Do you remember the first game you officiated?

[bas2456]

Mark, what suburb did you live in?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by bas2456

Mark, what suburb did you live in?

Chicago Heights. Home of Jerry Colangelo, Bret Saberhagen and Jim Bouton. Oh yeah, and me.

[bas2456]

Gotcha. Ever do a game at Rolling Meadows High School?

[Mark Padgett]

Originally Posted by bas2456

Gotcha. Ever do a game at Rolling Meadows High School?

No way. That's way up on the north side. Probably all Cubs fans.

[bas2456]

Originally Posted by Mark Padgett

No way. That's way up on the north side. Probably all Cubs fans.

Indeed

[Juulie Downs]

Do I remember??

You never forget your first...

Other than the fact that I was completely and totally awful, the funny thing was my 18 month old son. He was sitting right at the division line with my husband. He'd see me run toward him, and light up with glee, and then as I'd run past he'd start to cry. And then we'd go back the other way and do it all again! Poor kid, he'll probably need counselling for life!

[bigdogrunnin]

December 1999. I was coaching girls athletics (Basketball and Track) at the High School in a small central Texas town. Another coach (JV Boys BB) came in and said, "hey the officials did not show up for the JH boys game at the JH and they need us to go officiate the 2 games." Off we went in our coaching shorts and t-shirts with our "thunderer" whistles. I was beyond horrible . . . in fact, horrible was in the stands and kept yelling, "YOU SUCK!"

I called that one time that year, didn't call again until the next season, but I was hooked. That was 10 years and about 2200 games ago.

Can't imagine not doing it now. It becomes a part of you . . .

[fullor30]

Originally Posted by Juulie Downs

Do I remember??

You never forget your first...

Other than the fact that I was completely and totally awful, the funny thing was my 18 month old son. He was sitting right at the division line with my husband. He'd see me run toward him, and light up with glee, and then as I'd run past he'd start to cry. And then we'd go back the other way and do it all again! Poor kid, he'll probably need counselling for life!

We both had too much to drink that night...............oops wrong thread.

My first patched game was at Bill Murray's old grammar school. 6th grade boys, I was terrible, yet knew how to fake it from watching so many games.

Actually, my first game, many many years earlier was at my grammar school when I was a sophomore in high school. I had no idea what I was doing and got two bucks for the effort. Today, if a school trotted out two unpatched newbies out of uniform, they'd be arrested.