May 25, 2017
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THE WIZARDRY OF OS
Assistant Basketball Coach and Head Swimming Coach at Central High
The NBA Finals better go seven games. Otherwise, what a truly pathetic post season. Every team that has had a decent chance to challenge the Warriors or Cavs have had major injuries, not that it would have mattered anyway.
The Cavs are going to make all of us basketball coaches into liars. Defense doesn’t matter, the regular season doesn’t matter, and even the manner in which you finish the regular season doesn’t matter. The Cavs have completely overpowered their competition with offensive firepower and three point shooting (who needs an inside presence?).
Of course, all of these statements are reliant on having one of the best players of all time with one of the top 5 point guards in the game, and great shooters as role players. Bringing the topic closer to home, though, I still don’t understand how the Pelicans are unable to find anyone to consistently make outside shots.
As for the Warriors, their road to the Finals is so boring that the story remains Kevin Durant decision 11 months ago. My goodness can we give it a rest? I guess not since their games don’t provide any drama.
College baseball on the other hand, there you will find plenty of drama. If anyone pretends they know what to expect from one game to the next, then I call bull dookie.
Kentucky routs Florida in game one of their series against a top 5 draft pick. In three weeks, Auburn goes from potential conference champs to the 8th seed in the SEC Tournament.
As for the SEC tournament, it is an awful predictor of how a team will perform in the NCAA Tournament. The fluctuation from single to double elimination and back is unique (and silly). Due to the timing, teams don’t even start out throwing their best pitchers. Despite its illogical format, the tournament itself is entertaining.
As I have stated in the past, whether you agree with Coach Mainieri or not, you can see how many of his moves show that he has a plan and is always thinking ahead. Last week, he gave Todd Peterson a chance to show that he is ready to start. Why? Because Mainieri knew that he needed a 4th starter to open the SEC Tournament. Peterson performed well and he got the start in game one.
Plans don’t always workout. Peterson could have bombed last week, and shown he was not ready. Peterson could have bombed his start Wednesday (after I sent in this article). The best laid plans of coaches can blow up in their face. Nevertheless, I take security in knowing there is a plan. Sometimes the plan early in the season doesn’t work or the players aren’t quite ready to implement the plan. Coach Mainieri is very good at diagnosing the situation and finding a plan that works in the end.
The strangest aspect though is that the plan for the SEC Tournament can only be used at the SEC Tournament, and that is why the SEC should change the format. The job of the SEC should be to get their teams ready for the NCAA Tournament and the CWS. This format forces coaches to do things with their pitching staffs they would never do in a Regional, Super Regional, or in the CWS.
In defense of the SEC, at least the tournament is entertaining. The same cannot be said for the NBA playoffs.
HEY REF
As we get closer and closer to the start of another high school football season I was asked once more about the changes and new requirements every person has to abide by in order to work games on the field. Well I looked back just a couple years to an article I wrote where I went into some detail and my thoughts about the changes made by the LHSAA, school principals and local official’s association state wide. So, I hope those that may want to venture onto the field wearing stripes to take a deep breath and take a few minutes to read my words of wisdom before you go any further down a road that’s lost so much of its glitter and fun.
Next week I’ll answer any and all questions anyone might have so drop me a line, if there’s anything you’re not too sure of don’t hesitate to send me your questions and thoughts concerning high school football in Louisiana. But before you consider throwing a flag on Friday nights you must remember officiating high school games has changed so much in just the last ten years or so that I must warn you the job isn’t for most people because all the fun has been taken out of it. If you can’t handle massive amounts of pressure placed upon you not only by coaches, players and parents but also from your fellow officials then do yourself a favor and forget the idea of being a football official. You must be able to handle pressure very well or you’ll be ‘toast” even before you step onto the field. In another day and time I’d be telling everyone to jump on board and come join the fun but there isn’t any “fun” anymore. With that said please enjoy another “BEST OF HEY REF” and I look forward to your questions for the upcoming season; enjoy…
We’ve all heard these two cliché’s “Shooting thyself in the foot” or “Cutting off ‘da nose to spite ‘da face”? Sometime we think we’ve got a solution to a problem when in all actuality we’ve really just created an enormous “cluster”!!!! High school principals state wide a few short years back attempted to improve the officials and the officiating in all of their games and in all sports.
In a very bitter confrontation last year the football officials demanded a pay raise or they threatened to strike. I have to say I was shocked when the principals caved and promised to approve a raise in their annual January meeting. I was convinced the raise would be turned down once again since history has shown that the principals won’t hesitate to go back on their word. The approval I feel was partly due to a new executive director, Ed Bonine, taking office and him wanting time to get all his questions answered and have a smooth transition of power.
I do believe the officials were so blinded by a pay raise that none actually looked at the effects of a small requirement in the new agreement or better yet call it for what it is; A DEMAND that all officials will have to attend a camp every two years to keep their raise. Yes, a demand that each official attend a state wide, LHSAA approved camp every two years.
Many officials didn’t think twice about those strings that were silently attached to that clause in the new contract that had to be signed between said schools and each local association. The reason they very quickly looked the other way was simple. You might think common sense ruled the official’s decision but it was in all actuality copper cents as in currency.
Sad of me to think this way but many of my fellow officials weighed into account the sorry economic situation our country and more specifically the situation the state of Louisiana finds itself in many need the few dollars working high school games to feed their families and\or pay the rent. This is a very cold, hard fact of our modern day life in the Bayou State.
The camp attendance clause was thought by many of the voting principals to be THE answer! But there are too many questions for a simple answer to a very complex set of problems when we start talking on how to insure the game officials are up to the highest standard in rules knowledge.
I’ll share some very quick numbers to maybe help the principals understand that the attendance requirement is a loss cause at best. The main expense incurred by officials is of course the camp registration fee. The attendance requirement at its simplest forces each official to spend anywhere from $300.00 to $500.00 depending on the number of nights spent in another city for food, gas and other expenses.
Not a cost many of us can afford but the principals think it’s a great return on their investment and the money they’ll spend in increased fees on game night. And that’s where the vast majority of principal’s opinions lay. But it’s not that simple in the real world. The monster they’ve created actually binds the hands of all assignment secretaries in the state.
I’ll use my case to try and help the principals realize the system needs fixing because it is costing their schools in more ways than just the bottom line. I sat out about 10 years due to some severe health issues. I came back in Aug. 2012 with 20 years varsity experience, worked many playoff games, and even worked the state championship in the Dome between Curtis and Eunice in 1997.
I attended a mandatory camp in Aug. 2013 and also worked the ’13 regular season. You’d think I met the camp attendance rule since I’d only worked one year before I attended a camp. But you’re wrong as rain as I and many other officials found out when the next regular season started. A little unknown stipulation says you must attend a camp before the end of the FISCAL year which ends of course on June 30th.
So those like me that attended a camp after July 1 were out of luck and couldn’t keep their certification. We were bumped DOWN a classification which caused me to lose $25.00 a game in pay which totaled over $250.00. But the BIG penalty we had to pay was we aren’t allowed to work more than one playoff game instead of two, three or possibly four. Add a loss in playoff revenue of at least another $200.00.
When you add the cost of new shoes, pants, shorts, etc. we put up another $200 - $300.00 on top of the camp fees, dues ($75.00) and we’re talking a net loss in income somewhere between $400 to close to maybe $500 or more after figuring your game checks and the odd expenses you incurred through a regular football season. So when good officials start dropping out because of the not intended screwing we took you can understand why many drop out altogether.
So, principals when you scratch your head and wonder why you can’t attract or keep good officials try and remember this, it’s all about the bottom line nowadays. No more love of the game, it’s all about the bottom line. Sad that it’s come down to this but as personal incomes continue to nosedive in this one world economy you can’t blame many guys who walk away and don’t give a second thought about a career in officiating.
I’ve attended two camps the past four years and I can without hesitation tell you it was a total waste of time and MONEY. The little bit of classroom time to go over rules and situations are so lacking I wonder what kind of preparations these guys actually did. As I looked at the other officials in the classrooms I could tell most were somewhere other than a rules clinic. Total boredom ravaged the vast majority of attendees as whenever a question was asked it had to be repeated because so many were catching up on their missed sleep.
I can only compare these LHSAA approved rules clinics with the five other clinics I attended. Two were at UCLA (Yes, home of the Bruins in California) hosted by Chad Brown and the NFL. The difference was of course day and night because these guys were the real deal and not a bunch of BUTT-KISSERS wanting to add “atta-boys” they hoped would land them in the Dome in December.
The lowest point of my second venture into football officiating in Baton Rouge was the night at a regular meeting as the Assignment Secretary asked “Anybody attend a college clinic”. Not trying to get a laugh from the membership I raised my hand and said that yes I’d attended a total of five camps (Two at UCLA, one at either Kansas City, Kansas/Missouri. Wasn’t sure which it was since they’re across the river from each other and I was working there. I’d also attended two camps at Natchez, Mississippi at the start of my career).
But instead of being asked what I’d learned or what I could offer our membership, I was laughed into submission and I’d never felt pain like that in all my years of working football. I went home that night and started going through all my old boxes of pictures and mementos hoping to find the pics from these clinics. I found them and sent copies to the Assignment Secretary and the rules guru because I’m one who takes this job very seriously. But after a few days of silence is when I really got upset as not a single official that thought me at a college clinic was one of the funniest things they’d ever heard didn’t have the class it would take to call me and offer their apologies.
Yes, I’ve got plenty to offer these new, younger officials but the vast majority is doing this job I love for a few bucks. I turned 60 in January and am finding it very hard to get excited about officiating because it’s not like it used to be. There’s no more pride in doing a tough job the best you can because its all come down to simple economics, dollars speak and quality and love of the profession never make it onto the field anymore.
The system is broke but we should be able to fix this problem before every game is called by guys that just to do as a way to pay for a case of cold beer.
Till next week…
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