Hilarious (to me anyway) post-game exchange
 

6th grade girls travel league playoffs last night at a nearby rec center. Barely room for spectators along the wall. Interesting game. The teams are only permitted to play full-court defense in the 2nd and 4th quarters. The visitors were tall and slow, and the home team was small and quick. So visitors go up 14-4 at end of first, home up 20-18 at the half, visitors back up 26-24 at end of third, and home wins 33-28. Fans were in our ears the whole night, but I never really looked at any of them so I couldn't tell who was supporting which team.

The wife and I were going straight to an HS playoff game afterwards, so I ducked in the locker room for a quick shower and to change. I come out and meet her in the lobby about 10 minutes later, and on the way out some guy says "Nice game, ref!"

I say "Thanks" with a smile on my face and am almost at the door when he says "Uh, sarcasm." :D Apparently he was a supporter of the losing team, and wanted to throw an barb at me but failed miserably. I could just imagine what went through his head in those moments "Crap, I wanted to insult him but now he thinks he really did a good game. How do I fix this??!?!!?!?" :D :D

Your reply: "Coming from a real expert like you, that means a lot."

"No, I really mean it. Thanks."

Had a dad mouth "pathetic" towards me as I was walking off the floor after a freshman girls B game. I pointed back at the court and mouthed back "that was!" He almost dropped his cell phone in amazement. Ahhhhh...the power of scarcasm! :D

VB game last night... had a play OOB where the ball ended up under the feet of a fan. He picks it up and half-heartedly passes it back to me (it made it half way). I take 2 steps, get the ball and hear from the same guy...

"Gotta call the contact out there..."
My reply "sorry, I don't speak 'fan'..."

"I know."

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.

Excellent. Take a cookie out of petty cash.

"Uh, yea, me too!"

"No, no, you were right the first time."

I had a fan that I saw at several different locations - different teams. He told me coming off the court once that he didn't know "nothin" about basketball but he knew I really sucked. I smiled and said thanks. Next season he's back but as we're going off the court at end of game he asks why I made a particular call. I took the time to explain and he thanked me and held up 3 fingers. Said that's how many I "owed" him. From that night on - I'd walk into a gym and if was there he'd hold up 2 or 3 fingers even before game started. Got along great after that - he was quite a comedian.

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.

I was at a smaller school last season and was getting ready to put the ball in play at the beginning of the second quarter when a guy of about 70 or 80 said something in a crabby-old-guy-voice to get my attention. I thought, "Whoa, boy, here it comes."

He said: "I've seen you here before. You work harder than anyone I've seen and you take charge and do a good job."

You could've knocked me over with a feather.

Here's the nicest thing a fan ever did for me. I'm not posting this to toot my own horn, just to relate the story. Early last rec season, I was entering the MS gym down the street from my house to work my games. We wear our uniforms to these games. An elderly couple was entering at the same time and the man was holding the door open for his wife. I reached to hold the door for him. He looked at my jersey (my jacket was open in front) and said that I should go first because I was "more important" than him. I looked at him and asked him if he was a veteran of the armed forces. He said yes. I then told him he was more important and he should go through first. He smiled and said thank you. I said, "No, thank you."

The following week, he and his wife came to the gym again. I guess they had a grandchild playing. She came up to me with a paper plate full of homemade cookies and insisted I take them. She said it was for making her husband feel so special the previous week. Not wanting to hurt her feelings, I accepted the cookies. I took them home with me after my games and later that day donated them to a shelter for battered women near my house. The executive director there is a friend of mine and I told her the story. She was very appreciative and when I saw the wife a few weeks later, I told her what I did. She was extremely happy and wound up baking a few dozen more cookies for the shelter.

oh, my gosh, Mark, warm fuzzies from you, instead of wicked coach baiting? I suspected, when I saw snow on my lawn this morning, that he!! really was freezing over, but now I'm without a doubt!!

Heard a good one from a partner to a fan after the fan's team lost by 25...

Fan: You guys were terrible...
Partner: Yeah well we may be terrible but at least not 25 points terrible.

I nearly had gatoraide come out my nose on that one... :D

After his team lost by 33 points, I had a coach tell me that my partner and I were "terrible". I told him that perhaps he was right, so to make up for it, we'd give his team 30 points. Then I said, "Oh wait - YOU STILL LOSE!" Then I just walked away and left him with his jaw wide open.

We had snow here too. Now I know why.

Rita:p

3rd grade summer youth leage...
 

Show up to do my game in Vincennes, Indiana. Gym Rats if any of you are familiar. Anyway, my partner doesn't show so I am doing the game by myself. Fans sitting at one end of the court. Dad keeps yelling at me about how horrible I am. Finally I say to myself, "If he says one more word I am going to respond!" Naturally he does, I look at him and say in these exact words, "I have an extra jersey in my bag if you want to get off your happy azz and help me!" He started to say something and the gf/wife sitting behind him covered his mouth. Not a word the rest of the game.

I did have one I wanted to use, but it was extremely inappropriate. Dad yelling at me in a girls varsity game at Gibson Southern in Fort Branch, IN. Closely guarded, I'm counting and he keeps yelling, "That's not six feet, that's ten!" I wanted so badly to yell up to him in the stands, "I bet that's what you tell your wife!" I did not though. My partners at the half thought it was extremly funny though.

Cracked the entire gym up.....
 

B13/15 Semi-Final Rec League game last night. Back and forth. 100 spectators. MS sized gym. Very tense, close, emotional game with a lot of lead changes. Nerves being shown by the boys toward the end.....

Early in the 4th qtr Green #10 was at the line shooting the second of two foul shots. The MS gym was church quiet and one of the parents "passed gas" LOUD! :eek: It was unreal. Didn't know who exactly the "offending party" was, but as the T on that side, I had my suspicions. The "suspected dad" just sat there without expression.

The gym howled (teenagers and f@rts?, cmon!). The shooter at the line almost fell off the line. In hind-sight, we should have "blown the play dead," retrieved the ball, and started the foul shot over. The shooter "bricked it."

I mean, this was LOUD!

One match I'll always remember was midway through last year at a Squad Tournament (rep basketball for local towns, for you Americans).

Spectator is yelling off her nut at my partner and I, and the smartarse in me (as always actually), got the better of me. I turned to her, and said back, quite loudly "Hey, I don't yell at you when you're working at McDonalds". I embarrassed her quite a bit, and she kept it shut for the rest of the match.

Another exchange I had last night in our domestic competition comes to mind here too - father says "C'mon ref, you gotta make a call there" to which I reply "If you want to read the rules and tell me what call should have been made, go for it" he was quick to blurt out "A charge would have been nice"... this is the point where I should have put a lid on it, but I just had to say "No, your not listening to me - I said read the rules first"

I guess I really should start to control myself - its going to get me into trouble; but gosh, when a clueless parent gets going, responding is just so tempting.

Herb Padgett and the Tijuana brass band..........

Wow, great stuff! A Mark Padgett down under!

It's nice to see that I'm not the only official who fires back at the fans from time to time. My most recent was last night. Crew arrives at the gym an hour and 15 minutes prior to game time, only to learn that the J.V. officials had not appeared. Coach pleads with us to work the J.V. game, which is now 30 minutes behind schedule. One partner tells him that his knees won't make it through two games; the other says his back won't make it (both in their mid-50's). I tell coach that I'll do it alone (52 with an artificial hip; I'm the one who REALLY needs the warm-up time). Anyway, I do the J.V. game by myself. No incidents except for a tech on a kid who pushes another kid on a dead ball.

Now go on to the varsity. Visitors are much better, and are up 25 as time is running out in the first half. Home #12 jumps to throw a pass, comes down "funny" on his leg, and twists his knee. Time expires. As we are leaving, elderly fan (#12's grandfather) starts blasting us. I always feel badly when a kid gets hurt, and when grandpa starts to pile on. . .let's just say I had heard enough. I stop, go back toward the bleachers, and look up at him. "I'm sorry, sir, I didn't quite hear that. Is there something you'd like to say?" Silence. "C'mon sir, you can't embarrass yourself more than you already have. Speak up, and give me a reason to have this nice officer escort you to the parking lot." More silence. I swear, I was so angry that if the guy had been standing in front of me, I might have punched him. I wish I could control myself better in those situations.

One day, fans are going to realize that they are going to destroy the game. Officials will tire of the abuse, and there will be no one left to work the games. Just once, I'd love to take my crew and walk off the floor when the fans are going over the line. But that wouldn't be fair to the kids, and the game is about them. I can still dream, however. . . .

Steamed?
 

Jearef - you woulda punched a grandpa? Yikes!

PS - kudos for stepping up and working the JV game alone!

I'd have dropped him like a bad habit. Not your proverbial grandpa, as in grey hair, no teeth, a cane, etc. This guy was late 50's, early 60's. No question it would have been the absolute wrong thing to do, and likely would have ruined my officiating career. I just can't remember the last time I was that angry.

Just me, I can't believe your partners didn't jump in.

:(

What do Australians use to buy chess sets? A check, mate. :D

Hey - you've been looking at my picture again. :mad:

Sounds like you need to work on some anger issues. And if you had punched that grandpa, it wouldn't be the fans who destroyed that game...

C'mon, Juulie. With all due respect, if you're looking for a reason to chastize, at least read ALL of the posts I put up about the issue. Particularly the one that says "it would absolutely have been the wrong thing to do", "it would have ruined my career", etc. I recognize that initiating a physical confrontation with a fan is never acceptable; I was simply trying to convey the extreme level of anger I was feeling at the moment. Anger control is not the absence of anger; anger control is the ability to recognize the emotion and resist the urge to act upon it. Under the circumstances that presented themselves last night, I was able to do that.

If you can go out on the floor, work your rear end off in two consecutive games (the first of which you worked alone), see a fine young man hurt and then listen to a fan screaming that it is your fault without getting angry, you're a far better person than I. Perhaps you are able to do just that, and if so, you are to be commended. I can always take whatever abuse the fans dish out about my eyesight, my family tree, my overall ability, etc. We all have our "hot buttons", and the fellow last night found mine. I'm glad the confrontation was limited to a verbal exchange.

Sounds like grandpa needs to work on "shutting his freaking trap" issues, to me. :D

Whats sad about that?

The other spectators had a laugh...

I agree. They should be fit enough to do two three man games.

Rita

I was responding to this sentence from your post, "I was so angry that if the guy had been standing in front of me, I might have punched him. I wish I could control myself better in those situations." I would have been exceedingly angry too, and I'm not saying that the anger is wrong. It's natural. But even you were worried about how you might handle that anger, and that's what you CAN and SHOULD work on. Do it NOW before you regret your response. And in fairness to you, I'll agree with Rich, that "grandpa" also needs to work on his anger issues too, he didn't vent his anger well at all!

I understand the point
 

I understand the point you were trying to make. Twenty-three years in, and I still haven't had a physical altercation with a fan. I've been tempted on few occasions, but I've always been able to resist the primal urge. :) We all work SO hard at doing what we do: study, training, camps, scrimmages, time away from our children and our spouses, etc. Then to have some dope in the stands scream at us . . . . I know it comes with the territory, and we all knew that coming in. Like I said in the first post, one day, those folks will realize they are ruining the game for the kids. I just hope it isn't too late when they do come to that realization.

At least he didn't tell you to read between the lines.

I am 52 and have been a grandpa for a few years.

And if the partners couldn't do 2 3 man games, maybe it is time to really lighten up the schedule.

Really. If I was the athletic director, I would be placing a few calls.

I got a phone call last season from an AD who was short one official for the 6PM JV game before my varsity game. In WI, you CANNOT start any level with one official, so there were two choices -- find an official or cancel the game. I went and worked the double, JV/V boys, 2-person in both games. Only subvarsity I've worked in 4 years, but it never even occurred to me to turn it down.

Had this happen once this year. A couple days before heading to a small town nearby to work a boys/girls V double, the AD calls one of my partners (the one who scheduled the games) and asked if we didn't mind coming down earlier to work the girls JV game in addition to the two we already had. We said sure, no problem. Come to find out, the two officials doing the junior high girls game had only the type of certification that allowed them to work JH games, but not JV games. The AD did ask a couple of guys from another town close to us (same driving distance) to come down and do the JV game (they have the same certifications we had for JH all the way to V), but they didn't want to make the drive for the money they were going to get for it. Really, it was the same amount we get here in the metro area for some of the subvarsity stuff anyway, and it wasn't that long of a drive!

Also had one sitch where the assignor called me an hour before the tipoff time, and asked if I had my bag with me. Lo and behold, I did. The game was about a 30 minute drive, so he told me to get there as quickly as I could, and he called the AD to let him know I was on the way. I was actually on the court in time for the 15 minute jurisdiction time. The AD was too impressed, and said he was going to call the assignor and make sure I got some more games at the school. :)

Overheard this exchange between two players
 

After a brief altercation between two players (nothing serious, just needed a "go to your corner" talk), the boys quietly exchange these words as they move down court. Player A: "Yeah? Well f*** you." Player B: "It wouldn't be any fun, I'd just lay there." I looked at player A for his reply and all he could do was smile.

I assume that player B's response was better than a T in that situation.

It was such a great response that I couldn't bring myself to spoil the moment. Player A got his, I just wish others could have heard it!

I wonder how many of us would have exhaled and caused an inadvertent whistle as we laughed.

Count me in that group...