|
I also worked with Jeff and would like to share my favorite Jeff story. I was a very new official, and he was quite a bit more experienced than me, when this happened. This was rec (Beaverton Hoop), probably 7th grade girls. I was intensely trying to get everything into place, handed off the ball for an endline throw-in, when I looked up and saw Jeff sitting on a chair, FACING AWAY FROM THE COURT, chatting with a dad. I was furious, but saw another official watching the game, and laughing. Afterwards, this third official said to me, with admiration in his voice, "That dad is the hardest fan to control, and Jeff plays him like a harp." As I worked with him over the last year, I have come to appreciate his remarkable skill to manipulate fans', coaches' and players' attitudes toward healthier competition, and fair play. And he was always polite and enocuraging to me, no matter how wierd I got. I will also miss him very much.
|