[DownTownTonyBrown]

How do you clear your mind of past events?

Or perhaps how do you prepare for a game that you may think will be challenging?

Worked a game a couple weeks ago where I T-boned the coach - one of his players received his 5th foul, I went to inform, the coach didn't like the call and wanted to discuss, talk was relatively civil but we weren't agreeing, then I said "I need a sub." He responded, "Well, Ive got a minute." "No. You've got 30 seconds and if that horn goes off, I'm going to T you." (I recognize this was inflamatory and should have been done much nicer but the coach had been chirping the whole game, was doing very little coaching of his kids, and mostly yelling for us to make his desired calls. Last time the teams played he won by 30; this time, at home, he was losing by 10. He was upset.) I got my sub and was 30 feet way with the sub when I hear him say "You're calling a horrible game." I turn with a look of exasperation and call the T. Perhaps I baited him a little but he was deserving of a T before that time. So it was more like "Okay, I'll give you a T if you want one that badly."

I've got him again this week, and another whiner coach, with a rather aloof, rookie partner (I can't think of a better way to describe my partner - he's just not very aware of what is happening around him). Game is coming this Thursday and I'm more than a little worried that it's going to be a mess.

Right now I'm certain my partner is going to kick out the cheerleaders, or toss some little old lady in a walker, or something stupid and I, in my attempt to clean up the mess, will be the bad guy. (Last game with him he tried to kick out the Seminary teacher because he thought the teacher had said something negative.) The AD made me laugh when he told me who it was he was trying to eject.

How do you clear your mind and walk in with a clean slate?