Basketball coach gets ejected; then arrested

Umpired my first Jr. High Baseball at 14
Umpired my first 16-U baseball game at 17.
Umpired my first 18-U baseball game at 19.
Started refereeing Jr. High, HS Basketball at 20.

If you know the rules/mechanics...hell, you don't even have to be all that skilled mechanically at first.....you can start young if you want.

Good friend of mine went to Umpiring School in Florida at age 20. 13 years later, he gets the call to the bigs......did some interleague games last year, and told me Saturday he heads to Fla. for Spring Training last of the month, and will start the season in AAA Las Vegas.

 

I don't think knowing the rules/making the right calls is the issue with teenage officials, it's exactly what appears to be the problem in the case that inspired this thread --- getting respect from coaches who are most-times at least twice your age.

 

I've reffed 3 mens "town team" basketball leagues this year.

In the last 2 weeks, we have suspended 3 people for a calendar year.

I've lived here all my life, so I know these guys.

First guy, their team is down 18......with 3 minutes left in the game. He get pissed at the other ref on a block/charge call....picks up the ball, and from a distance of no more than 10 feet, throws it at his head as hard as he can....Luckily, it missed, or we've got a full-fledged donnybrook.

2 nights ago.....2 notable hot-heads on the same team......they are down 20.......inside of a minute left in the game......one gets pissed on an out of bounds call I made.......goes to the OTHER REF......tells him how bad he is, that he is a son of a bitch...Bang..Gone........then tells him he's going to meet him outside after the game......other hot-head on the same team proceeds to spit on everything within a 10-foot radius of him.....tells him what a sorry sack of shit he is.....yadda-yadda.....What really did it is both players were out in the parking lot waiting for him after the game, and threatened to kick his ass, so on and so forth.......

My point is this.......it doesn't matter how old you are, how many years you've officiated.

The players/coaches will respect the officials.

 

Good post chef. I used to receive a lot more compliments from U-8, U-10, U-12 coaches when I was first starting out than I ever did from U-14 and above as I got older.

 

Chef, I almost got tossed from my church league because I asked for the refs to do a rotation. No cussing either.

Boy did that piss them off. lol

None of my teammates had any idea what I did.

 

If you think you don't have to be mechanically sound to do ANY level game, you're wrong. Mechanics will outweigh poor calls every time. Make the call like you know you're right and it'll stick. They may not agree, but if you waiver, no chance of selling it.

I've been calling games since I was 13. Even at 31 now, I still have problems with coaches, but now I've learned to handle it differently. Ignore them.

 

If you can make people believe your calls, you will do fine in any sport.

I have reffed soccer, basketball and baseball, and it is true for any sport.

Plus, you have to make good calls. You have to be in position to make the calls as well.

Any ref that makes shitty calls will get clobbered.

 

Two things I expect from the officials (and I've coached middle school & lower-level high school girls basketball):
*-Consistency (not the old "call it both ways" stuff -- although I've been homered before -- but if you're going to allow both teams to handcheck in the first half, allow them to handcheck in the second half).
*-Professionalism (mechanics are VERY important -- they tell me you know what you're doing. If I have a question, and I ask it in a non-argumentative way, please answer it. Don't let the game get out of control and then tech the first person who looks at you the wrong way "to send a message" as you let the game degenerate. Don't cop an attitude with me when I ask a question. And don't cop the attitude that everyone paid their five bucks to watch you officiate).

It's unlikely that a 17-year-old probably has developed the mechanics or has the experience to be "professional" yet ... but he may be close. I've had games where a father-son team worked together, and the 20-year-old son was 100 times more professional than the father.

Even if he is awful, there is no reason to assault the official physically, opposing players, et al. Even if you're getting screwed by some inconsistent, unprofessional homer whose ego is bigger than the gym, you have to learn that things are done when the game is over. You get teed up once, you sit down and shut up and let the kids play the game. You don't try to get in the last word ... and you especially don't when you're ejected (if I were the official, I would've stopped the game until the coach left the premises -- not just the bench -- or forfeited the game).

 

I'll take the under.

 

hilariously bad story

with no byline

weird