Trouble Bruin in the Pac-12 - & it Ain't UCLA!

[Blindolbat]

Seems like Rush is taking all the heat and in my opinion he deserves it. I wonder why the ref that called the T isn't receiving just as much. Is he? I mean essentially people are saying that he called a T to get $5k. Does he make it through this unscathed?

[JRutledge]

Originally Posted by Blindolbat

Seems like Rush is taking all the heat and in my opinion he deserves it. I wonder why the ref that called the T isn't receiving just as much. Is he? I mean essentially people are saying that he called a T to get $5k. Does he make it through this unscathed?

People who claim they want integrity really do not know what that means. They are outraged, but only focus on a comment, but not the other complicated elements of this or any issue. I have said this before, Sports Journalism is probably the laziest of all Journalism on the planet.

Peace

[OKREF]

Never mind.

[whistlemania]

Originally Posted by JRutledge

People who claim they want integrity really do not know what that means. They are outraged, but only focus on a comment, but not the other complicated elements of this or any issue. I have said this before, Sports Journalism is probably the laziest of all Journalism on the planet.

Peace

You've hit on an important issue to this whole debacle of 'integrity'. The Ed Rush saga isn't just about what was said in a room to a group of officials and then having those comments misappropriated by an overzealous official--that happens in every association across America hundreds of times a year, if not more. This whole outburst was about power within the conference--specifically coaches power and how that power translates to who works games and how they work games. Under Rush me thinks the coaches had lost that power and that leads to scary times for a fraternity that has long enjoyed such power. That is why the whole issue of integrity as it pertains to officials based on these comments by Ed Rush laughable in context to a much larger problem of the integrity of officiating programs that are influenced by Coaches that TARGET (to use the hot word of the debate) officials via scratch lists either explicitly (associations or conferences that still allow literal scratch lists) or implicitly through the very real power that coaches throw around behind closed doors. If anyone doesn't think that Coach K, Bobby Knight, Digger Phelps, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Bill Self, etc etc etc don't have weight that they throw around behind closed doors about officials that they don't like and therefore conveniently don't get due to the weakness of conferences they or you are either naive or complicit. Ed Rush's background as an NBA official, where assignments are made based on a much different systematic approach, came with concerns from the get go amongst coaches and 'veteran officials' alike. A whole generation of officials had finally made it on the old system of not rankling feathers just in time to reap the rewards and in comes a Supervisor that wants you to 'take care of bench Coaches!!!!!!', referee the defense, work on your rules and mechanics. Perish the thought. And when you didn't or couldn't based on your make up you were one or two, or maybe even three steps closer to the door. A year of rumbling had to lead up to this moment on both sides of the fence, coaches and veteran officials alike. And if your conference integrity is based on a system such as one that Coaches have say in who works and who doesn't then you don't have integrity to begin with because by its very nature that compromises the officials ability to handle situations with disregard to punitive measures on the backside. Which leads us to JRuts comments on lazy sports journalism whose members covet access to the coaches like Sportscenter anchors covet hair dye. So when a reporter hears a spiteful referee talk in the same manner/vein about a supervisor they have already been hearing rumblings about its easy to throw around terms like Bully and control freak. For a reporter this had to be the motherlode....Butter my apple with the coaches of the conference I cover, get collaboration of an anonymous referee and lead a witch hunt all in one story. For me this is a sad day for officiating. For once we as a community had a commissioner willing to stand by its officiating community, much more so than many on this board to be honest, and willing to see what happened for what it was...a misuse of language, a joke that missed its mark, admittedly badly so.

Careful folks, glass houses and all. Think long and hard next time that snappy little quotes floats its way to the top of your noggin when dealing with an all powerful coach lest you receive the very punishment that many of you called for here in your comments, namely the exact punishment that befell a coach that physically, mentally and verbally abused his players for multiple years. If that doesn't show how the two groups are viewed and treated I don't know what does. And the most hurtful thing of all is that we as a community can't or won't stand up for ourselves and support one another when one of us is in the crosshairs for something that deserved reprimanding but most certainly didn't warrant losing a job over.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by whistlemania

You've hit on an important issue to this whole debacle of 'integrity'. The Ed Rush saga isn't just about what was said in a room to a group of officials and then having those comments misappropriated by an overzealous official--that happens in every association across America hundreds of times a year, if not more. This whole outburst was about power within the conference--specifically coaches power and how that power translates to who works games and how they work games. Under Rush me thinks the coaches had lost that power and that leads to scary times for a fraternity that has long enjoyed such power. That is why the whole issue of integrity as it pertains to officials based on these comments by Ed Rush laughable in context to a much larger problem of the integrity of officiating programs that are influenced by Coaches that TARGET (to use the hot word of the debate) officials via scratch lists either explicitly (associations or conferences that still allow literal scratch lists) or implicitly through the very real power that coaches throw around behind closed doors. If anyone doesn't think that Coach K, Bobby Knight, Digger Phelps, Dean Smith, Roy Williams, Bill Self, etc etc etc don't have weight that they throw around behind closed doors about officials that they don't like and therefore conveniently don't get due to the weakness of conferences they or you are either naive or complicit. Ed Rush's background as an NBA official, where assignments are made based on a much different systematic approach, came with concerns from the get go amongst coaches and 'veteran officials' alike. A whole generation of officials had finally made it on the old system of not rankling feathers just in time to reap the rewards and in comes a Supervisor that wants you to 'take care of bench Coaches!!!!!!', referee the defense, work on your rules and mechanics. Perish the thought. And when you didn't or couldn't based on your make up you were one or two, or maybe even three steps closer to the door. A year of rumbling had to lead up to this moment on both sides of the fence, coaches and veteran officials alike. And if your conference integrity is based on a system such as one that Coaches have say in who works and who doesn't then you don't have integrity to begin with because by its very nature that compromises the officials ability to handle situations with disregard to punitive measures on the backside. Which leads us to JRuts comments on lazy sports journalism whose members covet access to the coaches like Sportscenter anchors covet hair dye. So when a reporter hears a spiteful referee talk in the same manner/vein about a supervisor they have already been hearing rumblings about its easy to throw around terms like Bully and control freak. For a reporter this had to be the motherlode....Butter my apple with the coaches of the conference I cover, get collaboration of an anonymous referee and lead a witch hunt all in one story. For me this is a sad day for officiating. For once we as a community had a commissioner willing to stand by its officiating community, much more so than many on this board to be honest, and willing to see what happened for what it was...a misuse of language, a joke that missed its mark, admittedly badly so.

Careful folks, glass houses and all. Think long and hard next time that snappy little quotes floats its way to the top of your noggin when dealing with an all powerful coach lest you receive the very punishment that many of you called for here in your comments, namely the exact punishment that befell a coach that physically, mentally and verbally abused his players for multiple years. If that doesn't show how the two groups are viewed and treated I don't know what does. And the most hurtful thing of all is that we as a community can't or won't stand up for ourselves and support one another when one of us is in the crosshairs for something that deserved reprimanding but most certainly didn't warrant losing a job over.

Read what's out there tonight. Still feel this way?

[whistlemania]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

Read what's out there tonight. Still feel this way?

I noticed you quoted earlier about we are defined on how we act when no one is watching. The Commissioner of the league has been on several national shows on air stating that Miller wasn't fined for his post game press conference rant, but instead for the profanity laced comments he made to a conference staff person as soon as he walked off from said press conference. I always thought our character was revealed on how we handled adversity and how we treat those that are perceived to be below us, i.e. a conference staffer. So in comparison, a misplaced joke up against taking out your frustration for an disputed unwarranted technical foul through verbal abuse. The former loses his job, the latter a fine. As an Oracle your reporting has holes in it. In one you claim through language an intimate knowledge of Rush's ego, maybe being from Valley Forge and Rush from Pennsylvania you've had dealings with him? But then on the backside you report from referee's you know, i.e. word of mouth, that Miller is a great guy, who just so happens to verbally abuse staffers when he himself has been dealt a mis-justice--arguably. Seems like solid ground to be comparing the character of both men on to me for sure.

yes I still feel the same way about how our two groups are treated and that coaches have unreasonable power over how officiating programs are implemented nation wide at a multitude of various levels.

[TheOracle]

Originally Posted by whistlemania

yes I still feel the same way about how our two groups are treated and that coaches have unreasonable power over how officiating programs are implemented nation wide at a multitude of various levels.

That is how things work in every business. The victim mentality works for nobody. I wish you the best of luck.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by TheOracle

That is how things work in every business. The victim mentality works for nobody. I wish you the best of luck.

Not necessarily. It doesn't even work that way in OUR business, depending on the conference or association. Some allow coaches to have a huge influence over officiating assignments, including "scratches" to prevent certain officials from working their games. Those scratches lead to a big conflict of interest for officials when working games.

Other conferences and associations limit coach influence or disallow it completely.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by whistlemania

And if your conference integrity is based on a system such as one that Coaches have say in who works and who doesn't then you don't have integrity to begin with because by its very nature that compromises the officials ability to handle situations with disregard to punitive measures on the backside.

This is so true.

Fans are outraged at the implied conflict of interest of being rewarded for giving a technical foul to a coach — what about the flipside?

Do you think that officials never consider the consequences of a technical foul? That they have the same team coming up in a few weeks ... and who knows how many times for the rest of the season? That they don't want to be taken off of those games? Giving a technical foul might cost you thousands of dollars.

I was personally taken off of a game because I whacked a coach. He clearly deserved it — was on the floor, yelling at my partner across the floor about a call. It was not even close. My partner was gutless and did nothing. But it was a clear tech — so clear that I was calling it without even thinking — just automatic.

Never gave it another thought until I was called a few days later and taken off a future game for that team. So sorry, but we don't have a replacement game for you—too bad you already booked your flight. You can lose that money in addition to the game fee that you won't be getting.

That is complete and utter bullshit. And that happened at the small D1 conference level — you think it doesn't happen in the big leagues??? Don't kid yourself.

[Brad]

Originally Posted by Blindolbat

Seems like Rush is taking all the heat and in my opinion he deserves it. I wonder why the ref that called the T isn't receiving just as much. Is he? I mean essentially people are saying that he called a T to get $5k. Does he make it through this unscathed?

Because the T was warranted.

He never thought he was getting $5k. Nor did anyone else.