An interesting night

[Canned Heat]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I always thought not catching the coin was what led to the NFL's coin toss fiasco a few years back. I almost always catch (sometimes I use a coin that's too large to catch). I catch two handed, left on bottom and right on top. That way I can repeat the captain's call before the result of the flip is known.

Also, I stopped using my thumb to flip the coin. I hold the coin by the edge between my thumb and index finger and toss it into the air so it flips. That gives better control for the catch.

We're here to talk shop, so....I always let it hit the ground and I tell both sets of captains exactly that after I get choice of H or T from spokesman beforehand so no one squeezes in and gets in the way. In the event of playing in a mudpit I would consider catching it, but I watched too many guys along the way over the years that flipped it into the captains, flipped it over behind himself or into the captains in a 40+ mph wind, fumbled and dropped it on a cold day, etc...and I just think it looks better and leaves any additional issues from arising. Ref almost gets a handle on it and slaps it on his hand...one captain or the other sees it before it slips off into the grass and WH never got a look at it and now you have to reflip after the captain may have already seen he should've won the toss. "Coach...the ref dropped it after I saw heads and we lost the toss on the second flip."

No thanks.

Just my take.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Canned Heat

We're here to talk shop, so....I always let it hit the ground and I tell both sets of captains exactly that after I get choice of H or T from spokesman beforehand so no one squeezes in and gets in the way. In the event of playing in a mudpit I would consider catching it, but I watched too many guys along the way over the years that flipped it into the captains, flipped it over behind himself or into the captains in a 40+ mph wind, fumbled and dropped it on a cold day, etc...and I just think it looks better and leaves any additional issues from arising. Ref almost gets a handle on it and slaps it on his hand...one captain or the other sees it before it slips off into the grass and WH never got a look at it and now you have to reflip after the captain may have already seen he should've won the toss. "Coach...the ref dropped it after I saw heads and we lost the toss on the second flip."

No thanks.

Just my take.

I think I've dropped a coin maybe 5 times in 12 years of soccer (probably on the order of 600-700 tosses). On the other hand, I think coins which hit the ground are ambiguous about a quarter of the time.

YMWV

[Rich]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I think I've dropped a coin maybe 5 times in 12 years of soccer (probably on the order of 600-700 tosses). On the other hand, I think coins which hit the ground are ambiguous about a quarter of the time.

YMWV

I've never had to retoss a coin.

I have watched referees toss coins and then they flip them over onto their wrist after catching them. I just think that looks terrible. It was heads when he caught it, now it's tails as he flips it one last time. I get that the method is consistent and not nefarious in any way, but I think it looks like crap.

[Eastshire]

Originally Posted by Rich

I've never had to retoss a coin.

I have watched referees toss coins and then they flip them over onto their wrist after catching them. I just think that looks terrible. It was heads when he caught it, now it's tails as he flips it one last time. I get that the method is consistent and not nefarious in any way, but I think it looks like crap.

Which is why I catch with both hands, then reveal. (It's also easier to catch with two hands than one!) I don't know that I've seen a hit the ground retossed, but I have seen ones that I thought were on edge declared one side or the other where I thought they should have been tossed again.

[Forksref]

Originally Posted by Eastshire

I think coins which hit the ground are ambiguous about a quarter of the time.

YMWV

I use a silver dollar so it's never a quarter of the time.


Worst conditions: Afternoon NAIA game, actual temperature 9 degrees with lots of wind. Wind chill must have been at least -20. Two arch-rivals and as a BJ of a 5-man crew I had to record the major penalties of which there were many due to the rivalry. It took a LONG time to warm up after that game.

[DLH17]

Originally Posted by Forksref

I use a silver dollar so it's never a quarter of the time.


Worst conditions: Afternoon NAIA game, actual temperature 9 degrees with lots of wind. Wind chill must have been at least -20. Two arch-rivals and as a BJ of a 5-man crew I had to record the major penalties of which there were many due to the rivalry. It took a LONG time to warm up after that game.

Sioux Falls, Carroll or MT Tech?

[jTheUmp]

On the other hand, I had a coinflip in a JV game this year where I let it hit the ground and it landed on its edge (the grass was very thick, and I only had a quarter).

My white-hat always gets the captain's choice BEFORE he flips the coin, and then both he and I (U) repeat the captain's choice before the toss occurs. He catches the toss on a grass field and lets it land on a turf field.

Anyway, back on topic: my most interesting game was a 7th grade game about 4 years back... monsoon conditions, 1-3 inches of standing water in most places on the field, both teams wearing uniforms that made them indistinguishable from each other after about the middle of the 2nd quarter. (plain white helmets, white pants, white jerseys for one and gold jerseys for the other)

At one point we had a fumble pileup where I went in, figured out what player had the ball, and then had to ask him which team he was on before I could point in a direction.

The kids had a blast... I had to spend about 2 hours scrubbing my knickers after that.

What would've been my most interesting weather game was the state quarterfinal game my crew was assigned 2 years ago. Most of the quarterfinal games were being played on Friday night; ours was on Saturday. About 11:00 Friday night, it started snowing. By noon on Saturday we had over 15 inches of snow, with no signs of letting up, and the game was due to start in 5 hours. The game was postponed until the following Monday and moved indoors to the Metrodome. I was actually disappointed; I was really looking forward to a snow game.

[Rich]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

On the other hand, I had a coinflip in a JV game this year where I let it hit the ground and it landed on its edge (the grass was very thick, and I only had a quarter).

I toss a 1976 silver dollar. Same coin I've tossed in every game for the last 8+ years (I bought it in a coin shop in Hawaii). It doesn't land on edge.

[bigjohn]

I have a coin flip app for my iPhone, you guys can use it if you do one of my games.

[Texas Aggie]

Only had about 3-4 "weather" games. First one was a few years ago in a playoff game -- cold and a little raining. Field ended up a little muddy but not too bad. I went into the game thinking it would be miserable, and frankly, it wasn't. My line judge slipped hustling to a spot and caught himself before he went down (white knickers then), so I was impressed.

A couple of years later, we did a Saturday game that made up for a Friday cancel due to lightning. It rained consistently through the game and the field had standing water on it. I don't think I've ever been that thoroughly soaked in my life. My HL's sideline was pretty muddy and he looked like he'd been the pit guy in a tracker pull when it was all over!

Last year, we had a steady, cold rain in one subvarsity game, but on turf. Again, soaked, but manageable. None of these games were really that big a deal, but the one I hated the worst was when we were basically on a cow pasture -- muddy field, though the weather was fine. On 3 successive plays, I (R) lined up behind the QB, the slot receiver on the right side, and the slot receiver on the left just trying to find a place I could start without being 2" deep in mud.

[Rufus]

Originally Posted by bigjohn

I have a coin flip app for my iPhone, you guys can use it if you do one of my games.

How will you know if it's heads or tails, though, if the phone lands screen down after you toss it?

[parepat]

1. I let the coin land (in defiance of state directive) unless it is muddy. I never have a problem.

2. In pregame on a VERY rainy stretch at the end of the season a few years back, home coach says. "If a play ends out of bounds on our sideline I am concerned that someone could drown." I thought he was joking. He wasn't. There was 6 inches of standing water just out of bounds. Since my mom told me that one could drown in a spoonful of water, I couldn't help agreeing with him.

[CT1]

Originally Posted by parepat

In pregame on a VERY rainy stretch at the end of the season a few years back, home coach says. "If a play ends out of bounds on our sideline I am concerned that someone could drown." I thought he was joking. He wasn't. There was 6 inches of standing water just out of bounds.

"Fine, Coach. We're going home. Call us when you reschedule the game."

[MN BB Ref]

Originally Posted by jTheUmp

On the other hand, I had a coinflip in a JV game this year where I let it hit the ground and it landed on its edge (the grass was very thick, and I only had a quarter).

My white-hat always gets the captain's choice BEFORE he flips the coin, and then both he and I (U) repeat the captain's choice before the toss occurs. He catches the toss on a grass field and lets it land on a turf field.

Anyway, back on topic: my most interesting game was a 7th grade game about 4 years back... monsoon conditions, 1-3 inches of standing water in most places on the field, both teams wearing uniforms that made them indistinguishable from each other after about the middle of the 2nd quarter. (plain white helmets, white pants, white jerseys for one and gold jerseys for the other)

At one point we had a fumble pileup where I went in, figured out what player had the ball, and then had to ask him which team he was on before I could point in a direction.

The kids had a blast... I had to spend about 2 hours scrubbing my knickers after that.

What would've been my most interesting weather game was the state quarterfinal game my crew was assigned 2 years ago. Most of the quarterfinal games were being played on Friday night; ours was on Saturday. About 11:00 Friday night, it started snowing. By noon on Saturday we had over 15 inches of snow, with no signs of letting up, and the game was due to start in 5 hours. The game was postponed until the following Monday and moved indoors to the Metrodome. I was actually disappointed; I was really looking forward to a snow game.

Did you get a state semi last year and a state final this year? We received our state semi today in the mail from the MSHSL. We had a state 1/4 last year (our first) and we had the time of our lives. It was an awesome game decided by a missed two point conversion in the final 2 minutes. This of course will be our first time working at the Metrodome and we are really looking forward to it.

[jTheUmp]

Originally Posted by MN BB Ref

Did you get a state semi last year and a state final this year? We received our state semi today in the mail from the MSHSL. We had a state 1/4 last year (our first) and we had the time of our lives. It was an awesome game decided by a missed two point conversion in the final 2 minutes. This of course will be our first time working at the Metrodome and we are really looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, my crew got bounced out of the playoffs after that quarterfinal game (not that we kicked any major calls or anything... just that there aren't enough games for everyone to get one). We'll get back there soon I hope.

When you get your semifinal date/time figured out, drop me a PM. I work downtown and usually spend most of the semifinal weekend at the dome watching games with some other officials.