[ChuckElias]

Well, not the whole band.

My partner and I come onto the floor for our HS game last night. There's a small band in the stands. I go to the adult who looks to be in charge of the band and I say, "I think this is the first time I've been here when the band has played."

She says, "Well, this is our first game."

I say, "That's great. They know that they are only allowed to play during time-outs and halftime, right?"

She says, "No, but I'll tell them. They'll be good."

Game is rolling along fine. Home team makes a fine defensive play and amidst the cheering, I hear a cowbell clanging. I ignore it, hoping that the adult has now told the kid to stop. Of course, soon after that, the home team scores and again, I hear the cowbell. So I look in the stands to see. . .

THE ADULT banging the cowbell.

I gesture to her (no, not that gesture) hoping to communicate that she could not clang it during play. Two minutes later, there's the cowbell again. So I stop play, go to the table and ask them to announce that there is to be no playing of instruments, including the cowbell, during play. They make the announcement, but it is unintelligible in the loud gym.

Two minutes later, visitors turn it over and again, clang clang clang goes the cowbell. So I blow the whistle, go over to the band section, look right at her and said, "I can't have the cowbell except during TO's and halftime, ok? No music, no bell!" She looks at me like she'd never heard of such a thing in her life. But she stopped after that.

To paraphrase Blue Oyster Cult's record producer: "She had a fever. And the only prescription was. . . more cowbell!!"

[Edited by ChuckElias on Feb 3rd, 2006 at 01:55 PM]