Tournament parting shot

[Mark Padgett]

Did the final game of the President's Day tournament today. As I stated in an earlier post, this has "Elite" teams from all over the country in an 8th grade boys competition.

As I was leaving the court, some idiot parent (from the losing team, of course) came up to me and my partner and yelled at us that we "were terrible" and "should hang it up." Well, you know I couldn't resist.

I told him I only officiated so I could donate my fees to the orphanage that raised me and that they really needed the money. I said I knew that I'd wasn't able to do a good job anymore since the brain surgery, but my therapist said the exercise was good for me. I then asked him if he wanted to donate to the orphanage.

He just stared and then walked away. Darn - those kids really could have used a donation.