Heartwarming yet sticky situation

ljudge · #1 (**permalink**) Fri Oct 15, 2004, 09:05pm

This is an excellent story but really can put officials in a difficult position. I'm guessing the officials had to know what was going on.

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...ists/article/0,1299,DRMN_86_3255491,00.html

yankeesfan · #2 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 12:02am

i clicked on the link but i dont see any story there. what is it about or how can i get to read it.

New AZ Ref · #3 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 12:48am

Try this:

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drm...255491,00.html

bjudge · #4 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 06:27am

Everyone had to know, the story is exaggerated or the officials were sleeping. This would be a classic case of deception which would fall under unfair acts. However, it is a good story.

Bob Lyle · #5 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 07:26am

OK, how many of you would flag this play and take the heat for being the lowest form of life?

JugglingReferee · #6 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 09:16am

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob Lyle
OK, how many of you would flag this play and take the heat for being the lowest form of life?

...and the headline would read "Ref flags player with CP on only career TD"

bjudge · #7 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 06:43pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Bob Lyle
OK, how many of you would flag this play and take the heat for being the lowest form of life?

Ok I will bite. In the scenario of the article with the score being such a wide spread, I wouldnt.

However, if the score is tied with a minute left in the game, I would have to think twice about that one.........

Jim S · #8 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 08:02pm

I would be willing to bet that this was set up in advance, like the play a couple of years ago with another young man in the same position. As I remember it was the opposing coach in that case who suggested that the player be allowed to score.
It would seem a bit strange that a player with these kind of physical limitations would make a 75 yard run without be ing caught. In the previous situation I remember that BOTH teams were cheering the player on. And I love the aditude that does this.
Makes a lot of what we see and hear go away.

Snake~eyes · #9 (**permalink**) Sat Oct 16, 2004, 10:54pm

Quote:

Originally posted by Jim S
I would be willing to bet that this was set up in advance, like the play a couple of years ago with another young man in the same position. As I remember it was the opposing coach in that case who suggested that the player be allowed to score.
It would seem a bit strange that a player with these kind of physical limitations would make a 75 yard run without be ing caught. In the previous situation I remember that BOTH teams were cheering the player on. And I love the aditude that does this.
Makes a lot of what we see and hear go away.

Exactly what I was thinking, but the article makes it sound kind of weird.

OverAndBack · #10 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 17, 2004, 02:08pm

If the opposing coach was okay with it (it doesn't sound like it by the sound of the article), I'm not standing in their way. The game belongs to the participants, not to us. I'm not looking to hinder the many different processes at work here.

Sounds like it was deceptive. But if there were only 11 guys in the huddle, I don't know of any rule that says one of those guys can't be holding a bottle of water, is there? And if someone came out of the huddle holding water and then chucked it off to the sideline, that's okay, right?

In a similar situation (where a guy came off the sideline and didn't get within 15 yards of the ball, like he's supposed to), I had a very experienced umpire tell me he'd go over to the coach and say "I know you weren't really trying to deceive anyone there, coach, so I'm not going to flag it, you know what I mean?" Wink-wink, nudge-nudge?

In this situation, with the confluence of good samaritanship, sportsmanship, fair play, and "what's really important in life" and all that, I'd just hold my breath and hope to God I was the wing on the other side of the field and I would all of a sudden notice that my shoes needed tying and I would stay down there tying them until the guy in the white hat sorted it all out. And if he looks at me, I'm not making eye contact.

Jim S · #11 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 17, 2004, 04:04pm

Quote:

Originally posted by OverAndBack

In a similar situation (where a guy came off the sideline and didn't get within 15 yards of the ball, like he's supposed to), I had a very experienced umpire tell me he'd go over to the coach and say "I know you weren't really trying to deceive anyone there, coach, so I'm not going to flag it, you know what I mean?" Wink-wink, nudge-nudge?

First off, what the *&#( was the umpire doing going over to talk to a coach in the first place? He wouldn't be the one to flag this to start with. Second, if you let a team get away with a play that you think is deception without a flag, they've won. You can try this sort of thing once in a game, if it works you've accomplished your objective. To not make a call here is allowing the USL and not doing the job! Wink-wink, nudge-nudge (And I'm sure the coach promissed that he'd NEVER do such a thing again.)

OverAndBack · #12 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 17, 2004, 09:04pm

Hey, relax. The guy is an umpire by trade, and I know him as an umpire, but I believe he was working as a wing at the time that happened (obviously). Chill.

Snake~eyes · #13 (**permalink**) Sun Oct 17, 2004, 10:10pm

Quote:

Originally posted by OverAndBack
Hey, relax. The guy is an umpire by trade, and I know him as an umpire, but I believe he was working as a wing at the time that happened (obviously). Chill.

Jim is just using a little satire, I was under the impression that the Umpire walked over to the sidelines also, I was thinking the same thing as Jim.