Best story of your week - 2013

Had my brand new car broken into and referee bag stolen this morning. Not really a best story, but pretty crappy.

 

Now come on.

That bag had a funk to it. That yellow long had the velcro coming off the pocket. All of your whistles were 5 years old and gross. Your flags were so old, they had mold stains on the material. And don't get me started about that "spare" pair of socks in the bag...

Once you get all your new gear you'll look sharp as a tack. And the insurance sharks will have to pay for some of it.

Glass half full.

(above examples from my current actual)

 

I see what you did there!

 

Primary thing is to watch for the mood turn among the losing players.

But, since this is a scrimmage, I would feel free to intervene much than in a regularly scheduled game. After the 6th or 7th goal, walk over to both coaches and say that you are open to any rules modifications they may want to consider. Whether it is dropping a man, or making a non-rule restriction like left foot only, your suggestion may jog some remedial action. Sometimes in a scrimmage, the winning coach may be a bit too much focussed on his team to notice the other team's plight. And, your intervention may lead to a better experience for all.

 

Years ago, had a girls varsity game. Home team pretty good, visiting team horrible. We knew that going in. My dual partner tells the clock operator, before the game, "If it gets pretty one sided, like more than 10, when nobody's looking, take a minute or two off the clock." And that's the way the game went and that's what he did. The home team took two players off, then another one. The visiting coach was infuriated. He considered it to be taunting. My partner told the coach "Well, coach, if she [the home coach] takes two more off, you'll win by forfeit."

Had a JV girls game this year that was going to be real one sided. Weird set up at this field, because there's no press box but there is a "stadium" clock. The home coach, literally, runs the clock and the rest of the scoreboard. Home coach, a very long time experienced coach, comes to me before the game. "I'm not going to put anything more than six on the scoreboard. They said that they're better than last year, but we'll see." It was 7-0 at half and he says to me, "Running clock second half?" "Absolutely." I count the players and he's only got nine out there. "You got two short, coach?" "That's what we're going with." "Just making sure it was your decision." (cause we both knew that sometimes players at that level aren't the sharpest.) Visiting team crosses the halfway line twice in the second half. Home team doesn't score in the second half, but it's apparent that their coach has some restriction on his players, especially when one of his players has the ball and an open goal, but chooses to pull it back and pass to a teammate instead. He's also playing his deep bench players something like 36 minutes out of 40. Visiting team players were very happy at the end of the game. "We didn't let them score this half! Whoo hooo!"

It all comes down to the attitude of the coaches, particularly the winning coach. Maybe you can remind him, if necessary, that he should take it easy ("Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be theirs.") but you can't force him or the players to do anything different. That's not really your role out there.

 

I can understand this point of view, but it's the wrong way to look at it. The problem is that both teams are obligated to play the entire game. In chess, the tactful thing to do when you know you're in a hopeless position is to resign; in soccer, that's not an option. So the only choices left for a team that is dominating a weaker team are to continue to play at full strength and utterly crush the other team, or to remove players and/or play with restrictions to at least make the game somewhat competitive.

“But that's like saying they can beat us with one arm tied behind their backs!” No. They've already beaten you. The game is over. You can stew over that fact and refuse to accept that the other team is simply better, or you can accept the loss, say “good game”, and enjoy the rest of the match as essentially a friendly scrimmage.

 

An alternative interpretation is that the winning team is still attempting to get something out of the match - some meaningful interactions as at least some of their players will be double-teamed.

Run and blast a goal doesn't help the winning team any more than it does the losing team.

 

I got soccer gear out the wazoo for Christmas. Green SS, Green LS, 2 pair 2 Stripe Socks, high end ref Shorts, Flag Carry Case, Accessory Case, US Soccer Polo, the new USSF Warmup Jacket/Pants, black Under Armor, 2 wicking tshirts for working out (say USSF).

I'm also thankful for all of the time I spent with family.

 

Having celebrated 29 years with my sweet wife on the 28th, all I can say is good on ya, son.

 

I reached 30 years on the 22d. Welcome to the club elonpuckhog.

 

One of my favorite lines to use in a women's game when someone wants a "handball" call because it brushed off the vicinity of the upper arm is, "I've been married for 41 years. Those aren't hands." Nobody has EVER continued the discussion after that.

 

Thought some refs would appreciate this. Watching the Winter Classic (NHL) while reading this thread, the first whistle from the lineman was weak and he was struggling with his new whistle and the ball getting stuck. The announcers got a chuckle out of it.

EDIT: A few minutes later at a stoppage they went down to their rink-side commentator and he said the linesman (who was an old friend of his) gave him the whistle and asked him to warm it up for him to get the ball loose. He showed the camera the whistle as well.

 

You would think they would switch to pealess whistles by now.

 

I… don't get it. I feel like I'm being thick, but I really have no idea what this is supposed to mean. I think it's supposed to be something vaguely inappropriate, but I've gotten my mind in, out of, and all around the gutter and I still can't make heads or tails of it.

 

Or the linesman had the TV viewer at heart and gave Pierre McGuire something to keep him occupied from randomly interjecting during the game.

 

No such thing as a free kick; just a question of who pays.

[insert picture of male players attempting to cover up]

 

I assume he was referring to the mammary glands which are in "the vicinity of the upper arm" when a player traps or redirects the ball with the upper torso.

 

Ah, okay. When he said “vicinity of the upper arm” I was thinking shoulders, not chest. For some reason I don't really see players asking for a handling call all that often on balls that hit the chest area. I guess I was just overthinking it.