Icy roads, 3.5 drive, $53. We do this for the money.

[Rich]

Drove 120 miles yesterday on the iciest interstate I've ever seen (I drove home at about 30 mph at most, saw 4 cars in the ditch and watched helplessly as the car in front of me slid off into the ditch) and got home at 2AM. BTW, this was the same stretch of road where all the cars were stranded for 12+ hours this past week.

Actually, I double-dipped yesterday -- worked a girls varsity in the afternoon and a boys varsity in the evening.

Had I not done this, I wouldn't have gotten this pearl of wisdom from the home coach last night (boys, Illinois):

"This is a 4A game, not a 1A game. You can't call a charge under the basket like that. You're calling this like a 1A game and it's not. Let them play!"

We counted up the player control fouls after the game and there were at least 7 from the home team. Five of these were no brainers that my mother could've called from the bleachers. It's as if the defenders were standing there with big STOP signs on their chests. And every time the player would try to go straight through their chests. And drill the opponent straight to the floor. And every time the coach would give us something like his little pearl of wisdom. Until my partner told him to knock it off early in the second quarter (it had just grown tedious -- up to that point, it was pretty entertaining, which is probably why we let it go a bit). Mind you, this was probably one of the worst 4A teams I've seen, yet this coach, in his own way, was trying to big-time us. Unbelievable.

We had one player control foul in the fourth quarter where the ball handler stuck his arm out and displaced the defender. Blatant, easy. Partner calls, I'm the L (new T) coming up tableside. Now there are two assistants yelling across the floor. So, since I was in their lap: "Knock it off. That was a no brainer. Assistant coaches aren't going to yell tonight." I get the usual: "We're not talking to you." "You're talking to all of us. (Turning to head guy) Bill, take care of them before I have to." Pure joy. You can put coaches in expensive suits, but it doesn't mean that those suits come with brains.

I only have 8 games left. Where did the season go?

[Uncle_Moe]

I am noticing more and more younger coaches trying to make-up for their short comings as a coach by trying to officiate from the bench. Show me a coach who moans, whines and complains, and I'll show you a team whose players follow suit. Barring cancellations, I will finish my season next week having called 103 games for this season. My tolerance for these types of coaches has bottomed-out.

As for the coach telling you that you couldn't call his game like a 1A game, I would have probably told him that both games were played by the same rules and fundamentals and if he wasn't up to coaching at this level, then maybe he should go back down to 1A. I will guarantee you that would have put him back in the box very quickly (and silently) without the need to whack him.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Moe

I am noticing more and more younger coaches trying to make-up for their short comings as a coach by trying to officiate from the bench.

We have several, older, veteran, coaches in our local area who are very knowledgable about teaching their players basketball skills, and strategy, who also try to officiate from the bench.

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by Uncle_Moe

I am noticing more and more younger coaches trying to make-up for their short comings as a coach by trying to officiate from the bench.

There's a reason the term "short" is part of this expression - and I'm not referring to their height.