"I told you!"
 

D2 college game last night, good game and close for 35 minutes. During pregame warm-ups, A1 is taking circus-type lay-ups. He jumps from the left side of the basket, brings the ball down to his feet, and throws it up on the right side of the basket with wicked spin. He's making about half of them. After one of these, my partner (the R) catches his eye and says something like "Bet you don't take those in the game, right?" And the kid says, "Oh, I'm gonna make 'em!"

About 2 minutes left in the first half and the same kid drives to the basket from the left side. He jumps in between 3 defenders, brings the ball down to his feet, throws the ball practically over his shoulder on the right side of the basket and -- of course, it goes in.

My partner and I look at each other. He's laughing and I just shake my head. When we come onto the court before the second half, the kid makes a bee-line for my partner. With a big old dexter-eating grin on his face, he says "I told you I was going to make it". The three of us just laughed. Fun moment.

Gotta love those moments in the game... big fun is what its all about!

Sometimes we get so caught up in doing the job at hand that we forget it's a game, and we forget to enjoy the moment.

That is what makes this all special. Moments like that you can talk about for years.

Peace

I'm A Funny Guy, But I Won't Quit My Day Job ...
 

Catholic middle school game a few nights ago. Blowout girls game, but both teams seem to be having fun, the way it's supposed to be. Best player gets fouled in the act of shooting. Just a touch foul, but it was a foul. Defender says to shooter, "Sorry", loud enough for everyone to hear. While they're lining up for free throw, I say to the girls, "There's no crying in baseball, and there's no sorry in basketball". Everybody gives this a little laugh, except the free throw shooter, who is laughing so hard that she misses everything on her first free throw. Same shooter, who, later in the game rushed her free throw with five seconds left in the period, also an air ball. I asked her why she rushed her shot, and she answered that she didn't want the clock to run down. I told her that the clock stopped for fouls, and which point everybody had a good laugh.

Kid leaves a BV game with blood: a cut just below his eye.
He checks back in during a free throw and I'm underneath administering. I look at him and he's got this long band aid that runs across one side of his nose and around the side of his face.
Me: You okay?
Him: Yeah, but the band aid is kind of an eyesore.
--
Cut to the beginning of the third and I'm waiting to hand him the ball at the division line.
Me: Was that an eyesore pun before?
Him: Yeah... (sheepishly) :D

Best player line...
 

OK, I admit this was soccer, grade school level so wrong sport but it was dang funny. Team B was down 6-0 and about to defend a penalty kick. I felt sorry for the goalie as I was lining him up and he had a defeated look on his face. So I wanted to teach him something about trajectory as the best player lined up for the shot. "If he kicks the ball off of the inside of his right foot, where do you think the ball is going to go?"

"In the goal."

With no defender within 10 feet of him, a kid for the home team tonight would catch the ball with both feet on the floor, step with his left foot and then step with his right foot.

I missed it the first time.

I let it go the second time.

I called it the third time and fourth time.

Kid holds his hands out and says "I didn't move!"

Coach yells, "Yes you did! Hell, he ignored it the first two times. He can't ignore it all night!"

Kind of gave me a warm fuzzy inside. :)