[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

I want to address two things.

1.0) The "hit": The "hit" on "Cadillac Charlie" was a costly one in lives lost and ruined. It happened on the day after Thanksgiving. The "hit" went down just after breakfast. Charlie was going to take his two younger sons to CYO football practice and then meet a buyer for a railroad car load of grapes. Cavallaro and his family lived on the north side of Youngstown only about 3 miles from where I live in Liberty Township.

Cavallaro and his youngest son, just 11 years old, were already in the car sitting behind his father, and his middle son, just 12 years old, was opening the backdoor on the passenger side when Cavallaro turned the ignition. The explosion was so powerful that Cavallaro's body was torn into pieces and his younger son's body was practically vaporized. His middle son escaped death but underwent five hours of surgery and had to have one of his hips replaced, and walked with a cane the rest of his life.

While the Youngstown Diocese allowed Cavallaro to be buried in the Catholic cemetery, only a funeral mass was said for his son. His son's casket was allowed in the church but not Cavallaro's.


2.00) The origin of "Officiating Cadillac":

2.10) The term originated from the women's college side of officiating and only used in a Two-Person Crew.

2.20) Back in the "Ancient Days" the R faced the Table and the U was Table Side for all Jump Balls at the Center Circle.

2.21) If the the Team, that gained Control of the Ball, Basket's was to the U's right, the U would move to his/her right and become the L, Table Side, and the R would become T, Opposite the Table. When the other Team gained Control of the Ball, the Old L would become the New T and would remain Table Side while the Old T would become the New L and remain Opposite the Table. This was called Working Left Handed (because the T's left hand was always closest to a Side Line) or Cadillac.

2.22) Whenever a Throw-in required the L and the T to change sides of the Court this was called Working Right Handed (because the T's right hand was always closest to a Side Line).

2.23) Whenever a Throw-in resulted in the Officials working Right Handed, there was a protocol (not found in either the NFHS or CCA Men's and Women's Two-Person Manuals) for the Crew to move from Right Handed to Left Handed (Cadillac) once all ten Players and the Ball was in the Offensive Team's Front Court.

2.24) Cadillac was still used after the adoption of the Three Point FG and the L going Ball Side. The L going Ball Side while in Cadillac did not cause the Crew to stop officiating Cadillac.

So ends today's history lesson.

MTD, Sr.


P.S. I should add that Liberty Township was also home of the infamous Jungle Inn, only about a 1.25 miles as the crow flies from my home. After "The War" Dean Martin was a singing waiter in the Jungle Inn's night's club and a croupier in the Jungle Inn's mob run casino whose security you uniformed Trumbull County Sheriff Deputies with Thompson Sub-machine guns.