Had a few beers with an SEC referee

[stocker08]

So they dont do make up calls but are supposed to keep things equal? Yeah I call BS...

lol. Doesn't make any sense. They won't try to make up for a bad call on one end....but they will manufacture fouls in order to even up the total number?

Concerning if true.

 

[JimmyJamesMD]

Id only believe this if it had happened at the Vu

 

[Gopherfan84]

What a fun story. Thanks for sharing.

 

[GophersInIowa]

A few years ago I met a long-since retired MLB ump, and he was a completely open page on his days of being an umpire and how they could control the outcomes of games. One of tidbits that I found interesting is that if a player in his words, "tried to embarrass" an ump by making a scene over a bad call, the umps would always get even, usually by calling a much wider strike zone when the player came to bat - even if it was in a game weeks later. That was especially true for pitchers that from the mound questioned a strike call - do that and in a critical situation the pitch won't be called a strike. It was okay for the catcher to make a comment but not the pitcher - the difference being the catcher's comment is only heard by the ump, not a show for all the fans. Basically, anytime anyone criticized the umps in a way the fans could see it, they we're going to make that team pay.

I've hears similar stuff from minor league umps. They'd tell you a bunch of stuff after they'd had a few drinks.

 

[tjgopher]

Unless something has changed in recent years, they are simply hired by the home school.

I think there is a cooperative of regional schools who now have a scheduling organization assign officials. The school pays the umps, but normally aren't in control of who they get. It would be a full time job in and of itself for an AD to schedule officials for all of the activities, when you consider varsity, JV, soph, freshman, A team, B team, etc., for multiple sports. I think this goes down to the middle schools and some youth leagues, as well.

I do know a high school hockey referee who gets all of his assignments from a scheduler, not from the school. And, those assignments range from high school varsity games all the way down to an occasional youth game. Same organization schedules for all of it.

 

[Wally]

(2) Absolutely denied that there was such a thing as a "make up call." Said he never did that one time, and didn't know anyone who did. They're just not a thing.

(4) Said that the NCAA emphasizes bringing quantity of fouls on each team to parity. He said they tell the referees to do everything in their power to "even up" the fouls.

Ummm I would call those make up calls, maybe not for an individual incident but generally.

 

[GringaGopher]

That topic didn't come up - mostly because my friend and I were hanging there while my wife was getting her nails done, and we were therefore on a timeframe. Laugh if you must!

A couple of other topics:

-He told a story of getting an "emergency call" to ref an NBA exhibition event. He was pulled aside and told not to call traveling (he had just called it), and was further told "this is the NBA - it's entertainment - defense is not allowed." Swear to God.

-Told me that in the women's league, the officials literally just watch the ball and can't officiate for sh!t. Said that they're miles off from getting actual, legit officiating there.

I've got more.

Having watched 25 years of the WNBA the last comment on the quality of the officiating is definitely accurate. I enjoyed your post.