[rainmaker]

One of the things I do sometimes is take some candies to put at the score table. I explain to both coaches that while it isn't encouraged for them to "work the refs" or give gifts, there's no reason I can't try to "get on their sweet side".

So Sunday, heading into the "4 Game Guarantee" day of a big national tournament we have here every year, I decided it might help a little to try buttering up the coaches. The first game, both coaches laughed, and commented on how clever it was. The female coach said that she'd wait until the end of the game to see if she "earned" it. The male coach said that he never yells at refs, just at his players.

We got about 5 minutes into the game, and the male coach decided he didn't like a call. He questioned me, I explained, and he disagreed. Finally, I said, "Coach, she got her solid on the body, and we called it." And he said, "Well, for that call, I think I'm gonna need an M&M." I laughed. I thought, "Hey, this guy is really cool!"

But as you can tell by the title of this thread, it didn't last. He was awful (although he was even worse on his players), and after the game, he pointed out that he'd only lost by 6 points and that the foul count was 12-6, so obviously, we'd cost him the game.

Maybe next time, I"ll try starlight mints instead. Think it would make a difference?