A T that made the game better

[Rich]

Girls varsity last night. Home team pulls out to a huge lead -- something like 35-13 early in the second quarter.

Home player drives the lane, and about 10 feet from the basket, she hits a defender's leg that just came into play and goes a$$ over teakettle.

I hesitated a split-second to see if my partner would have a whistle since the play was coming toward him. He did not, so I came in hard with a block.

I went to the table to report, and the coach is screaming -- she is a woman with a voice that could carry to the far corner of the stands.

We shoot the free throws and she's still going at it. I decide to acknowledge that I hear her as I'm heading back up the court. I do so, and the ball very quickly comes back down, where I call another block on the visiting team.

As I report, she's still going on about the previous call. After reporting, I turn to her and quietly say that I've heard enough about that call. She screams (at the top of her lungs), "And I've seen enough!"

Whack.

She smiles. I then realize I was being used all along.

She sits and I don't hear anything of substance from her the rest of the game. Her team actually pulled back to within 5 points in the second half, but fell short of the comeback. The home team left their game in the lockerroom.

I found out afterwards that the visiting team comes back like that often and I wonder why they can't come out and play like they did in the 3rd quarter.

Rich