Monkeys (and men) with small testicles howl loudest

Photo Credit: Wikipedia

For any who think this is a joke (at least the monkeys part), please take a look here from The American Bazaar. There is a real honest to goodness research paper on the topic as well. Yes, the "and men" comment was mine.

For me there is a clear analogy to real life as I am sure we have all met and dealt with people who howl, whine, and frankly bully others to get their way. I am in fact dealing with one such individual right now and it is really draining, even having already seen through the ruse to what the end game is about.

So too is true in refereeing. Now we may have dealt with players that are loud and unsavory, but my comments are not about them, they are about us as referees.

I shared the other day the referee who was overseeing Jr.'s match and after a foul, when he was asked about the decision, out came the reply "... because I said so." There dear friends is a howler monkey with small testicles.

"Words can wound" is an oft used expression that I personally think is overly dramatic in some situations, a refereeing context being one of them. What words can do however is paint a pretty accurate picture of the mental state of a referee.

Take the example from Jr.'s match. If the referee had simply said, "I saw a push" or "I thought it was a handball" even if dead wrong about the decision it will at least have the player left to feel like "... well he saw something." By slamming the door shut however with his "... because I said so." answer, the players at that point lost all respect, and even continued to ask knowing it would bother the referee further.

Keith Hackett, FIFA referee, and an all round talented guy, penned a great article from his series, "You Are The Ref," titled "The Importance of Presence as a Referee." In the article he talks about things like voice control, posture, empathy, and my personal favorite "sparkle." All of which are critical not just in the big parks around the world, but even more so in the little ones.

Don't be a monkey with small balls and scream because you can. Be the leader inside the field and when (not if) you get challenged, treat the players with the respect you would want to get. You may be surprised to find after such an exchange, they will be more willing to give that respect back.

With Respect and Thanks ...

To all who gave their last measure to defend us.

"We have to get it right ..."

Was the mantra of members of the World Series umpiring crew, after an initial incorrect call in the 1st inning at 2nd base, which was soon overturned by a huddle from the crew ...

In this case the manager was mic'ed up and you can hear the umpire crew clearly saying "We have to get it right ..."

The game received justice as a result as Napoli then hit into the gap for a double, clearing the bases in the process and allowing a team that was penalized, to not be. Correctness won over pride, or even tradition.

Kudos for the crew for this. We should all aspire to this "get it right" behavior for every match we do.

You can see the whole article, and video here, from CBS Sports.

... and as a post script ... there was no instant replay used folks.

Refereeing Legend: Angelo Bratis

U.S. Soccer Centennial Referee Interview: Angelo Bratsis

In the 100-year history of U.S. Soccer, few people have had as much of an influence on the Federation's referee program as Angelo Bratsis. In nearly 50 years of involvement in the program, Bratsis started officiating on the amateur fields of New England and worked his way all the way up to the FIFA international panel. ...

See the full story here, courtesy of US Soccer.

Kicking Back Comments: A worthy read and associated video. I have the pleasure to know Angelo and have worked with him and for him and have learned more from him than I could ever teach another. I can safely say, to this day, he is one of the very best at his craft, and has limitless passion for The Game.

He is one of US Soccer's treasures, and is only fitting they honor him in such a way, and more.

Busacca: We must give referees all they need

Busacca: We must give referees all they need

Massimo Busacca was a referee for 22 years and officiated at more than 100 top-level international matches, with the 2009 UEFA Champions League final among his most notable. The 42-year-old finished his active career this summer to become the Head of FIFA’s Referees Department. FIFA.com spoke with him about this past year and some of the hot topics in refereeing. ...

See the whole story here, from FIFA.com.

Kicking Back Comments: A good interview with one of the greats. There are some interesting tidbits throughout the article, but the best summary is his conclusion ... it is spot on, and far more fundamental than any administrative construct that FIFA hands down.

Do I Have To Go Mom?

Photo Credit: USA Today

So unless you have been living under a rock for the last week or so, the controversy about Tim Thomas, Net minder for the NHL Boston Bruins, and his decision  and statements to not accept an invitation from POTUS has just not gone away.

If anyone is interested in other notable athletes that have not accepted a POTUS invitation to the WHite House, just take a look here. Also, former Red Sox General Manager Theo Epstien refused an invitation from POTUS as well, back in 2008.

To stay politically neutral, lets look at Alex Ovechkin, from the NHL Washington Capitals who refused to participate in the NHL All Star Game this year.

Without regard to politics, if put in a similar situation should a referee refuse such an invitation for an "official function?"

My answer is no, if representing yourself as a referee.

Now there is a thin line here as I am also a strong believer of the 1st Amendment to the COTUS, and the acts described above plainly fit into that category. However, if as a referee you are asked to an official function, such as an awards ceremony, you should go if at all possible.

This has nothing to do with the individual in their individual capacity, it has everything to do with you representing yourself as part of a larger team, that of US Soccer referees.

There is always time later to express your individual views, (look at Kicking Back as an example of this as I would have NEVER said most of the things when I was an active referee) but there is also a time to act as a professional and do what is best for the team, not just the individual.

I will say finally that, even if an individual chooses not to accept an invitation to an event, it should not be held against them as to refute ones deeply held personal beliefs, is not conducive to team coherence, which is critically important, especially when you are looking for that offside flag.

JAFO Weighs In

As a follow up to "You Wanna Go?" earlier in the month, JAFO had a really a really good comment, agreeing in part with my comments, but adding a critical wrinkle to the mix. I wanted to share with you all. Straight from JAFO:

Yes but.........contained in the MLB rules is this gem: "9.02(a) Comment: Players leaving their position in the field or on base, or managers or coaches leaving the bench or coaches box, to argue on BALLS AND STRIKES will not be permitted. They should be warned if they start for the plate to protest the call. If they continue, they will be ejected from the game."

So, to take the umpire's position for a moment, this is an automatic, and his hands are essentially tied.  I am sure that Kulpa was not taunting Hunter, but expressing surprise and disbelief that Hunter would even begin to argue a ball/strike call knowing the penalty for doing so.  And this in the 8th inning of a game in which Hunter's team was in firm command.  Why argue something un-winnable at that point?  

This does not negate your comments and conclusion that Kulpa could have shown more respect, but does it at least raise the question about what responsibility the player had in all of this.  By backing the umpire into a corner, was Hunter showing respect?

A most excellent comment from one far more educated than I am about baseball.

My answer to the last question posited is a resounding "no" and JAFO is right that respect is a two sided coin. By Hunter arguing after the fact, and knowing better, he did put Kulpa in a corner that he had to do something. Ignore, argue back, eject ... None are great alternatives for Kulpa, or the game. Point well taken JAFO.

It lead me to a follow on thought, to be covered tomorrow soon, about "automatic" v. "discretionary" sanctioning and when you must use one versus considering using the other. Something about having enough rope to choke yourself ...

You wanna go?

For those who follow baseball, and were watching the Angels v. Detroit game on 06-AUG-2010, we were witness to a very interesting incident between plate umpire Ron Kulpa and the Angels right fielder Torii Hunter. This incident resulted in (2) ejections [the Angles Manager Mike Scioscia was also ejected], a suspension, an appeal, now turned no appeal and no doubt a huge fine.

Take a close look at the video here.

After the pitch and called strike (and it was a strike) Hunter began to argue. Note however that his body language is really quite calm. Clearly Hunter said something though as Kulpa responded to him with "... are you kidding me? Do you want to go?". Kulpa then heaved him, I would say almost half heartedly with a wry smile on his face. Both of these things got my attention right away as somewhat odd behavior from an umpire.

Hunter continued from the 8th to 14th second, palms open and up continuing to plead his case.  Take a look at Kulpa during this time ... he is looking away not paying any notice to Hunter. That is right up until the time Hunter jabbed the bill of his batters helmet into Kulpa's forehead. Well, that seemed to get Kulpa to pay a bit more attention to Hunter at that point as manager Scioscia came out and had to get between them.

Look carefully at what comes next. Tom Hallion comes in and does the smart thing and takes Hunter away and engages him in conversation. Hallion talks to Hunter, looking him in the eye and letting him vent about what just happened. Look at the 36th second of the tape, Hunter is acknowledging Hallion and finally concedes with an "OK".

Kulpa continues with Scioscia and that too results in an ejection, albeit the tape does not show that much of the discussion, but it seems more civil, and my suspicion is more theater, than the Hunter incident.

So what does this all mean?
TREAT ALL PLAYERS WITH RESPECT, ALL THE TIME.


I would opine in this situation that the whole thing was completely avoidable, all Kulpa had to do, was show Hunter some respect and listen, just for a minute. If he did that I would bet everything would have been fine. This lack of respect for a player, caused what we saw on the tape.

Let me take the alternate position though, what if Hunter said something really vile that warranted the immediate ejection. What should change to possibly avoid some of the collateral damage?

Well for starters I would never, ever invite the player to determine their own fate orally with an invitation like "You wanna go?". To do so, opens a Pandora's box that you don't want to deal with. There are no good answers or actions to that question. You are there to referee, not farm out that responsibility to the players.

Next, if Hunter did say something vile, toss him, I mean TOSS HIM! He should (proverbially) land in the next zip code if he said something like that. There was no such reaction from Kulpa if that was the case. Now, he may have been thinking that he was not going to give Hunter the pleasure of seeing him upset. Well that works for 1::1 stuff, but this was not a 1::1 moment. Everyone was watching, and Kulpa knows better. He sure knew what to do when Hunter hit him with his helmet, very quickly pointing to his own forehead - AT LEAST 3 TIMES!

This would have been cause for a different emotion ... Kulpa getting mad. There would have been far fewer questions and "gap filling" from those watching if Kulpa got really torqued, tossed Hunter, and showed the emotion, like he did after the bump (or "beak" as Kulpa has called it). His manager likely would have said a word or two to Kulpa, collected Hunter and moved on. [Yes, for those referees that want to referee at a high level, some acting is required at times. At the very least understand body language and know how to use it for people that are watching from a distance.]

Another tactic may be to the the manager involved earlier. This may be more difficult in the baseball setting, but in our case another player (not just a teammate) to get some room between you and the player. A few seconds to cool off can work wonders too.

In the final analysis Hunter deserved the (4) games he got for bumping (beaking) Kulpa. Battery on a referee, short of self defense, is never excusable, no matter the trigger. That said, in my opinion, Kulpa should sit a few too to think about how this one could have finished so much better if he just paid a little more respect to Hunter.