[rainmaker]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Last Saturday, I had a coach in an 8th grade girls rec game who has been a pain in the patoot for a number of years. When I got to the gym and saw him, it occurred to me that this was the last chance I had in my soon-to-be-over career to toss this clown. Unfortunately, he behaved himself for most of the game - however........

His girls led most of the way by four or five points but the other team put on a rally to trail by only one with twelve seconds to go. His team was green, the other white. White had the ball near midcourt for a throw-in. A1 inbounds to A2 who fumbles the catch. She then picks up the ball, dribbles about four times and then passes to A3 who is near their basket. The howler monkey is already calling for a double dribble. A3 puts the ball up off the backboard and into the basket. I'm waiting for a horn, but there isn't one. I turn around to look at the clock (there's only one scoreboard and it is on the end wall opposite A's basket) and the clock says zero. Apparently, the timer (who was a parent from the green team) didn't have the auto horn on. I went over to Juulie who was the lead official and the only person in the entire gym who could have seen the shot and the clock at the same time. She said the clock was "changing from one second to zero when the shot left the girl's hand, so it counts". End of story.

I go over to the table and tell them the shot counts. Howler monkeyface goes nuts. First, he yells at me about the "double dribble" no call, then says the shot was too late, although his back was to the clock when it was taken.

I tell him that if he's going to argue about the rules, he should at least learn them first. If the shot wouldn't have gone in, I would have teed him right then while Juulie and I were still on the court and sent the other team to the line for two. I'm sure he would have yelled enough to get a second T for a total of four throws. I probably would have found a reason to T his assistant, also (maybe even twice). However - it wasn't necessary since they lost.

It wasn't as rewarding as an ejection, but it was close.

Mark -- be sure that ABC and his entourage know about your remarkable restraint and maturity. Problems aren't ALWAYS your fault, after all!