Author Topic: Bad officiating stories?  (Read 18107 times)

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Offline walkintall

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Bad officiating stories?
« on: October 01, 2014, 11:00:28 AM »
I was asked to run a clock in a playoff game for another region's officials.

After a score, K is behind and attempts the onside kick. K1 kicks the top of the ball causing the high bounce. K2 catches the ball in stride at the R 48 and continues to run downfield to the great delight of the home crowd. K2 is hit at the R 25 and fumbles it and is recovered by R. Officials signal first down for R. I see the K coach talking with the officials after the play and I'm thinking that they're about to straighten it out. Nope. Coach is "wrong." 1st and 10 at the 25 for R.

During the rest of the second-half, I was trying to figure out a way I could approach their mistake without looking like I'm trying to show up 5 guys I just met before the game. It turns out I didn't have to approach them. When I walked in to the dressing room, the white hat asked me:

"What did you think about that onside kick?"

"Well...the kicking team cannot advance an onside kick."

"Yes they can."

"No...they can't, but they can advance a fumble by R"

"They can advance the kick as well. We had it last week and we got it right then, too."

"I've got a rule book with me..."

"Get the book."

I turn to rule 6.1.5 and read "If any K player recovers or catches a free kick, the ball becomes dead."

"Let me see that..." (reading) "Well, we blew it....and we blew it last week, too."

Fortunately, this had no bearing on the visiting team's victory.

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #1 on: October 01, 2014, 01:44:35 PM »
IMHO, the best rule of :thumbup on deciding if it was a catch and fumble or muff by the receivers is : would you have ruled it complete if it was a forward pass? If yes,than a fumble...if no ,than a muff. The worst officiating (I believe I may have posted it somewhere one before, but am getting senile :)) story occurred back in the early '70s when I was a shy but wide-eyed wingman :

 Late in an already decided game K is punting from their own 10 ;(1) Kick is blocked by R and bounces untouched back thru K's end zone; (2) Gruff 'ole white hat brings ball to K's 20; (2) He then signals touchback :!#; (3) AND gives the ball to R, 1st & 10 going in :o ::) :!# crazy; (4) Both coaches made the mistake of thinking he know what he was talking about yEs: ; (5) A few plays later, the game ended without R now A scoring; (6) On the way home, after getting up the nerve to, I inquired ,"Mister referee, why wasn't that a safety ????"; Mister referee responded : " I don't like to mess with *&^%$# kickoffs".......I had my answer hEaDbAnG

Offline yarnnelg

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2014, 07:22:40 PM »
We have one of those book wonders. 99 or 100 on every test.  :bOW but ..... You never want him on the field with you. Cannot apply rules and play applications on the field.  hEaDbAnG we put him at back judge one night, scrum with the ball on the ground the entire time, I have a clear view, suddenly, whistle. I bean bag it IW and he stands and argues with me. I picked up the ball and handed it to him. They still haven't recovered the fumble yet.  ???

We put him at Umpire. Last play first half, B intercepts and starts the return. First block A looking over his shoulder gets blindsided by a linebacker drawing an ohhhhhhhhh from the crowd, as I turn I see the flag, down my sideline we go, trailing the runner, blocker for B takes out the last A with a beautiful block above the waist and in front. In we go for the TD. I turn to see this guy arguing with the coaches on my sideline ! We come together, Did you see that block in the back at the 35? You mean by 52? Yeah, why didn't you throw your flag? Chest to chest, what are you looking at? Ok, then the block at the fifteen? White Hat says I saw both great blocks, pick up your flags and never start an argument with the sidelines again!

Evaluating head was upstairs and met us under the stands in the locker room. "Get him out of here before he gets one of us hurt, I am not dodging rocks to my truck." We had a new Umpire to start the half. Coach says what happened? "Pulled a groin muscle on that last play." "Thank God"
 

Offline mostripes

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #3 on: October 20, 2014, 02:30:42 PM »
I'll start by saying this is little league which so many people tend to stay a way from (probably just because of stories like this).. Saturday was the first round of playoffs in our area, and we had trouble finding enough officials to field four on two fields, so we called around to other local area little league programs to try and field 8 officials.  We've completed two of the four games and had one official leave.  We've started the third game, when one of the replacement refs from a different area shows up... college aged kid, who was probably easily pushing 350 lbs, and looked like he borrowed a striped shirt from someone half his size.  It was so ill-fitting that he couldn't even tuck the shirt in to his pants and had his gut hanging out below the shirt. 

Long story short, he was absolutely worthless.. and ended up, in my opinion played a major impact on the outcome of the game.

He had a pass play that he call a catch and fumble that the defense recovered, which after the game the coach of the defense at the time said was clearly an incomplete pass..
At another point in the game he threw a flag and when asked what the penalty was told me that the defense had a "head tackle". 
Then because of his size and lack of movement at the end of the game was slow to catch up on a run and ended up spotting the ball about a yard short of where it should have been on a 4th down play which after measuring, the offense (who was down 6-0 at that point) ended up about 2 inches short of the chain.

I'm in my 15th year of officiating, and that was one of the very few times I can say I was embarrassed to be on the field. 

Offline Etref

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #4 on: October 20, 2014, 03:17:12 PM »
We have one of those book wonders. 99 or 100 on every test.  :bOW but ..... You never want him on the field with you. Cannot apply rules and play applications on the field.  hEaDbAnG we put him at back judge one night, scrum with the ball on the ground the entire time, I have a clear view, suddenly, whistle. I bean bag it IW and he stands and argues with me. I picked up the ball and handed it to him. They still haven't recovered the fumble yet.  ???

We put him at Umpire. Last play first half, B intercepts and starts the return. First block A looking over his shoulder gets blindsided by a linebacker drawing an ohhhhhhhhh from the crowd, as I turn I see the flag, down my sideline we go, trailing the runner, blocker for B takes out the last A with a beautiful block above the waist and in front. In we go for the TD. I turn to see this guy arguing with the coaches on my sideline ! We come together, Did you see that block in the back at the 35? You mean by 52? Yeah, why didn't you throw your flag? Chest to chest, what are you looking at? Ok, then the block at the fifteen? White Hat says I saw both great blocks, pick up your flags and never start an argument with the sidelines again!

Evaluating head was upstairs and met us under the stands in the locker room. "Get him out of here before he gets one of us hurt, I am not dodging rocks to my truck." We had a new Umpire to start the half. Coach says what happened? "Pulled a groin muscle on that last play." "Thank God"
 

Had one of those years ago after about 4 flags in the first game of a 3 game set guy who was working R picked up the fellas flag after a play. We did not give it back to him till we got ready to drive back home
" I don't make the rules coach!"

Offline Cowman52

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #5 on: October 23, 2014, 06:32:41 AM »
Two weeks ago,  visitors sideline,  HL meets coach,  second sentence out of his mouth,  "you need to keep your g**^>\^^\^^^*\*\***\ *$$ off the chain.  Coach looks somewhat taken back,  white hat comes over and the conversation is relayed to him.  Reaction,   "well, I guess you better keep your g***]#+}*}***}*}*}*$$ off the chain. 

And we wonder why we have problems with coaches.

Offline Wingmanbp

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #6 on: October 23, 2014, 10:17:23 AM »
Had an official a few weeks ago blow a kick off dead because the player on the kick off team was offsides at the time of the kick. He says he has been calling for 8 years. I am not sure I believe him ::)

Offline walkintall

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #7 on: October 23, 2014, 10:49:00 AM »
Had an official a few weeks ago blow a kick off dead because the player on the kick off team was offsides at the time of the kick. He says he has been calling for 8 years. I am not sure I believe him ::)
He'd be right in NFHS rules.

Offline Rulesman

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #8 on: October 23, 2014, 11:17:46 AM »
He'd be right in NFHS rules.
Almost. K would have been guilty of encroachment, not offside... or offsides.  :sTiR:
"Gentlemen, we are going to relentlessly chase perfection, knowing full well we will not catch it, because nothing is perfect. But we are going to relentlessly chase it, because in the process we will catch excellence. I am not remotely interested in just being good."
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Offline Wingmanbp

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #9 on: October 23, 2014, 11:38:21 AM »
Well maybe he was NFHS for some of that time.  ;D
Although I don't understand the reasoning for blowing a kickoff dead.

Offline HLTN

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #10 on: October 23, 2014, 12:28:16 PM »
What rule code?  If you don't mind me asking?

ALStripes17

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Re: Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #11 on: October 23, 2014, 01:07:49 PM »
Well maybe he was NFHS for some of that time.  ;D
Although I don't understand the reasoning for blowing a kickoff dead.
Offsides (or encroachment) is a deadball foul in HS, so when K crosses their line before the ball is kicked, there is no kick or play.  Ball remains dead.

Offline NorCalMike

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #12 on: October 23, 2014, 09:59:13 PM »
Blow out. 32-0 at half time. As the second half is about to start, the R says to the HL, ask your coach if he is OK with a running clock if the score goes above 35 point differential. HL tells the R, I imagine he won't mind since he is winning.

Offline Wingmanbp

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Re: Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #13 on: October 24, 2014, 06:07:32 AM »
Offsides (or encroachment) is a deadball foul in HS, so when K crosses their line before the ball is kicked, there is no kick or play.  Ball remains dead.
I understand its a dead ball foul. I just dont understand why they made it a deadball foul. Seems like it would speed up the game if its a live ball foul and the coach can take the play plus the 5 yards like in NCAA. That way you dont have to rekick

Offline bkdow

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Re: Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #14 on: October 27, 2014, 12:08:05 PM »
I understand its a dead ball foul. I just dont understand why they made it a deadball foul. Seems like it would speed up the game if its a live ball foul and the coach can take the play plus the 5 yards like in NCAA. That way you dont have to rekick
It really doesn't matter why at the point you making the call on the field.  This discussion is left for a meeting that Ralph gets to attend.
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Offline Aussie-Zebra

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #15 on: January 29, 2015, 01:08:01 PM »
Like most associations we are always looking for new officials. One new official we acquired was American so he seemed a good prospect even though he was of retirement age - that is until he was on the field. We put him at lineman.
He just would not give any signals - at all, or blow the whistle or throw a flag. All he did was mark forward progress and I'm sure that was rather arbitrary at best. At first I thought he was timid and we kept encouraging him to step up.
Once when I was on the opposite sideline I saw the WH march over yelling at him to do something.
The final straw came in a game I was WH. 7 man crew He was deep wing (what could go wrong ?) Pass complete for a TD. I look downfield for a result. He finally gives a signal. Two thumbs up - no that was his signal for a TD - two thumbs up.
For every coach that thinks we got it wrong there's another that thinks we got it right.

Offline VALJ

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #16 on: January 30, 2015, 07:17:30 AM »
The final straw came in a game I was WH. 7 man crew He was deep wing (what could go wrong ?) Pass complete for a TD. I look downfield for a result. He finally gives a signal. Two thumbs up - no that was his signal for a TD - two thumbs up.


Offline yarnnelg

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #17 on: September 15, 2016, 03:13:33 PM »
Two weeks ago,  visitors sideline,  HL meets coach,  second sentence out of his mouth,  "you need to keep your g**^>\^^\^^^*\*\***\ *$$ off the chain.  Coach looks somewhat taken back,  white hat comes over and the conversation is relayed to him.  Reaction,   "well, I guess you better keep your g***]#+}*}***}*}*}*$$ off the chain. 

And we wonder why we have problems with coaches.

Our wonder child showed at a spring game because our booking agent sent 8 instead of 7. Since our wonder Child is such a great Field Official, we put him at Back Judge,  hoping for a clean night. We had a scrum at the LOS, with the running back gaining yardage, I waited patiently, then dropped my bean bag when the ball fell beneath everyone's feet. I waited for someone to recover. Suddenly a whistle. I dropped my other bean bag to mark the spot for the IW. White Hat saw me drop a bag and look at our wonder child. Back Judge comes running up, "Didn't you see forward progress stopped? What's wrong with you?" I picked the football and put it in his bread basket..." No one has recovered the fumble yet." White Hat took his whistle.

Offline Aussie-Zebra

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #18 on: September 17, 2016, 02:06:17 PM »
This is an extract from an interview on Nice Call Ref which aired on Demoine Amplified radio with Jim MacLean. This was my favourite interview of the lot. It's a pity they stopped producing the show.

One time we got called in to go do a game down in Missouri. There was a screw up on officials and they were desperate so they sent three of us from the Big 8 and three were coming in from this southern conference and it was North East Mississippi State that came to town and they had a receiver named Jerry Rice. So we went down to do this game. This is when you ran split crews. The crew from their conference and they pulled us in from the Big 8 although our team wasn’t from the Big 8. When you’re running a split crew we always ran a detailed pregame meeting and everything.
And we kind of knew we were in a little bit of trouble when one of the officials said Mr Brown (Bill Brown was out Referee) “what do we do if we have an inadvertent flag?” and Bill said “Well you know we’ll pick it up and we will talk about it and we will deal with it but let’s not have any inadvertent flags.”
“Alright Sir, Thank you. Now what do we do if we have an inadvertent whistle?”
Bill says “Well you know what we are supposed to do on inadvertent whistles but c’mon lets not have any inadvertent whistles, you know keep that under control.”
And the guy says “Well Mr Brown, last week I had an inadvertent flag and an inadvertent whistle and the Referee took them both away from me.”
So we knew we were in trouble on this game from the start, Eustis was the name of the official,
Bill says “Well we are not going to take away your flag or your whistle but let’s just try to keep things in control.”
So we go out for the pregame and I was supposed to get the visiting Coach to check in with him and check things and we couldn’t find him, so I finally asked one of the assistants “Where’s the Head Coach?” And he looked around and he goes “Oh here he’s coming.” And here comes this guy in a blue leisure suit with all kinds of spangles and beads and everything. He’s got two Highway patrolmen on each side of him. I said “Are we expecting trouble?” this was a small college game, we are going to have one thousand maybe two thousand people in the stands. And he goes “Oh No, those aren’t Highway patrolmen, they’re the bus drivers, he makes them dress up that way to make him look good.
This game got out of control in a hurry, all they did - North East Mississippi State, was throw the ball to Jerry Rice and it was 50 to nothing at halftime.
So we are going into the fourth quarter and it’s like 72 to 6, it’s just awful. So Bethany College did a sweep around there and the Umpire whose name was Justin was from the other conference threw a flag and he said “Mr Brown I have clipping” and Eustis came running in and said “You don’t have clipping I saw the whole thing, you don’t have clipping.” And he says “I have clipping and I’ve got it right here.” Bill says ”Fellas, just tell me what have we got here?”
Eustis says “You don’t have clipping, pick that flag up, just let it go.”
So the Umpire picks up the flag and he goes over toward Bill and he says “Do you want my flag?”
For every coach that thinks we got it wrong there's another that thinks we got it right.

Offline yarnnelg

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #19 on: October 02, 2016, 10:07:45 AM »
One of our crew had been divorced awhile and decided to start dating. The first date meeting, in public, was for the poor woman to sit in the stands and get punished for answering the ad. After the game, he would wait until we were dressed, then open the door and bring the poor girl in the meet us. This went on for weeks, when he finally asked " Well, which girl do you think I should get serious with?

I just can't help myself ....

"You found these girls where? Again?"
"E Harmony"
" First, you need to stop shopping at EBay."
"No! E Harmony!"
"You mean to say that after filling out all the forms, they actually let you in? I think they kicked you over to
E Bay."
"So, what do you think?"
"If I was a woman, filled out the forms, answered the ad, came to a game, sat for hours, then got marched into a locker room to meet seven dirty old men and that was the first date? I'd go find a bar somewhere."
"But they all like me!"
"You mean they answer the phone after the first date?" "I've lost my faith in women."
"I'm serious!"
"EBay ... E Harmony ...used farm equipment." "Let's talk football, I shudder to think about your sex life."

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #20 on: October 12, 2016, 01:07:07 PM »
It really doesn't matter why at the point you making the call on the field.  This discussion is left for a meeting that Ralph gets to attend.
Hearing (seeing) my name mentioned...encroachment on a free kick has been a dead ball foul since 1977; BECAUSE encroachment on a scrimmage down had been made a dead ball foul in 1976; BECAUSE it was a challenge to determine if the neutral zone was cleared by B or if offsides in 1975. I was only a wide-eyed wingman back then but felt it made my job easier.

Offline Legacy Zebra

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #21 on: October 12, 2016, 01:17:41 PM »
Ralph, I couldn't help but notice that was post number 1918 for you. I sure hope you aren't cursed for the next 86 posts now that your BoSox are out of the picture. :sTiR: :sTiR: tR:oLl tR:oLl

Offline Ralph Damren

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Re: Bad officiating stories?
« Reply #22 on: October 17, 2016, 08:15:59 AM »
Ralph, I couldn't help but notice that was post number 1918 for you. I sure hope you aren't cursed for the next 86 posts now that your BoSox are out of the picture. :sTiR: :sTiR: tR:oLl tR:oLl
Good eyes, Legacy, but our curse was broken in 2004 (hope you're not a Yankee fan ;)). With the Sox gone, I've regressed to cheer for the Patriots and Cubbies - they have their own curse...something about a goat in a bar that couldn't get served...or something theresuch :)

 tR:oLl tR:oLlSINCE THE TURN OF THE CENTUARY.... tR:oLl tR:oLl

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« Last Edit: March 16, 2017, 12:23:05 PM by Ralph Damren »