You Don't Say ...

[Rich1]

Also, for the record, I am not qualified to write this. I couldn't write myself out of a paper bag.


I disagree. You have a wealth of experience and your ideas are sound. Your writing is also good and since I now know it is intended as in internal, educational tool the tone and informality are fine -- makes it less preachy for that setting.

I understand being anonymous. We have policies in our chapter about commenting on other officials or their games. My interpretation of the policy is that it is ok for me to get on the forum to dicuss rules interpretations but I can be suspended from the chapter for many of the comments from others that I have read here that are overly critical about officials or their actions.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Indianaref

Far too often I hear other officials tell an offensive player to "get out of the lane", when in fact they are allowed to be there. I prefer to tell the players "keep moving".

No they're not, not if they've already been in there for several seconds, especially if they're gaining an advantage (oh, oh, now I've done it), unless, of course, they're moving to immediately try for a goal.

And they can "keep moving" in the lane all day long, but I'm still going to call a three second violation if they just keep running around in circles in the lane, and never get out of the lane.

And, no, three seconds has not been among my best calls of the season, but I call it when I have to, and I warn when I'm able to.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich1

My interpretation of the policy is that it is OK for me to get on the forum to discuss rules interpretations.

How many Riches are there that officiate basketball in Texas. It would take the National Security Agency to single you out of all the Texas Riches (if that's your real name, and real state). Your landline isn't tied into your computer, is it? They are keeping a list, you know, just in case.

Note: I do respect those Forum members who use their real names, first name, and last name, and real locations. Unfortunately, I'm not allowed to do that, and I usually do what I'm told to do.

[Rich1]

Originally Posted by BillyMac

How many Riches are there that officiate basketball in Texas. It would take the National Security Agency to single you out of all the Texas Riches (if that's your real name, and real state). Your landline isn't tied into your computer, is it? .

Rich is my real first name but 1 is not my real last name. But, so many people are always pointing at me and saying, "so you're the one" that I'm thinking of having my name legally changed. I wonder who the two is?

Not worried about the NSA. This is Texas! Don't you know we are our own country and don't have to follow y'all's rules if we don't like 'em. Rick Perry said so and I believe him.

And in Texas, we still use smoke signals and the pony express -- eliminates that whole bandwith mess.

[BillyMac]

Thanks for all your suggestions guys. I'll keep checking this thread for any further suggestions for a few more days, and then I'll send the final draft to my interpreter, for final editing, over the weekend.

Also, I know that a few Forum members don't believe that these "left unsaid" statements really should be "left unsaid", that I'm being too literal, too semantic, and too nitpicking. Thanks for not bringing up your criticism in this thread. I still welcome your criticism, and would be willing to debate you in another thread at any time. I really appreciate you "holding back" here, because this will eventually be published, whether you agree with my "unsaid" list, or not.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Rich1

This is Texas! Don't you know we are our own country.

Just don't come running to us when a bare-chested Vladimir Putin drives a tank down the streets of downtown Austin.



Wow. He wears his watch on his right hand. I thought that I was the only one in the world to do that. There goes my chance at my fifteen minutes of fame.

[BillyMac]

Things Officials Should Probably Not Be Saying In A Game

Calvin Coolidge once said, "The things I did not say never hurt me." Of course, he was not talking about basketball, but many officials would be smart to heed his sage advice as they communicate with coaches, and players.

Good communication skills are important tools to have on any official’s tool belt. Good communication with a partner, with a player, or with a coach, can go a long way to maintaining control of the game, having good game management, and having a smooth game. Sometimes this communication takes place in oral form, talking to players, or coaches, in some cases to explain a ruling, or in other cases to prevent a violation, or a foul. However, probably for reasons of tradition, there have been things that officials often, or sometimes, say during a game that do not have any basis in the rules, and should probably not be said in a game. This article will cover some of those “best left unsaid” statements.

“He wasn’t set”, is often an official’s answer to a coach who is questioning a blocking foul on his player. This implies that a defensive player must be set, and can’t move, to take a charge, while, in reality, the rules say otherwise. A defensive player does not have to remain stationary to take a charge. A defender may turn away or duck to absorb contact, provided he, or she, has already established legal guarding position, which is both feet on the playing court and facing the opponent. The defender can always move backwards, or sideways, to maintain a legal guarding position, and may even have one, or both feet, off the floor when contact occurs. That player may legally rise vertically. However, if the defender is moving forward, then the contact is caused by the defender, which, in this case, is a blocking foul.

"On the floor”, sometimes stated by officials for fouls against players who are not in the act of shooting, is also not rule based. This implies that a player cannot be on the floor, and shooting, at the same time, when in reality the old fashioned set shot, still used by some three point shooters, is a classic example of a player, on the floor, who is also in the act of shooting. Better statement: “No shot”.

"Don't move”, said to an inbounding player, by an official, before a designated spot throw-in, is another statement that should probably go unsaid. According to the rules, that player can move laterally within a three foot wide area, can jump up, and can move as far back as time, and space, will allow. Better statement: “Designated spot”, while pointing to the spot.

"Hold your spots", said by the referee, or tosser, before the jump ball, is only rule based for some of the players. One exception to this rule, and there are others, is that players on the jump ball circle can move off the jump ball circle at any time: before the toss, during the toss, or after the toss.

"You can't stand behind him”, stated by the referee, or the umpire, before a jump ball, to a player who is directly behind an opponent, both whom are ten feet off the jump ball circle, is not rule based. The rule that players can’t stand behind, within three feet, of an opponent, only applies to players on, and within three feet of, the jump ball circle. Players farther back than that can stand wherever they want, as long as they get to that spot first.

"Everybody get behind the division line”, often said by an official before free throws for a technical foul, or an intentional foul, is also not rule based. According to the rule, the nine non-shooters shall remain behind the free throw line extended, and behind the three point arc, and do not have to stay behind the division line. In some cases, this may allow players to legally converse with their coaches.

"Over the back", reported by an official to the table on a rebounding foul, is, in reality, probably a pushing foul. Over the back is not necessarily a foul. There must be illegal contact to have a foul. A taller player may often be able to get a rebound over a shorter player, even if the shorter player has good rebounding position. If the shorter player is displaced, then a pushing foul must be called, and this should be reported to the table as such.

"Reaching in", reported by an official to the table on a foul against a ball handler, is not necessarily a foul. There must be illegal contact to have a foul. The mere act of reaching in, is by itself, nothing. If illegal contact does occur, it’s probably a holding foul, an illegal use of hands foul, or a hand check foul, and these should be reported to the table as such.

"Coach, you have one timeout left", is a courtesy often extended by officials to coaches, when, by rule, officials should only be notifying head coaches when their team has been granted its final allowable timeout. If there is any miscommunication, or mistake, involving the table crew reporting remaining timeouts, then the officials, by rule, need to stay out of the conversation. Let the coaches, and table crew, communicate about remaining timeouts, other than when a team has been granted its final allowable timeout, which by rule, is required to be reported to the coach by the officials.

"Sit down", is occasionally stated by an official to a coach who is acting in an unsporting way, but who has not yet been charged with a technical foul, is not rule based. Back in the “olden days” of the “seatbelt rule”, this was a common method of dealing with coaches who have gone, or who are about to go, “over the line”. Now, with the coaching box, officials can only tell coaches to sit down after they have been charged with a direct technical foul, or an indirect technical foul, and even then, there are still a few occasions when these coaches can still legally stand up.

"You have to take out your earrings”, is occasionally stated by officials to players in the pregame layup lines who are wearing earrings. It’s only a minor difference in semantics, but it’s probably better, for legal liability reasons, to instead say, "You can't play, or even warm up, wearing earrings". This puts the decision, to remove the earrings, or not to remove the earrings, on the player, or the coach, and possibly, on the parent, and takes any legal liability off the official’s shoulders.

Finally, a thought by Will Rogers, “Never miss a good chance to shut up.”