Geez

[Rita C]

Freshman game. First time all season the 30 second clock is working. Rookie operator. Visiting coach knows this. He's whining about the clock almost constantly through the first three minutes. I try some verbal judo but it doesn't work as quickly as "You coach, I ref". Sigh but he does tone it down.

Third quarter home team takes ball out after goal. He yells time but I'm not registering his yell because this is also the precise time he has been yelling out plays for the defense. Home team has just thrown the ball in when it registers belatedly that he is asking for time and I blow my whistle. Home coach immediately starts whining about that. (Both whiners but I've dealt with home coach before.)

I decide to go with the fact that the ball has already been thrown in and belongs to white. No time out. Visiting coach asks, "Don't I get my time out?" I said no. He whines about my not hearing him. I'm so irritated I look at him and say, "Well if you didn't whine so much I wouldn't have tuned you out and heard you sooner!" and administered the ball.

Maybe I shouldn't have said it but it felt good. On the good side the whining was dramaticly reduced from him for the rest of the game.

Oy!

Rita