Extra duty
 

Tonight my crew was lounging around in the locker room before getting dressed for our varsity game.

Game manager came in and asked us if one of us would mind finishing the JV game as one of the officials pulled a leg muscle. I said I would and dressed in time to work part of the third and the entire fourth quarter. JV guy tried handing me the ball between quarters and I gave it back to him.

Easy quarter+. Then I was the R for the varsity game, 3-person. Blowout.

Heading to Chitown now for a hockey game in the late morning...

Can tell your not from the area 'Chitown' is like nails on a chalkboard to any decent Chicagoan.;)

I know. That's why I used it. I'm pretty well-traveled because of my job and to be quite honest, Chicago is my least favorite major city in the United States.

I'd refer to SF as Frisco, but I actually like SF.

You're a good egg, Rich. I wish you had been one of the three varsity officials that sat in the stands last week while I worked my JV game by myself. :)

Must be your proximity to it. Chicago is one of my 3 favorite cities in the world, and the only one in the US.

He's probably a Packer fan....:p

Hey Rich...Go Hawks!!!

Chicago is my second favorite city.

All the rest are tied for first.


-from a real old officials joke.......

Sux. Like Rich, I've seen a senior official who arrived early for the game, go help out a fellow official going solo. I know allot of us wouldn't have an issue with that. Can't believe they left you hanging.

It's a typical reaction from beyond the cheddar curtain. Something to do with an inferiority complex that most cheese heads have. Even if packers win today, fans still have to live in Green Bay.

Sign at a Green Bay night club...... Two tooth minimum.

Wow!!!:eek:

I got to my V game about midway through the 1st qtr & a newbie was working alone.:eek: Not only that, he had a yellow lanyard and metal whistle.:eek::eek:
I told the AD & V HC I would get dressed quick and help him out till the partner arrived. Got onto the court before the 1st qtr ended. Partway through the 2nd qtr, I saw the partner [who would be the R in our game] arrive. During a break, I motioned him over to take my place. And at HT, I gave the newbie a spare unused fox40 and smitty.

Been there, done that....
 

Last weekend at Rec Ball, one of our newbies arrived to work with me and no whistle. I too carry several spares.

Modus Operandi ...
 

Probably expected you to make every call, inside, and outside, of your primary, as usual. Wanted you to take a hint.

I've lived in Wisconsin for 9 years. Before that I lived in PA, TN, LA, WA, and MA (including in or near Philadelphia, New Orleans, Seattle, and Boston). My favorite US city is probably Seattle (it's the only one I'd live in again of the ones I've lived in before).

Trust me when I say that the best result of that game today (for me) would've been some natural disaster in which nobody got hurt but both the Bears and Packers would've lost the game. I think the main reason I don't like Chicago is that I like cities where I land at an airport and am already there. The drive from Madison to Chicago is my least favorite drive in the world and why I don't like going to the city. I'd rather drive to Minneapolis.

And the hockey game was great -- I'm a Flyers fan and they won 4-1.

On day I'll actually go to Green Bay. I've umpired college baseball in DePere, but have never actually been in Green Bay.

Then Seattle is not a good city for you as when you land you are in the city of SeaTac. To get into Seattle takes a 15-30 minute drive.

I don't need to be lectured about a place where I've actually lived. SEA to the city is a cakewalk compared with the drive from Madison to Chicago.

That might be a cultural thing, I hear that by people that grew up and lived their all the time. As a matter of fact I know many people that call it "The Chi."

Peace

LMAO True it can be a cakewalk of a drive depending on which route you take.

I'm guessing it beats the drive from O'Hare to Chicago. Just a guess, though, since I've never been to Seattle.

Any favorite term by Chet Coppock is not high on my list.

I will say O'Hare is my least favorite airport.

I flew out of O'Hare for the first time in 5 years in November. Miserable, miserable experience. I had to interview a potential new employee for my company and then head directly to Kansas City, so I had little choice. I got yelled at by the TSA and the ridiculed when I refused to go through the nude-o-scope (I refuse to subject myself to unnecessary radiation just cause it makes Ma and Pa Kettle feel safer when they fly once every 5 years).

I won't fly any airlines that even *connect* at O'Hare, which is why I've flown nothing but Northwest (now Delta) for the past 5 years.

Rich,

I noticed in another thread that hockey is your favourite sport and that you would officiate it if you could skate. Well I live in Canada and I played hockey for 20 years but I couldn't see myself refereeing hockey. Once you stop going to those cold arenas on a regular basis it's hard to go back. I do have friends who officiate hockey and they're always trying to get me involved. But I've got a full basketball schedule at this point and of course the two seasons conflict. Hockey is a great sport; watching a great goal, a great save or a great check is as exciting as any play in any sport (IMHO).

I go to O'Hare several times a year. My mom flies out of O'Hare several times a year to go to conferences twice during the summer and she drives up here to fly out of Chicago as opposed to flying out of St. Louis or the Quad Cities Cities. I also have picked up many people at Midway as well.

I love O'Hare as most flights I take are obviously from there and I go there often to pick up friends and family when they come to Chicago. It is easy to get in and easy to get out of. Midway is a nightmare to get to at many times a day, while O'Hare is 20 minutes from my house and even on the worst day of traffic it is relatively easy to get to. Midway would take me an hour get to and I have no idea when I can get back. I can leave late to pick someone up at O'Hare, park and be at the terminal so fast that I can do this all in my sleep. And having been to the Miami and LAX and DFW, I would take O'Hare any day over those I mentioned and the wait to get on a plane. I do not travel as much as others, but I have had very good experiences for the most part (other than United Airlines who I hate until this day). It just shows that we all want different things when we travel.

Peace

I live near MSN (Madison). I can get there about 30 minutes before the flight, there's no traffic, parking is $10 a day in the garage, and I'm usually upgraded into first class (because of my frequent flyer status). I pay with always having a connection.

Last year was the first year in about 7 that I was below 120K BIS (butt-in-seat) miles. I hope I make it 2 years in a row.

The worst part of travel is....the travel.

+1. Ovechkin's famous goal is among the top plays of the decade.

Funny, but Chicago has the BEST pizza!

Chicago Deep Dish YUM!!!

Just like Philadelphia has the best cheesesteaks

It's even more a cakewalk now thanks to the Sounder

Awesome story! I show up an hour early, besides the fact it is the right thing to do, for that same reason: I would love to walk in for the 5pm JV game and see only one official. I would love to step up and get to work with a new guy. I started 15 years ago and I still remember the "varsity" guys that would actually talk to me and try to help me out. You sir are a class act.

They Practically Invented It ...
 

Wooster Square, New Haven, Connecticut.

Pizza Center of the Universe.

Sally's Apizza, and Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana

Frank Sinatra was a fan of Sally's, while President Ronald Reagan preferred Pepe's.

1999: Pepe's was named to the James Beard Foundation's list of "America's Classics".
2006: Pepe's is acknowledged on the History Channel's "American Eats' show as the originator of New Haven-style pizza in 1925.
2009: Pepe's was named the "Best Pizza on Earth" by The Guardian. Food correspondent for GQ magazine Alan Richman names Pepe's the 12th best pizza in the country in the May issue.

Notable visitors to Pepe's include Robert DeNiro, Henry Winkler, Kelly Clarkson, Ernest Borgnine, John Turturro, Kevin James and Vince Vaughn.

Sally's Apizza - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Also, New Haven is home to Louis' Lunch ("The place where Louie dwells" (Yale Whiffenpoofs)), the birthplace of the hamburger sandwich.

http://www.louislunch.com/

I'm a New York pizza kinda guy. Wife and I have spent vacation time in NYC the last 2 years and we just about always have pizza for dinner. Lombardi's and John's (Manhattan) and Grimaldi's (Brooklyn) are my favorites.

Outside of NYC, I've had some great pizza in Phoenix (Pizzeria Bianco), Milwaukee (Transfer Pizzeria Cafe), and even here in Madison (Glass Nickel).

If you're into deep dish, Chicago is great -- problem is, I'm not.

I prefer the NY slice, my wife prefers the deep dish. One of these days I'll get to NY and get a slice.

Any corner in New York has great pizza, I also prefer by the slice and thin crust. Hate to say it, but Chicago pizza is overrated.

Yes Rich, Bianco is very good, but deep dish is what I like. Next time you're in Phx, shoot me a message. I'll meet you at Bianco! We can laugh about the warner park days! I used to like the DeForest italian restraunt version of the Chicago 'za, but I think they went out of biz right before I moved.

Roger

Best pizza I ever had was from a restaurant called Palermo's in Los Angeles, off Hollywood Blvd. Haven't ate one in about 13 years but it still sticks out.

I'm a Jersey/New York pizza guy. Thin crust with pepperoni and Italian sausage.

Worst pizza in the world: Sicily (yes, the island)

I got a call from my assignor asking me if I could get to a school. I asked him what time. His response was " now". I get their and it's the 3rd place game of the a tourny and the one guy on the game looked as white as a ghost. I took over with 4 left in the third, did the rest of that game then the finals.

For those who would refuse to do it they might wanna consider that they could need similar assistance at some point.

You've clearly never had pizza in east Asia. Care for some tuna on your pie? :eek:

Courtesy of Understudy for Mr. Annoying Grammar Guy.

My brother-in-law owns a pizza shop chain in Korea. Their top seller is a kimchi/squid/tofu combo with ketchup. Bleccch!

Is that like S.O.S.?

We have the same assignor....in different countries?
 

My assignor called and said one of the officials got in a wreck and could I make the game. I asked when. He too said, "now." The school was 30+ minutes away. When I get there to bail out my P, everyone in the gym nturally looks at me like - oh here comes the ref who can't be here on time.......can't win for losing! :rolleyes:

There's a guy we haven't seen for a while.....just saying!

Yup. Sicily got nothin on that, they just figure it's supposed to taste like pasta.