[Rufus]

In between "real" association memberships when I was doing rec ball only my wife came to a game I did. Someone was giving me the business, she put up with it for a bit, then turned on the guy and said "Do you know how much training he goes through to officiate? How many camps? How long he's been doing this? I guess that's the difference between him who actually do something and people who only stay in the stands!"

There was silence for a moment, then the girl who was with the guy just muttered "Well, guess you had that coming..."

Second incident was again with my wife, only she had our two young-ish sons with her. I had just started up with my association and was working a girls MS game. About halfway through the 1st period the kids turned to her and said "Mom, why's everyone yelling at dad?" She had to explain to them that they weren't yelling at me specifically but the referee.

She also told me one of the boys MS coaches was seated in front of her. Someone sat down next to him and asked him how the referees were. The coach responded "Old and older." That one still cracks me up. Strangely, after the coach and I got to know each other and he moved to school administration (and therefore couldn't coach anymore) when I relayed the event to him he was embarrassed. I assured him it was cool and only a funny memory.

Getting back to the original post, though, crap like having battery committed upon you, or being accused of committing battery on a player during a game, is why I hung up the whistle. Hope they prosecute the accused and he learns a lesson from it.