On a kickoff the umpire touches the ball?

You know how dangerous it is to let the U talk without being monitored. :cool:

This is probably true in NY since they still use 4 officials in a lot of places.

You jest, but we had an Umpire who was threatened by a HC prior to a playoff game last year.

Teams can have balls inspected for approval at any time.

Sad, but unfortunately TRUE. For 4 man Kickoffs, the Umpire delegates that responsibility to the Head Linesman. The point is, anytime a new ball is introduced into the game, it should pass through an official's hands, even for a brief second.

Working a rare Saturday afternoon HS game this past week (rare for me, the college season doesn't start for another 12 days) and I'm working with a fill-in at the umpire position since our usual umpire was working the LLWS.

I asked the coach for his captain's numbers and when I got those, the umpire interrupted and said, "Who are your speaking captains?"

(Personally, I've contemplated losing asking for the captain's numbers line entirely since B/L/H can always record them during the coin toss.)

I guess he read my glare pretty well, cause afterwards he said, "I shouldn't have asked that, should I?" I said, "No, you just need to STFU." I didn't use the letters.

(Let me say that the U is a friend and a newer football official and I had a smile on my face.)

Probably should've handed him a Snickers as we were heading to the coaches.

Us umpires just can't catch a break around here!

You'd be SOL here, Rich. Somebody here decided a few years ago that we should turn and face our sideline to look for unsportsmanlike acts prior to and during the coin toss. Guess what most of our teams do, ....stay in the end zone. So then we send B down there if they are coming out of the same end to keep them apart. We end up staring at a couple of coaches, the ball boys, and a trainer, monitoring their behavior.

We have always done it that way...and I do it that way with my 4 man JV crew as well, unless for some reason we are running late. That conference takes maybe a minute and a half to two minutes +/-, unless coach explains razzle-dazzle play or wants clarification on something.

Every crew I've been with or heading up since the early 90's has done it that way. Must be a Washington County thing.....

That said, we may be the one of the only crews in WI not into the wide stripes yet.

I think it's healthy to question practices from time to time. I can't imagine a single positive of a coach being ganged up on by 5 officials.

The R/U have specific reasons for being there. The rest? Have other jobs to do.

We do our coin tosses while the teams are still warming up, about 6:40PM for a 7PM kickoff. The rest of the players keep warming up on their sides of the field while we do this.

I like the timing, myself, but I always wonder how this became standard practice around here, when the rest of the football world (at least NCAA/NFL, anyway) does it right before the opening kickoff.

I don't really disagree, and would have no issue the other way....I'd like to see Wade's take on it, because there's at least 8 to 10 crews I know and/or have subbed with do it the same way, and quite a few of those go pretty deep in the playoffs or to Mad-town every year.

As far as the other jobs to do....you guys must come out late or really go deep into conversation with the chain crews and trainers with all the time you have left. :)

Quite often around here we will have the actual coin toss off the field about 20-30 min before the game. Then we'll do a mock toss right before kick off.

As a basketball official I have been lurking on this thread am curious about this playoff game.

MTD, Sr.

We are on the field by 6:25PM. Every week. We're required to be there at 6:30PM, so I make sure we leave the school at 6:20PM.

We take the time after the coin toss to observe the teams, talk to the ball boys, etc. We put 4 officials on the 30 yard line on each sideline and the BJ on the 50. No huddling, no congregating. It's all bidness.

At some point, we'll talk to ball boys, greet the trainer, and at some point in the last couple of minutes, I'll personally thank the chain crew and remind them that I keep a fast pace (I act like I'm kidding, but I'm not).

Knowing Wade, he'd ask "what's in the manual?" That said, it's not the kind of thing that would make or break a deep playoff run, IMO.

Oh, and love the wide stripes.

The "simulated coin toss" has to be the dumbest thing I've ever seen written in a manual/book. Thankfully, we simply do it at the 50-yard line -- at 20 minutes.

Conference rules dictate these kind of things.