Hilarious (to me anyway) post-game exchange

[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally Posted by doubleringer

Back in the day when I did alot of weekend tourney ball, I was working in a school where the fans sat up above the courts as the lower bleachers were pushed in so we could have two courts. I'm sure you know the set up. Anyway, I'm going back to position after calling a foul and a "well informed fan" yells out, "HOW DO YOU CALL THAT FOUL?!" The smartass in me took over and I stopped, looked up and replied, "Well sir, first I blew my whistle nice and loud and then I put my fist straight up in the air, indicating that I had a foul. Had my hand been open, it would have meant that I called a violation such as travelling. Thank you for asking, do you have any further questions?"

He was a bit embarassed and didn't say a word the rest of the game. I know I shouldn't have and I wouldn't do it again, but it was REALLY fun at the time.

I had a somewhat similar situation happen in the first futbol (soccer) game I ever officiated. Now I need to preface my story with the following information, I had a great grandmother on my maternal grandmother's side of my family who was Jewish, my godfather was Jewish and three of my closest teammates (basketball and golf) from high school are Jewish. Okay, now on to the true story.

My first soccer game ever (and the first one I had ever seen in person or on television) officiated was in Fall 1993. I should also state for the record that if one can officiate basketball, then once one learns the rules of soccer, one can officiate soccer easily; but that is fodder for another thread. It was the freshmen game of a boys' H.S. FR-JV-VAR triple-header between two all boys' Catholic high schools. Toledo St. Francis de Sales H.S. (home team) and Cleveland St. Ignatius H.S. (visiting team). For those who have never attended a H.S. soccer game, that fans usually (almost 100% of the time) sit on the side of the fiels opposite the side of the field from the teams. We were using a Dual System of Control (two-whistle, kind of like a two-person basketball officiating crew) and I was on the specator side of the field.

The game was played on a pleasant Saturday morning (game time: 11am) in early September. The St. Ignatius fans were brutal but what do fans know anyway. Two-thirds of the way through the first half a St. Ignatius player went down with an injury. There was no foul involved because it was just a couple of players kicking at the ball, but, none-the-less, the St. Ignatius fans were upset that no foul was called against St. Francis. While the player was being attended to by the medical staff, a father from St. Ignatius stood up and yelled: "Jesus Christ! What a terrible call!" I could not resist responding. Without thinking (since when has not thinking ever stopped me from speaking my mind) about what I wanted to say and I turned to the specators and said in a voice loud enough for all of the spectators to hear: "Sir, I am of the Jewish faith and today is my Sabboth. I am shocked and dismayed that the parent of a student-athlete of such a fine Cathlolic school of secondary education would take his Lord's name in vain." It became very quiet and we never heard a word from the St. Ignatius fans the rest of the game. True story.

MTD, Sr.