Summer league ball is cracking me up. In my local chapte, I am the assigning secretary, fortunate to be in the top 25 rated officials in the chapter, and have numerous post season assignments in high school and college, but most guys don't want to work summer league. Recently, a fellow official was coaching a team and he had a team of hotheads that weren't very disciplined. We had a play where player A1 stuck his leg out and tripped an opposing player, foul was called (after an eye roll) and we went on. A few trips later, the same player A1 went on a drive and tripped over his own feet (in my opinion) well he did a BIG acting job, and claimed he got fouled, looked at me, and then I called walking. He then spiked the ball, which I rang up a "T", and that was followed up by a comment along the lines of "your terrible" which got him ran. Well this fellow official, Roger H., told me that he got tripped which I told him that it wasn't what I saw. He said, "well Jeremy, that is terrible" I told him to watch it, and informed him his player was gone. He then told me, "Jeremy, give him a break, this is summer league, he didn't pay his money to sit out". I told him that they don't pay enough in summer league to put up with atitudes, and if he didn't watch how he addressed me, he was gonna be stuck in 1A for life. (that last one was probably unprofessional, but I was pissed). But I guess what I am getting at, is that as we call summer ball, some of us officials get pulled into the coaching hat, so beware of who you yell at cuz you never know when it can backfire on you, and don't allow coaches, fans, or the low pay of summer league to make you develop bad habits. My advice is to call these games you would like any other, and don't get swept into the "it is only summer league" persona. I get peeved at guys who refuse to call fouls just cuz it is summer league. LET'S STAY SHARP FOLKS!!! Okay enough rambling....
Fri Jul 05, 2002, 10:35pm
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