[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by sleebo
Sorry to interrupt all of the interesting exchanges between Downtown and Bushref, but I heard a talk given by Women's Final Four and WNBA official Lisa Mattingly last year in which she said that you always know you are in trouble if the two teams pray before the game. Sad, but true...

The first two years(1982-84) we were married we lived in Glendale, CA. Even back then one could officiate basketball almost year round. Back then the going rate for men's recreational basketball was $7 or $8 a game. One Saturday aftern, one of my basketball officiating buddies called me and wanted to know if I wanted to make an easy $45 officiating 3 men's church league games the next afternoon. Of course I jumped at the chance to make that kind of money. Boy did I earn my money that afternoon. The two teams met at center court prior to each game and said a prayer, and then as soon as the ball was tossed, all Hell broke loose. It was nothing but adult men fighting and swearing with each other at the officials with everybody stopping to play basketball once in awhile. I laugh about it now, but what an afternoon that was. There was good reason the game fee was $15 per game, no one would officiate a second Sunday afternoon.

MTD, Sr.