I've been laughing all week.

[blindzebra]

Not that I'd do this in every situation, but there was this one town back in Kansas...where I started officiating...that had these 5 old guys that came to every game, set in the first row at mid-court.

They had a rep of just eating officials alive, and during the drive there my partner and I, discussed how to deal with them.

Warm-ups and we get together at the D line and then turn around and say, "So you are the guys we heard about, and will be hearing all game, huh?" They came back with, "That all depends on how bad you guys are."

First call of the game is an obvious block against them, directly in front of them. I call it and look right at them and wink. Not a word.

Throw-in to start the 2nd quarter and I'm at the D-line and they say, "Sweating pretty good there, been drinking too much beer?" I just wipe my hand across my face and say, "Why you need some?" They lost it laughing.

We never heard a word from them and during a timeout in the 4th, they told us about their watering hole and asked us to join them for a beer.