[just another ref]

October 2006: 8th grade boys basketball School A has beaten School B every time they have played. I have called 2 or 3 of the games. I live one mile from School A, and my son graduated from high school there this year.
School B is a jr. high ten miles down the road. I have known B's coach for about 30 years. We played against each other in high school. I know most people at both schools now, and have called games at both schools for the past 20 some years. The game in question had a call that apparently was the straw that broke the camel's back. Just before the half, free throw shooter stepped on the line with the ball in his hands. He realized it before the shot and pulled his foot back. I saw it and ignored it. Coach B also saw it and realized that I saw it. He called me on it at the half. "You gotta make that call." "Find something else to worry about, Coach." His team lost by about ten. After the game, he came to me: "You don't need to call any more when we play this team." "Fine, Coach, whatever you think is best. Deal with some of these other guys that call jr. high around here and I might not look so bad." (Sure enough, this ban was later rescinded.)

Here's the good part. Ten years or so ago, Coach B was the jr. high coach at School A. One night after his team lost a close one at home, he made a brief statement to me after the game: "Nobody will ever call y'all homer."(dragged my partner in that time)