[K-Bach]

I apologize, in advance, for the length.

Yesterday, BV game, zone playoff -- first game in best of 3. Teams are from small towns, 100 km apart. Close all the way -- fans screaming, coaches yelling, players diving after loose balls and deflecting passes all night. Fantastic! Questions are asked politely and answered where practical. Players react to calls emotionally, but recover quickly (a couple even apologized for thinking bad thoughts). Anyway, home team covers a 10 point deficit in the last 4 minutes, takes the lead, by two, with 3.5 sec left. Visitors pass to half court, then to the basket for the alley-oop lay-in at the buzzer. In OT, home team dominates, wins by ten. Both coaches greet my partner and I at the table to thank us for a great game and we reciprocate. Great drive home; been feeling great all day and really the lovin' the prospect of getting game 3.

Tonight, BV game, zone playoff -- first game in best of 3. Schools are across the street from one another.
Close all the way -- fans screaming, home coach yelling instructions to his players and politely asking questions during dead ball periods, visiting coach telling his players not to worry about the calls ("this guy's had it out for you guys all year"), players diving after loose balls and deflecting passes all night, home team (A) playing hard and playing well, visitors (B) playing hard and whining about every call I make and even some my partner makes (still my fault though). 2nd half - I'm lead,B1 drives to hole along the baseline, A2 is set and waiting -- collision sends A2 into B2, on the lane, then OOB. I call the PC, B's coach is convinced that A2 fouled B2 and solicits my partner (T on bench side) to change my mind. As they begin to 'converse,' B1 throws the ball at the face of A2, who's just beginning to sort himself out on the floor OOB. "Whack!" Coach B, is about to lose it. I report both, adding the phrase, "throwing the ball at the face of another player," to the end of the T. I administrate the FT's while my partner bears the brunt of coach's wrath, which now centers on why I should have given a warning (partner delivers warning to coach). From then on, team B plays well, but w/o discipline. Best player fouls out, best whiner T's out (I didn't call it, but it's still my fault).
Team A scores 6 in the final 8 seconds to tie.

OT isn't even close; Team B resorts to fouling with 2 minutes left, down by 8 (???), and coach wonders why I'm calling the initial contact, even though my partner and I are alternating calls, instead of letting them really "foul 'em." At a TO, my partner and I agree that he's close to a T, but lunatic ramblings will be allowable during OT. [edited for accuracy]

A wins by 16; coach thanks my partner at the table for a great game, noticeable hurting my feelings in the process; his AD, whom I coach against during the football season, comments to my partner as we leave the building, "great game, buddy, too bad we've still got to win by 18, eh." No response from either of us; my partner turns his back on the AD -- I hide my snickering in my coat collar. Long drive home, less than 10 minutes; really hatin' the prospect of getting game 3.

Kudos to my partner for backing every call I made and dealing with a coach who's got no clue about what constitutes sportsmanship, but I really needed to vent!

[Edited by K-Bach on Mar 8th, 2006 at 08:49 AM]