laughed apologized to the coach, my bad. Inadvertent whistle.

[iref4him]

This is not the worst call ever made, but my toughest. I am a doctor. Two weeks ago a 31 year old man comes into my office because of a 10' fall. He thought he had broken his ribs. The CT scan showed he did break 4 ribs, but the CT scan showed something else. I had to look into this man's eyes, a husband and a father of 3 young children, and tell him that the CT scan showed he had lung cancer and it has spread to his adrenal glands and kidneys. Not a very good prognosis. It put all my officiating into perspective. Great calls, toughest calls, easy calls, and worse calls. When you tell a man that his life is over, basically, my worst calls in any games did not compare to this call. Moral of the story, keep the game in perspective, work hard, and count your blessings. I counted mine - my faith, family, friends, and health. I am able to officiate still is an added blessing - great calls and worse calls.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by iref4him

This is not the worst call ever made, but my toughest. I am a doctor. Two weeks ago a 31 year old man comes into my office because of a 10' fall. He thought he had broken his ribs. The CT scan showed he did break 4 ribs, but the CT scan showed something else. I had to look into this man's eyes, a husband and a father of 3 young children, and tell him that the CT scan showed he had lung cancer and it has spread to his adrenal glands and kidneys. Not a very good prognosis. It put all my officiating into perspective. Great calls, toughest calls, easy calls, and worse calls. When you tell a man that his life is over, basically, my worst calls in any games did not compare to this call. Moral of the story, keep the game in perspective, work hard, and count your blessings. I counted mine - my faith, family, friends, and health. I am able to officiate still is an added blessing - great calls and worse calls.

I know an official who got run over in a football game a few years back and a scan for broken ribs ended up diagnosing the lung cancer that eventually killed him.

What we do is a passion for us, it's important to us, but in the end it's just a game.

[Welpe]

Originally Posted by iref4him

This is not the worst call ever made, but my toughest. I am a doctor. Two weeks ago a 31 year old man comes into my office because of a 10' fall. He thought he had broken his ribs. The CT scan showed he did break 4 ribs, but the CT scan showed something else. I had to look into this man's eyes, a husband and a father of 3 young children, and tell him that the CT scan showed he had lung cancer and it has spread to his adrenal glands and kidneys. Not a very good prognosis. It put all my officiating into perspective. Great calls, toughest calls, easy calls, and worse calls. When you tell a man that his life is over, basically, my worst calls in any games did not compare to this call. Moral of the story, keep the game in perspective, work hard, and count your blessings. I counted mine - my faith, family, friends, and health. I am able to officiate still is an added blessing - great calls and worse calls.

Wow.

Thanks for sharing and putting it all in perspective. But for the grace of God...

[icallfouls]

Hey Doc, thanks for killing this thread.

[rockyroad]

Originally Posted by iref4him

This is not the worst call ever made, but my toughest. I am a doctor. Two weeks ago a 31 year old man comes into my office because of a 10' fall. He thought he had broken his ribs. The CT scan showed he did break 4 ribs, but the CT scan showed something else. I had to look into this man's eyes, a husband and a father of 3 young children, and tell him that the CT scan showed he had lung cancer and it has spread to his adrenal glands and kidneys. Not a very good prognosis. It put all my officiating into perspective. Great calls, toughest calls, easy calls, and worse calls. When you tell a man that his life is over, basically, my worst calls in any games did not compare to this call. Moral of the story, keep the game in perspective, work hard, and count your blessings. I counted mine - my faith, family, friends, and health. I am able to officiate still is an added blessing - great calls and worse calls.

Thank you for sharing this. Helps keep things in their proper place in my life.