Look Before You Leap ...

[BillyMac]

Friday night. Boys.

I arrive early to observe the junior varsity officials. Visitor junior varsity players are wearing red road jerseys. The entire Visitor coaching staff is wearing matching red polo shirts. I observe a Visitor junior varsity player playing while wearing a black long sleeve undershirt under his red road jersey. I mention this to the junior varsity officials at their halftime intermission, noting that, to be fair, the player in question was wearing a warmup shirt over his jersey during the pregame warmups.

Now my varsity game. During the pregame introductions, I note a Visitor starter wearing a black long sleeve undershirt under his road jersey. I tell him that he can’t play with an illegal undershirt, that the only legal color is red to match his road jersey. He comments that he has worn the black undershirt during road games all season. As the starters are gathering for the jump ball to start the game, I note that the same player is still wearing the black long sleeve undershirt. I explain to the head coach that his starting player can’t play with an illegal undershirt, that the only legal color is red to match his road jersey, emphasizing my point by pointing to the head coach's red polo shirt.

Then I have an epiphany, realizing that, while the Visitor varsity road jerseys have a lot of red, they are predominately black (unlike the Visitor junior varsity predominately red road jerseys).

Embarrassed, I apologize to the head coach, and to the starting player, and we start the game.

Second period. Out of bounds. Home ball. Timeout requested, and granted. After the timeout, a (different) Visitor player asks if the ball goes to, “White, or red?”.

Some vindication. Not a lot, but some