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Should game officials be required to face the media after big games?
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:09 pm
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:09 pm
If refs and umpires had to sit down at a table for a postgame media session, would that change how they call the game? Why are these guys immune from questioning?
I think it would be great entertainment. Especially when one of them screws up bad and everybody knows it. What's wrong with asking the guy: "Why in the frick did you do that?"
Everyone has some calls they would like explained by the knuckle dragging bastard who did it.
It probably isn't necessary to do this for every game in baseball and basketball. But, it should be required for all football games and during baseball and basketball tournaments. If it is a big regular season game, then they would be required to face the media when the players and coaches are required.
I know Hog fans have some calls over the past few games that would be worthy of an explanation. Would the refs give honest answers?
Example:
Hogs vs the Tar Heels, NCAAT, 3/19/17
Q: On the play near the end of the game when the NC player drove to the basket, took five steps with the ball in his hands, hit the Arkansas player with his forearm extended, put up a wild shot that was tipped in for the icing for NC, why did you not make a call when you were staring at it?
Ref: I figured I would get asked about that. I tried to make a call but my whistle malfunctioned. I had to get a new one during the next timeout.
Q: How do you explain the lopsided number of fouls called and the number of FTs for NC?
Ref: Good question. The average college basketball fan has no idea what goes on preparing for a game like this. We get input from a variety of sources about both teams. For this game, our friends in the SEC and a well known college basketball analyst, warned us about the thug nature of the Arkansas team. They said to particularly watch out for Hannahs, Barford, and Beasley.We have families, too. We couldn't take any chances.
We got permission from the NCAA to conduct a search of the Arkansas players prior to the game. We did find a hand gun on the Beasley kid, and a small can of Mace. Hannahs did not have a weapon, but he had a bong and 10 grams of weed. Barford was clean except for some printed instructions for making pipe bombs.
Anyway, to answer your question, we had to let them know who was in charge.
I think it would be great entertainment. Especially when one of them screws up bad and everybody knows it. What's wrong with asking the guy: "Why in the frick did you do that?"
Everyone has some calls they would like explained by the knuckle dragging bastard who did it.
It probably isn't necessary to do this for every game in baseball and basketball. But, it should be required for all football games and during baseball and basketball tournaments. If it is a big regular season game, then they would be required to face the media when the players and coaches are required.
I know Hog fans have some calls over the past few games that would be worthy of an explanation. Would the refs give honest answers?
Example:
Hogs vs the Tar Heels, NCAAT, 3/19/17
Q: On the play near the end of the game when the NC player drove to the basket, took five steps with the ball in his hands, hit the Arkansas player with his forearm extended, put up a wild shot that was tipped in for the icing for NC, why did you not make a call when you were staring at it?
Ref: I figured I would get asked about that. I tried to make a call but my whistle malfunctioned. I had to get a new one during the next timeout.
Q: How do you explain the lopsided number of fouls called and the number of FTs for NC?
Ref: Good question. The average college basketball fan has no idea what goes on preparing for a game like this. We get input from a variety of sources about both teams. For this game, our friends in the SEC and a well known college basketball analyst, warned us about the thug nature of the Arkansas team. They said to particularly watch out for Hannahs, Barford, and Beasley.We have families, too. We couldn't take any chances.
We got permission from the NCAA to conduct a search of the Arkansas players prior to the game. We did find a hand gun on the Beasley kid, and a small can of Mace. Hannahs did not have a weapon, but he had a bong and 10 grams of weed. Barford was clean except for some printed instructions for making pipe bombs.
Anyway, to answer your question, we had to let them know who was in charge.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:13 pm to Central Pork
instead of "coach speak" you get "official speak". would probably be even less insightful
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:13 pm to Central Pork
because it's a thankless, can't-win profession that they don't want to subject to mob rule
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:15 pm to Central Pork
what would really solve a lot of problems is having full time refs. You can't tell me these conferences can't afford to pay a ref $60K a year to work a few months of the year and do continuing education training the rest. And I mean $60K for that amount of work would be a pretty sweet gig.
Most of these refs (in SEC football anyway) have actual full time jobs and just ref on the side. It's insane.
Most of these refs (in SEC football anyway) have actual full time jobs and just ref on the side. It's insane.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:18 pm to Central Pork
You'd get the Penn Wagers/Dan Rather answer: How dare you question me?! Don't you know who I am?!
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:21 pm to WG_Dawg
The "best" college hoops refs make much more than 60K per year. Guys like Doug Shows, Ted Valentine, John Higgins, etc. work 5 or 6 days a week.
Valentine worked the Maui Invitational championship game in Hawaii on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving in November and was working an afternoon game in So Cal on Thanksgiving day the next day. That is a 6 hour red eye flight. Probably landed in LA about 6-7 AM pacific.
No chance that should be allowed imo but there is no real governing body until the NCAA Tourney.
Valentine worked the Maui Invitational championship game in Hawaii on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving in November and was working an afternoon game in So Cal on Thanksgiving day the next day. That is a 6 hour red eye flight. Probably landed in LA about 6-7 AM pacific.
No chance that should be allowed imo but there is no real governing body until the NCAA Tourney.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:23 pm to Central Pork
No, refs don't need a platform to make a name for themselves. The last thing we need is more a-hole refs like Hochuli or Joey Crawford who think people are paying to watch them
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:25 pm to volfan30
quote:
"best" college hoops refs make much more than 60K per year. Guys like Doug Shows, Ted Valentine
Ted Valentine is to SECBB as Penn Wagers is to SECFB. That guy is garbage.
And I just picked a number at random. Pay them a nice decent salary and make them ref full time. Guys that are lawyers or other professionals for 35 weeks a year at 50 hours a week simply aren't going to be as good as guys who officiate full time.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:29 pm to WG_Dawg
He is bad but he is consistently getting Final Four assignments. It is a tough situation when guys like that are the best the sport has to offer.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 1:31 pm to Central Pork
I don't like the word required. I do feel an appearance by the refs should be welcomed. They do shift games sometimes.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:31 pm to Cjscore
I'll never forget the reply of a plate umpire who called ball-four in the ninth inning of what was to that point a perfect game. A player kidded him after the game saying ... "You could have been famous for calling a perfect game." His reply was, "Really? OK, who called the last one?"
Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:33 pm to Central Pork
You guys got porked (see what i did there). Let it go.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:42 pm to pvilleguru
As a ref, I would be more than happy to respond to reporters if they submitted questions in writing and I could answer in the same way. However, I am not going to sit at a table with a microphone a day be grilled by reporters immediately after a game.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 3:57 pm to GnashRebel
quote:
You guys got porked (see what i did there). Let it go.
I'm just using our arse fricking as an example.
I just think sports is such a big money thing, everyone should be accountable. We sure hold the coaches and players accountable.
Well you guys don't, but most solid programs do.
Let's get these officials on the same level of scrutiny. Pictures of their wives, news when their kids get busted, videos of them picking their nose, etc.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 4:00 pm to Central Pork
I mean you're not going to get real answers from them so it would be pretty pointless. You'd get "I called it the way I saw it on the court/field" or "I'll have to review the tapes this week."
Posted on 3/21/17 at 4:04 pm to Central Pork
quote:
We sure hold the coaches and players accountable.
You haven't held your coach accountable for winning.
Posted on 3/21/17 at 4:06 pm to WG_Dawg
quote:
what would really solve a lot of problems is having full time refs.
Not really. It wouldn't do much for a sport like basketball.
This post was edited on 3/21/17 at 4:08 pm
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