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Lodged Ball
Many years ago, when I was a junior varsity official, I was watching the varsity game after my game and observed the following: Boys varsity, conference game, Friday night, big crowd, fans really into the game, giving the varsity officials a hard time. Ball becomes lodged between the basket and the backboard. Before any of the players try to get the ball down, one of the varsity officials, one of the shortest officials on our local board, runs in from midcourt, and jumps as high as he can to get the ball down, missing the ball, and the net, by a few feet. Fans get a good laugh out of this, and then proceed to give both officials less grief the rest of the game. After the game I talked to the varsity officials, and the shorter one said that he did that on purpose to "loosen up the crowd". It worked.
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