RichardGraham
11-02-2008, 02:59 AM
Hi Folks,
Until you people (what do you mean, you people?) start commenting on IHC's new blogs, I'm going to post them in Forums as well as Blogs. Don't say I didn't warn ya. ;)
Here's Bill Hecklick's second effort. Very timely, very well done.
**
CONFESSIONS OF A ZEBRA
Why referees keep their lips zipped when it comes to talking to the media.
by Bill Hecklick
I know I promised a follow-up to my last blog in this new installment, but some recent developments on the forums have inspired me to go in a slightly different direction. Ever wonder why you never see a ref explaining a call on NHL on the Fly? When was the last time you saw a New York Times article with quotes from the officiating crew that did the Rangers’ last game? There’s a reason for it.
Officials of all sports (at least that I’m aware of) operate under what pretty much equates to a gag order. It’s a written policy and a contractual obligation for professional and high-level leagues, and all other leagues that receive at least moderate press coverage. It’s one thing for Terrell Owens to bad-mouth his teammates and his organization when his temper flares up after a tough loss -- but it’s an entirely different ballgame if Don Koharski blows four calls in a playoff game and his partner tells Christine Simpson how he felt about his partner’s game during the Versus post-game interview.
While I agree that officials should never talk to the media, it certainly leaves a lot to the imagination for the players, coaches, and fans. I’m here to let you in on a lot of things that the participants in the game may not know about officials in general, how we think, how we react, and why we do (or don’t do) certain things.
1. “Call it both ways, ref!”
I’d venture to say this is probably the most common complaint amongst players, coaches, and spectators. Everyone seems to think the refs “have it out” for a certain team or a certain player. Well, let me assure you, any official who has progressed beyond house league games and local tournaments would not be working your game if he were a truly biased official. We really don’t care who wins or loses a game - honestly, we don’t. A quality official will have the good sense to make sure he isn’t scheduled to officiate a game where there could be a potential conflict of interest. We are required to do so under USARS/AAU and USAHIL rules. It’s right there in the official’s manual - look it up.
If your team is full of goons, or has a few players that play rough (most teams do, we understand that) - guess what? You’re going to get penalties called against you. Call a guy for a borderline hook on Team A early in the game, then he and his team are all over you every time Team B’s players lift their stick off the ground.
A good official will not let anyone’s badgering affect the way he calls a game, except for the increased likelihood of unsportsmanlike conduct calls and misconduct assessments.
2. “Even it up a little bit!”
So, your team has taken 4 penalties in the first period, and the opposing team has taken 0. So, should we begin inventing calls to make against the opposition just to “even it up?” You might be able to get a really soft official to “even it up”, but anyone worth his weight will let something like that go in one ear and out the other.
3. “Call what you see not what it is!” - Sent in by Jeff Morgan (IHC reader)
His quote: “We had a player board another player and my partner called the penalty. When play stopped the offending player yelled at my partner, “Call what you see, not what it is!” This was almost two years ago and the player still has not lived it down. I hear his own teammates still making fun of him.”
4. We’re humans, too.
Yes, I understand that you paid good money to participate in this league/tournament. And I also understand that a portion of that fee goes toward paying me for the job I am paid very well to do. But please, please understand that we are not robots that are trained to do a perfect job every time out. Hockey is a very fast-paced game and, unfortunately, its rules are interpreted differently not only from league to league, but also from game to game, and sometimes minute to minute. Consistency of officiating has always been, and always will be an issue that we need to work on improving every single day. Will we ever be perfect? No. That’s why it’s so important for an official to develop a good rapport with coaches, players, and league/tournament directors.
Even if you only have 30 extra seconds before a game, use that 30 seconds wisely. Don’t just sit in the penalty box and text your girlfriend, don’t worry about what bar you’re going to after the game, don’t point out hot girls in the stands with your partner - go over and introduce yourself to the captains/coaches. Be professional, courteous, and kind. That will go a long way in helping to avoid hearing some of the things mentioned above.
Tips for players:
1. If you have a complaint about an official, please take your complaint to the league/tournament director or head official, and do it respectfully. You’re not going to get in the ref’s head, nor are you going to get him to change his mind about a call/non-call.
2. Don’t force us to make calls that we really don’t want to have to make. EX: If your league has a “3-and-out” or similar rule where a certain number of penalties lead to a game misconduct - don’t force us to eject you with your final penalty being an unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing the 2nd penalty. Skate to the box, take your 2 minutes, and tell your teammates how bad we suck after we’ve skated away.
3. If you’re going to argue a rule, please make sure you KNOW the rule. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to bite my tongue as I wanted to tell a player to “go read the rulebook, it’s on page 25.”
4. Once the game is over, win or lose, it’s over. Once the final whistle sounds, any degrading comments you might make to us will be treated more severely. What may have landed you a 10-minute misconduct during a game might lead to a suspension if done after a game.
5. We really don’t want to penalize you, nor do we want to throw you out of the game, but we will if you force us to do so. We have to ensure that the game is safe, fair, and fun for everyone, and we must also enforce the rules that you must respect the officials and the opposition.
Tips for coaches:
1. If you’re seeing something that you think we’re missing - please let us know. Just make sure you do it in a respectful manner. Step down off the bench, talk to us in a normal tone of voice, and we’ll keep our eyes open.
2. The refs (and the other team) know when you’re trying to send a message to your opponent. If this is strictly the doing of your players, you must do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t happen. This is not ice hockey, and there is a different code. If it is your doing, shame on you.
3. Yelling at the officials does not motivate your team to do anything but yell at us as well. Then we have to start handing out penalties, and it only gets worse from there. Please, see Tip #1.
Tips for parents/spectators:
1. We can’t hear you (most of the time).
2. We are not biased.
3. We are not blind.
4. Your complaints to the governing body will not be met with much sympathy.
5. We really want your kid to have a good time, improve his/her physical conditioning, meet new friends, learn the game, and learn some lessons in sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. You should want them to do the same.
Until you people (what do you mean, you people?) start commenting on IHC's new blogs, I'm going to post them in Forums as well as Blogs. Don't say I didn't warn ya. ;)
Here's Bill Hecklick's second effort. Very timely, very well done.
**
CONFESSIONS OF A ZEBRA
Why referees keep their lips zipped when it comes to talking to the media.
by Bill Hecklick
I know I promised a follow-up to my last blog in this new installment, but some recent developments on the forums have inspired me to go in a slightly different direction. Ever wonder why you never see a ref explaining a call on NHL on the Fly? When was the last time you saw a New York Times article with quotes from the officiating crew that did the Rangers’ last game? There’s a reason for it.
Officials of all sports (at least that I’m aware of) operate under what pretty much equates to a gag order. It’s a written policy and a contractual obligation for professional and high-level leagues, and all other leagues that receive at least moderate press coverage. It’s one thing for Terrell Owens to bad-mouth his teammates and his organization when his temper flares up after a tough loss -- but it’s an entirely different ballgame if Don Koharski blows four calls in a playoff game and his partner tells Christine Simpson how he felt about his partner’s game during the Versus post-game interview.
While I agree that officials should never talk to the media, it certainly leaves a lot to the imagination for the players, coaches, and fans. I’m here to let you in on a lot of things that the participants in the game may not know about officials in general, how we think, how we react, and why we do (or don’t do) certain things.
1. “Call it both ways, ref!”
I’d venture to say this is probably the most common complaint amongst players, coaches, and spectators. Everyone seems to think the refs “have it out” for a certain team or a certain player. Well, let me assure you, any official who has progressed beyond house league games and local tournaments would not be working your game if he were a truly biased official. We really don’t care who wins or loses a game - honestly, we don’t. A quality official will have the good sense to make sure he isn’t scheduled to officiate a game where there could be a potential conflict of interest. We are required to do so under USARS/AAU and USAHIL rules. It’s right there in the official’s manual - look it up.
If your team is full of goons, or has a few players that play rough (most teams do, we understand that) - guess what? You’re going to get penalties called against you. Call a guy for a borderline hook on Team A early in the game, then he and his team are all over you every time Team B’s players lift their stick off the ground.
A good official will not let anyone’s badgering affect the way he calls a game, except for the increased likelihood of unsportsmanlike conduct calls and misconduct assessments.
2. “Even it up a little bit!”
So, your team has taken 4 penalties in the first period, and the opposing team has taken 0. So, should we begin inventing calls to make against the opposition just to “even it up?” You might be able to get a really soft official to “even it up”, but anyone worth his weight will let something like that go in one ear and out the other.
3. “Call what you see not what it is!” - Sent in by Jeff Morgan (IHC reader)
His quote: “We had a player board another player and my partner called the penalty. When play stopped the offending player yelled at my partner, “Call what you see, not what it is!” This was almost two years ago and the player still has not lived it down. I hear his own teammates still making fun of him.”
4. We’re humans, too.
Yes, I understand that you paid good money to participate in this league/tournament. And I also understand that a portion of that fee goes toward paying me for the job I am paid very well to do. But please, please understand that we are not robots that are trained to do a perfect job every time out. Hockey is a very fast-paced game and, unfortunately, its rules are interpreted differently not only from league to league, but also from game to game, and sometimes minute to minute. Consistency of officiating has always been, and always will be an issue that we need to work on improving every single day. Will we ever be perfect? No. That’s why it’s so important for an official to develop a good rapport with coaches, players, and league/tournament directors.
Even if you only have 30 extra seconds before a game, use that 30 seconds wisely. Don’t just sit in the penalty box and text your girlfriend, don’t worry about what bar you’re going to after the game, don’t point out hot girls in the stands with your partner - go over and introduce yourself to the captains/coaches. Be professional, courteous, and kind. That will go a long way in helping to avoid hearing some of the things mentioned above.
Tips for players:
1. If you have a complaint about an official, please take your complaint to the league/tournament director or head official, and do it respectfully. You’re not going to get in the ref’s head, nor are you going to get him to change his mind about a call/non-call.
2. Don’t force us to make calls that we really don’t want to have to make. EX: If your league has a “3-and-out” or similar rule where a certain number of penalties lead to a game misconduct - don’t force us to eject you with your final penalty being an unsportsmanlike conduct for arguing the 2nd penalty. Skate to the box, take your 2 minutes, and tell your teammates how bad we suck after we’ve skated away.
3. If you’re going to argue a rule, please make sure you KNOW the rule. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to bite my tongue as I wanted to tell a player to “go read the rulebook, it’s on page 25.”
4. Once the game is over, win or lose, it’s over. Once the final whistle sounds, any degrading comments you might make to us will be treated more severely. What may have landed you a 10-minute misconduct during a game might lead to a suspension if done after a game.
5. We really don’t want to penalize you, nor do we want to throw you out of the game, but we will if you force us to do so. We have to ensure that the game is safe, fair, and fun for everyone, and we must also enforce the rules that you must respect the officials and the opposition.
Tips for coaches:
1. If you’re seeing something that you think we’re missing - please let us know. Just make sure you do it in a respectful manner. Step down off the bench, talk to us in a normal tone of voice, and we’ll keep our eyes open.
2. The refs (and the other team) know when you’re trying to send a message to your opponent. If this is strictly the doing of your players, you must do everything in your power to make sure it doesn’t happen. This is not ice hockey, and there is a different code. If it is your doing, shame on you.
3. Yelling at the officials does not motivate your team to do anything but yell at us as well. Then we have to start handing out penalties, and it only gets worse from there. Please, see Tip #1.
Tips for parents/spectators:
1. We can’t hear you (most of the time).
2. We are not biased.
3. We are not blind.
4. Your complaints to the governing body will not be met with much sympathy.
5. We really want your kid to have a good time, improve his/her physical conditioning, meet new friends, learn the game, and learn some lessons in sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct. You should want them to do the same.