[footlocker]

I watched a mid-season tournament game in December. It was awful. The officials are not normally bad. There just an above average varsity crew. This is a big tournament that local officials get invited to.

This game was bad. Not the play, the officiating. Calls were reported incorrectly. Time outs were granted before they should have been (free throws to shoot). Players wearing bracelets. Bad calls. A “T” on the coach, who kept standing. Probably should have been another “T.” Then it goes to overtime. It was just bad game management from top to bottom.

After the game, all the officials that observed the game go to the locker room with the crew (it’s always this way.) They weren’t told that they did a great job. But I was sitting with the others and heard their thoughts about the calls and the game. It wasn’t pretty. But now, suddenly, they are telling them what a good job they did with a difficult game. Pats on the back all around.

I’m too new with these guys to make my reputation based on this. I kept my mouth shut and when back to my family. Another official, says to me later, “Wow, was that sugar coated or what!?”

(Let’s all just tell each other how great we are and we’ll be convinced.)