We all at one time or another in our officiating career need to talk, discuss, relay information to a coach that may not see things the same way that we did.

I'd like to get a sampling of some of your best replys that quelled those situations and also some that you used that made the situation worse.

Oh, Dave!!!!! ;);):D:D

This I always thought was the best comeback ever, but it came from a coach to a ref. I don't remember who the official was, but former North Carolina State coach Jim Valvano asked an official once, "Can you T me up for what I'm thinking?" When the official replied that he could not, Valvano said, "Well then, I think you suck!"

Valvano did not receive a technical, in part because the official was trying not to laugh too hard.

I've only used one defusing comment that did not come from this board and that was two weeks ago. Both coaches had been chirping all game and my partner had told them as long as they controlled themselves we would be lax on enforcing the coaching box.

Early in the third quarter there was a crash on the baseline with me at trail on the table side, so i was between both coaches...a few feet on the floor. Just as the crash occurs the ball goes OOB on the baseline and my partner passes on the crash and awards the ball appropriately. Both coaches yell for a foul at the same time. Since it was a dead ball, I turn and say "Which one of you wants a foul called on his team cause you can't both be right." They look at each other and both grin. It actually got them to tone down the chirping, then the game got close and they were too busy to worry about us.

Not the best line, I know...but I'm a bean counter and supposedly we have no personality. :)

Not your best line!?!? I think it's great!!! I'm writing it down for future reference.

Was working a game where the assistant coach was riding my partner and my partner said, "I may have to take that from Batman, but I'm sure not taking it from Robin. Sit down." I still laugh at that one.

Mregor

I like that one!

Hey Larry, for a guy with no personality you sure came up with a good one! I'm putting that one in my bag tonight.

:D

Larry
It's people like you who can find humor in their work while doing a serious job that make it all that much more fun. Great line, one that shows a good side of you to both coaches and demonstrates that you are on that day!

If Jimmy V said this, then he stole it from Adolph Rupp. This exact situation was attributed to coach Rupp in a book written by Cawood Ledford(longtime U of K radio broadcaster), I believe.

The dialogue went something like this:

Ref: Coach, if I hear one more word from you, you're gone.

Coach Rupp: O.K., sir, but May I think something?

Ref: Sure

Coach Rupp: Good. I think you stink.

Ref: TWEEEEEEEEET!!!

Here's one that came from buddy of mine:

Situation: JV game, one team is far superior to the other.
Player for lesser team drives to the basket, is wildy out of control, and falls as he throws the ball toward the basket.

Coach: C'mon Ref! Help me out here!

Ref: Coach, the only way I could help you would be to pass and shoot for your team!

Coach:
"We have 8 fouls and they only have 3...this can't be possible!"

Official:
"Coach, are you accusing me of cheating?"

Coach:
"Of course not"

Official:
"Then you must be asking me to start cheating"

End of Conversation

Situation in a Boys Freshman game.
 

Home = Blue; Visitors = Black

Opponents scramble for a loose ball; black pushes it, but it contacts blue’s hand as it sails into the crowd.

(Tweet) “Black” (point toward black’s hoop)

Home coach calls time-out.

As I wait at the location of the ensuing throw-in, a father (located 4 rows up, behind me) who had been chirping off an on since the beginning of the game challenges my last call and my ability to officiate. “That should be blue ball! Blah, blah, blah…. How long have you been officiating?”

In a slight lapse of my usual professional demeanor, I turned toward the heckler and responded with a stern posture, “We are 2:19 into the second quarter so that would mean I have been officiating 10:19.” I paused then with a smile on my face I continued, “But I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.”

All those who heard my retort began to chuckle. I did not have any additional problems with the crowd that night.

Disclaimer: I've only said this at very low level games, and usually not to coaches, only to fans.

C'mon ref, give us a break. C'mon ref, have a heart. etc.

I say, "If you want sympathy, call your mother. If you want charity, call the salvation army. I have a job to do."

Being someone who is sarcastic by nature, mostly at myself, one of the things I have tried to keep in check is my quick tongue. This has made me dialogue less with coache then I probably should BUT these were a few I think we fun:

Coach "You can't call that"
Me "Yes I can.......I just did"

After a player was getting a little too excited about a defensive play he just made I blew the whistle to talk to give the kid a warning to leave the ball alone:
"#34, I know you made a great defensive play, you know you made a great defensive play, your coach, their coach, the crowd and certainly that player knows you made a great defensive play. Don't spoil it by having them see you get T'd up. Then they will think that play was just luck."

Coach screaming for me to call a foul, after I blew the whislte.
Me "Coach, I blew the whistle and called the foul, now if it all right with you I would like to report it and get back to the game". The call was in her favor, and one she had wanted all night.

Now the ones I have THOUGHT about saying........

Ball goes out of Bounds in front of coach but is still in the air.

Coach is jumping up and down wanting an OOB call before ball has landed.

After I blow the whistle I say to the Coach:


"Coach as of yet I don't have ESP.

Give me time to get the breath out of me to blow the whistle.""

Coach starts laughing and apoligizes

To the player that complains better than they play .... "I'll give you the choice, stick to playing or you and I can take a walk to your bench but I know I'm the only one coming back."

"Coach,before I answer your question,I gotta tell you that this has been a bad day for me. I have to go see the judge to-morrow and tell him that I failed the Anger Management Course. Again!"

Might I suggest one addition to your comment
 

"...tell him that I failed the Anger Management Course. Again!... But I see you should be in the next class offering. Maybe we can attend together!!
:D

Don't forget, "If you want justice, call Judge Judy".

Davisms - one more time
 

OK, OK. Due to popular demand (my beagle hounded me to do this) - here are the best Davisms as voted by the public.

Coach: (as Dave was about to report a foul) “Call it both ways”
Dave: “OK, coach, I will. Blue, 42, a hold. (he pauses) 42, blue, a hold. Is that what you meant coach, because that’s all the ways I know.”

Dave: (to table) “We have a technical foul on the green coach.”
Asst. coach: “Are you nuts?”
Dave: (to table) “Now we have T for two.” (he breaks into a soft shoe and sings “Tea For Two”)

Coach: “How come they get the ball on that jump call? They got the last one.”
Dave: (knowing the AP arrow is correct) “I’ll tell you what, coach. We’ll give them this one but then we’ll give you the next 2 out of 3, OK?”
Coach: “Oh, OK………huh?”

A coach continues to complain. Dave responds, “Listen coach. Let’s trade places. You come out here and call the game, and I’ll sit on the bench and act like a jackass.”

Fan: “Hey ref. Want to borrow my glasses?”
Dave: “Why? They’re not doing you any good.”

Coach: “That’s 3 seconds.”
Dave: “Coach, that wasn’t 3 seconds even in dog years.”

However, he saved his best for me, personally. A few years ago, I was in the last quarter of a game and Dave was watching, waiting for the next game, which he was going to officiate. At a timeout he yelled at me.
Dave: “Hey ref, are you pregnant?”
I ignored him. He repeated, “Hey ref, are you pregnant?”
I replied, “OK, Dave. I’ll bite. No, I’m not pregnant. Why do you ask?”
Dave: “Because you missed three periods.”

Varsity boys (lower level) player completely out of control trying to push through a double team, I refuse to "bail him out," call a travel.

"Where's the foul ref" I respond -- "you'll never get that call, unless you go back to 5th grade boy's club ball," and then real seriously I look at him and say, "you are better than that aren't you?"

Kid smiles and laughs, "yes sir, I sure am." no problems the rest of the night.

..this one happened just tonight. I had a fan that was really getting ugly to me, and I asked him during a dead ball period if he subscribed to the local paper. He then said no, and I told him he'd better request a subscription, because at the rate he was going he was going to have to READ about the rest of the game, because he sure wasn't going to watch it!

I didn't hear a word from him the rest of the game..


...and this is my favorite one I used last year. My co officials and I were calling a rival game together and were clamping down on them due to the hate level present, and one of the coaches tells me. "dang it Jeremy, you gotta give us a break!:

"Coach, do you think we have missed many calls tonight?"


"Heck yes! quite a few!"

"well coach, there were your breaks!"

more replies
 

"Hey ref, does your whistle work?"

"Yup, it works just fine. Watch!"
then T him up

Former college coach to a group meeting of officials
after being asked does he ever do/say anything to
get a T called (to fire up his team)
"Hey ref, call 3 seconds.
I know that if you can't count to three
you could at least cont to one three times!"

"How can you call that?"
Well let's see. I put my tongue into the front of the
whistle and then I blow air through it!"

Kid comes flying through the lane on a drive to the basket. Slides between two defenders in the air and crashes to the floor with slight contact created by him. His teammates ask me if there was a foul and I ask them, "Did I blow my whistle?", they respond, "No." "Then there was no foul.", "Well how did he hit the floor then?", "He didn't land on his feet."

I wasn't even saying this to be funny at the time, I was just explaining exactly what I saw but the more I thought about it the funnier it got, to me anyway...

Pink
 

Was working a girls high school game when I was still wearing glasses and called a foul. The coach (female)was complaining about the call as I was reporting it to the table and makes the comment, "You'd have to have x-ray glasses to see that from here!" After I finished reporting the call I turned to her and said, "Pink". "Excuse me" she says. "Pink" I said again. "What's pink?" she asked. "Your underwear" as I walked away. Never heard a word the rest of the game but everytime we looked at each other we smiled.

Your best combacks
 

this one I like, I heard it from a guy I worked with earlier int he year.

Coach: You have got to react faster to the foul calls, someone is going to get hurt.

Ref: So I should have called the CBF?
Coach: What is a CBF.

Ref: The crystalball foul.

Hey Larry, this past weekend I was working a 7th grade game with my son (see Padgett, you're not the only one who's parenting skills are suspect! :) ) and there's a mid court crash with no call. Both coaches start in "Ya gotta have something!!!" I was T and I turned, looked at them, was about to fire the line & thought "ahhhh...why bother, they ain't good enough". :D

[Edited by Dan_ref on Feb 10th, 2003 at 09:41 PM]

I used this one this past weekend:

Coach: You have to call the first foul!!

Ref: I just did. Didn't you hear my whistle?

Calls
 

This works for me in Rec League(God help us all)and I used it Monday night :

Both teams are not very good and have committed numerous traveling violations and missed plenty of shots. A 9-7 halftime score gives that away.They are both openly complaining about calls so I blow the whistle and gather both "coaches" at half court and I say "I'm not yelling at your teams for travelings or missing shots so I would appreciate it if you would not yell at me if you THINK I missed a call."

Both "coaches" looked at each other with an "I guess he's right" look and walked away. The final of this "fingernails on the chalkboard" game was 21-19.

i was T when i made an backcourt violation call about 5 feet from the end line close to the basket. my partner came running to me saying the ball goes out at table side no matter what. i replied," im glad you think that, but im taking it out right here( on the baseline)[closest to where the violation occurred] and i told him he might as well go back to his spot.

Youth Rec Game
 

During at TO in a very small gym, I'm waiting to admnister a throw-in near a group of youngster with the score 41-37, I hear "they can beat them, they are only down 7". I look back and say, "Yo Dog, what school do you go to". A Big laugh began!!!!!

seeing as i referee in a Jr. NBA league i always use this one...

Traveling call
Coach:"AW Cmon kid this aint the NBA"
Me:"I know coach - thats why I called the travel"

Carry
Coach:"Aww cmon John, these kids see the pros get away with all the time."
Me:"Thats the NBA- this is the Jr. NBA - I point at my Jr. NBA/Jr. WNBA patch on my shirt- we call this kinna stuff in a instructional leauge"

(Sad thing was that was the league commishoner - one of only several run ins with the guy all year. He threated to pull my stripes if I didnt loosen up on game. Funny thing was I called a game with him.. He called the game tighter than I was. I came to the conseus if his kids werent on the court and he wasnt a coach or parent then he was very very impartial and very very by the book)

Player: You suck, ref!

Me: No, but my wife does.

10 and under girls tournament. Had the same team a couple of times. During the first game the "assistant" coach did nothing but sit on the bench and keep a book. By ths second time I had them, he was up and down, howling like the monkey he really was.

During the third quarter, he yelled at one of the girls from the opposing team, which really got him under my skin.

About 2 minutes later, the head coach asked for an explanation of the three second rule (why does no one understand this rule) and I patiently and politely explained to him that when a shot is attempted there is no team control, thus no three second call, and the three second count would begin when control was established. He was fine with the explanation, but the assistant came up off the bench flailing his arms shouting, "what rule book is that in?"

WHACK "that one," I replied.

Gracious sakes, I hope you only thought that!!

Yeah, I don't thinking I'd be working any more at that school if I actually said that!! :):)

Wha????

That really showed him,eh?:D

Not even close
 

Happen to catch this exchange between an official and a notoriously volatile coach the other night...

Coach (screamming): "5 SECONDS!...COME ON, THAT'S 5!!!!"
Ref (on the way by the bench): "Not even close coach, not even close...4.99."

It may have lost something in the translation but I thought it was great.

Me to a fan (during a deadball lull in a slow grammar school game): MAN that popcorn smells good...

fan: you can smell that from where you are?

me: yeah, we're all blind, so our other senses are heightened.

(got a nice laugh... I know, don't talk to the fans... so sue me.)

My partner calls a girl for pushing (she backed into an opponent). As the partner reports, the foul-er says to me, "How come that wasn't over the back?"
I said, "Hon, over and back happens at the center court line."
She looked astonished, and then puzzled, and then said, "Oh, forget it..."

I didn't see this one listed, it's an oldy, but a goody:

Coach: You guys are missing a good game!

Official: I know, unfortunately, I was assigned to this one!

Last night, semifinal, first round playoff game, Girls HS.

My partner calls a holding foul on the baseline, the offended player was the dribbler. School administrators are assigned chairs on every corner of the floor, after we switch I happen to be in front of the dribbler's HS Principal to inbound the ball (no bonus).

Prin: I thought she was shooting
Me: That's why you don't get a whistle, Doug.

8 cheerleaders next to him break out in laughter and his face is beet red (with a smile on it).

Blackhawk

Be brave to use this one
 

Coach is chirping all night, so I go and stand by him for a while. After a few seconds, he asks, "What the heck are you doing?" I tell him, "Apparently you can see the whole game perfectly from right here, so why am I running around?"

i had a game out of town last night, and it was a game between 2 below average talent teams that were JV boys. i called a travel right in front of the home teams bench, and the coach called a TO. i asked the coach, full or thirty, he replied how can that be a travel? i asked again full or thirty he said, how can that be a travel, i said to the table, full time out white. the coach backed away and never said too much more throughout the game.

Coach: Hey ref, watch for 54 pushing underneath!

Me: Sure, coach...which team?

Used this one on varsity players, too. Wish I had a camera for all the confused looks I get.

WOMANPLAYER:ref' can i play with a long shirt under my T shirt?
RFEREE:why is that?what happend?
WO'PLAYER:i have a woman problem...
REF':OK but next time you have to shave under you'r...
p.s
this could happend only in israel...

My standard reply to any question is "what do you think".

Are you a fan of the show Cheers?

A great scene is where Sam is telling Lillith about some problem and he asks her advice.

Sam: "What do you think I should do?"
Lillith: "I'll ask you what I ask all my patients: 'What do you think?' "

--Pause. . .--

Sam: "They pay you for that?"
Lillith: "What do you think?"

:D

Chuck

Sr. High Church League
 

Didn't use this in the game but after-

My partner and I had a Sr.High Church league game last night where a team had just won the Sr High Church State Championship this past weekend.They have(had) not lost a league game in 3 years but here is the situation:

Worst possible scenerio for this team (A) in which they are playing the second place team in the league (B) this night and it is a close contest throughout. About mid 3rd Q, I call a foul on A's best player who has been yapping all night so I warned him that that was all I was goingt to take. He proceeded to say "I guess I'm just used to the refs we had this weekend since they are much more qualified." TWEET!. There's one T for him After the Tech free throws he says he was sorry (like this will help) and proceeds to play the "rest" of the game quietly.

Two minutes later ,A's hot dogging PG steals the ball and drives for a typical lay-up. After this he proceeds to point and tell B's PG "You ain't worth nuthin'!" to which my partner responds with a T of his own ,which, by the by-laws of the league, ends the game after 2 unsportmanlike T's on one team.Needless to say A was VERY upset, being in their home gym and all but after the game the kid I called the 1st T on came up and said the exact same comment about the officials from the past weekend to which I responded , "Well, obviously I'm used to High School caliber players but since you weren't qualified enough to make your High School team, it makes my job harder since you guys are less talented."

Re: Sr. High Church League
 

I know this is thread is about comebacks, but that is just flat out wrong to say that to a kid.

Mregor

Re: Re: Sr. High Church League
 

I'm going to have to agree

Are you sure you're not in France? :p

Mark Padgett
you are killing me....one of you'r best..

..
 

This is something i believe ALL of us have thought at one time or another during the beginning of our officiating careers, but to acctually respond like that would make us no better than the immature players that were involved.

The kid may have had a legit point.

the best feeling comes when a fan is going crazy in the stands and you just look at him and smile and keep smiling until he can barely contain his rage, then he looks like the idiot now!!

Or find a game adminstrator, point the fan out to him. Get the adminstrator to make eye contact with the fan, and say "See the guy in the blue? We won't have to worry about him anymore, he knows we see him".

i had a game the other night, the first time in this gym and reffing this home team. I made a call and there was a person on the baseline who proceeded to go off on me i gave him the eye because he ws on the baseline. he kept going, i asked him to cool and he told me that i could not talk to him that way. i asked if he wanted to stay and he continued going off. I immediately went to the ad and asked him the remove the gentlemen for the gym and the AD asked who it was, i pointed and he asked what he did. I said i would tell him later, packed gym and the fans were getting restless. He said he needed to know becasue i just threw his Varsity coach outta the gym. I wasnt very popular after that, but ya know, none of the coaches conplained to me about a single call for the rest of the game.

There's always the classic, "Coach, I have to be here." With the emphasis on "I". Jim

Not mine, but one of our Assn. official's:
Fan working on him relentlessly

Ref: Hey you, ya you with the big mouth. Did you pay for that seat?

Fan: Ya, I sure did!

Ref: Good, then you can say anything you want!

The fan turned red faced and was quiet from then on.
I have a feeling that it wouldn't have worked quite that well for me.

Not a comeback but funny.
 

If you know who I am then you know that I am bald... Imagine that. On this forum a bald guy. I'm not quite to the "Think They Are Lover's" stage probably just the Lover's stage... but any way

I'm working this game when I start hearing someone in the stands yelling "Hey Avacor. Avacor..."

I believe it's the name of a medicine for baldness. I thought it was very humorous. The game was going fine and stayed great throughout.

With a large smile on my face, I pointed into the stands and said, "Good one!"

Re: Not a comeback but funny.
 

This one isn't even basketball, but since you started down this road:

We were working calves in a chute one day, my hired man looks accross the calf at the neighbors hired man, who is bald, and out of the blue says:

"I hope the Viagra is working better for you than the Rogain!" (another balding medication)

Blackhawk

Wasn't sure if this one was very funny (and it's kinda long), but may as well cough up...

Varsity Boys, game is not close (10-15 the whole game). Lots of visiting fans, very vocal. One guy disagrees with a charge call of mine, and it's off to the races. He's all over me the entire half, questioning every call I make. Not really over the top, but enough to be annoying as hell.

Second half, the next dead ball I got near him, out of the blue I look right at him and say "Hey fella".

HIM: "Yeah?"
ME: "What's your favorite food, anyway"
HIM: (pause, puzzled look) "uh, Italian, I guess"
ME: "Oh yeah. Mine's Chinese."
Guy laughs.

4-5 trips up/down the floor, he's still chatting away about the officiating. I get back near him again.

ME: "So what kind of movies do you like?"
HIM: (still puzzled) "Westerns"
ME: "I've always like Comedies myself"
HIM: "Oh."

By now, players are wondering what the hell I'm doing talking to this guy before every throw-in.

3 more trips up/down...guy still yapping a bit. Home team calls 30 sec TO, I stay at spot of throw-in, which is conveniently near my new pal.

ME: "So, you got any brothers and sisters?"
HIM: (smiling, although clearly still puzzled) "two of each"
ME: "Oh yeah, I got two sisters"
HIM: "Great." (now laughing)

Pause. By now, the rest of the crowd probably think's I've lost my mind.

"So why are you asking me all these questions?"

"I figure if you're gonna nag me like you're my wife, we should get to know each other first."

Guy laughs. Crowd laughs. He still rode me the rest of the game. Oh well, it was worth a try.

No, we haven't set a date yet.
:D

Glory, Glory-still laughing over this one.

Local rec league-boys 11-12. Pretty good game for first quarter then in 2nd quarter Team A pours it on. Team B coach starts howling about fouls, violations and the usual. Team B coach calls time out to settle his team down and my partner goes over to him and sits on his bench. I'm at the free throw line with the ball and hear this exchange.

Partner-sits down on Team B bench.

Team B coach stops talking to his team and asks, "Why are you sitting down here?

Partner-"I'm just trying to figure out if I really can call the game better from this angle than from on the floor (pauses for about 5 seconds)... Nope, I've got the better angle. Thanks Coach" and walks back on court.

Coach B was silent the rest of the game

silent but good
 

I was working a very mild varsity game when the usual group of fans started in on me and my partner.....about everything.
They started calling "Footlocker, Footlocker."
Convieniantly this night, I was wearing my new patent leather Converse shoes,
I never quit looking at my area but I slowly lifted one foot and pointed at it as the fans chanted.
As I was directly in front of the home bench, the coach had no way of missing what I was doing.
He and his bench erupted into laughter so badly that he called a 30 sec timeout to get himself and his team under control.

Well, I thought it was funny

What is the best thing to say to the coach that asking you:"how can this situation happend,in my home,we have 8 fouls the and the other team only 2"?
we answer to that coach will be -i'm not a bookkepper..(in hebrew it's sound better..)

Romano, the best answer I've heard for that question is: "Coach, I don't count 'em. I just call 'em."

In Massachusetts,they say "Coach,I can't count 'em.I just call 'em."

Sadly, in my hometown, that might not be far off. Our HS standardized test scores are consistently among the state's lowest :(

Actually,I was thinking more of the "powers that be" in your great state.

The Great LeWoody has found out that YOU have been picked to do a D3 College play-off game this weekend in only your second year at that level! I mean-how bright can the people that make those decisions in Massachusetts really be? The treadmill may be still up there,but the hamster's gone home! I shudder just thinking of it!

IDIOTS!!! grumble,grumble,grumble.....

PS-BIG TIME PROPS,CHUCKIE!

Not trying to pile on....
 

Dsimp8

How did you feel after you responded?

I have had moments that I have been frustrated with a player and/or coach and had VERY evil thoughts, but I will not allow myself to stoop to their level. I feel that I owe it to the "fraternity of officials" to maintain my professional demeanor; even if an opportune time to "get back at them" occurs.

Your conduct represents all officials: before, during and after the game; in other words, ALWAYS. Yes, the rule book states that jurisdiction ends when you leave the visual confines of the court, but the reality is that you are percieved as an official whereever you are; therefore, it is important to conduct yourself in that manner.

Keep your chin up and strive to improve (as we all are)!

PS WAY TO GO CHUCK E!!!! :)

Re: Not a comeback but funny.
 

I, too am a "follically challenged" individual.

I was at a small school about 50 miles away one night, Varsity boys game. Stands are right up the the edge of the court. I'm administerng a throw-in right in front of the student section (read: football players). One kid starts on the "Rogaine, Rogaine" path. I looked up at the kid and said: "That's too easy...you can do better!"

Didn't hear too much more from that kid....

Just remembered this one. One of the first games I ever called. (long time ago) 8th grade girls...there was a lady in the stands that was on every little thing. Not the loudest or the nastiest I ever heard, but just constant.
After the game, she came to me and apologized: "Sorry I yelled so much but that's my baby out there." I said, without smiling, "Oh, that's okay, ma'am. We did the best we could, but you know you can see the game better from the stands than we can from down here on the floor." She quickly agreed, "Oh, yeah!" I was being sarcastic, she was not. This is why we get the big bucks.

I grew up in Mississippi, want to talk about low scores?

"In Massachusetts,they say "Coach,I can't count 'em.I just call 'em."
why?what is the problem to count them in Massachusetts?...
it most be something '"big"....

This is from when I was a player about seven years ago or so. I was having an awful game and as I went, so went our team (I wasn't the star, more the catalyst)....

Ref: (TWEET) Foul on 5 black.....
Me: "Oh come on! We're getting hammered and you call THAT?"
Ref: "Would you like a technical?"
Me: "Sure, I'd love one. Top off my day..."
Ref: (you can guess what went here)
Me: (softly, to myself) "That's just great" (trying to avoid eye contact with coach........)
Ref: "Do you want another one?"
Me: No, I'm all set, thanks. I'm good...."

He obviously gave me nothing the rest of the year, we saw him two more times I believe, including playoffs.

The funniest part is I did a game with this ref a few weeks ago and he remembered me. We got along great. Time heals all wounds.

7th grade girls. Called a foul under the basket, reported and went to trail for the free throws. Parent behind me didn't like the call: "That was just a gift." I said, "Did I hear you say I was a gifted ref?" He laughed.