My mom is going to take me, for my birthday, on a shopping spree to Honig's. I'm trying to decide what to buy. The budget is not unlimited so I need to be judicious. So far, I think I'll get a mesh shirt (my only one is 5 years old), one round of some sort of shoeshine treatment (brand-name suggestions welcome -- high gloss desired), and perhaps another interra shirt. I don't want to buy shoes -- I can always get them cheap at Penney's or the Nike outlet. I've got one really good pair of slacks, and two okay pair. I have two good pair of compression shorts, lots of socks (!) and two good bras. What I'd like to get is one or two more items that would be kind of luxuries -- something fun and just extra.

So I'm asking for two suggestions -- the shoeshine thing (like we haven't re-hashed that one to death), and something else extra.

Shoe Treatment -- LeatherLuster. It's a lot of work up front, or some extra $ to send them there.

"optional" items -- books (I think you're starting college ball? I recommend "Rules for Refs" (I hope that's the title) -- it contains a description of many of the differences between FED, NCAAM and NCAAW ball), a pre-game board.

Otherwise, more uniform stuff means an extra day before laundry -- and that's a good thing.

TMI!! :D

Why? So do I. My compression shorts are the "industrial" type for holding up heavy objects. Come to think of it, so are my bras.

Heavy butt cheeks, eh? :D

Boys game this weekend. Partner goes to one team, says, "Do you have a game ball?" Kid from the other team says, loudly, "They got no balls!" Then he looked at me in horror. I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing out loud.

Did you give him the hispid oculus?

I had a good laugh. By that time in the afternoon, I had started to absorb some of the testosterone in the air, and my inner male was sort of taking over.

Bob -- I dont see that in the Honig's catalog. Where else would it be available?

I guess having mom in town's not all bad, eh? :)

Juulie - as you know, The Hoop in Beaverton does not allow players to bring in basketballs from the outside. They must use the ones at The Hoop. Two years ago, I was working a 6th grade boys rec game there. At halftime, one team took all the basketballs to warm up. A kid from the other team came up to me and asked, "Isn't there some kind of a ball quota?"

I replied, "Yes, two per player - girls league is different".

He stared at me for a moment, then cracked up. He told the other guys on his team. For the rest of the game, I was the "cool" ref.

I guess I know just how to tap into 6th grade humor.

I've always thought that about you, Mark. :D

RefMag / NASO

Thanks...

I was doing a middle school game a few years ago and at the start of the quarter I was about to administer the throw in and I pointed direction then to the spot and said," Blue ball here." That point to the spot, just happened to be between the feet of two teenage boys.

A couple of moms a few rows up lost it. They were laughing and the kids looked so confused. I explained it to them at the next quarter.