Jurassic Referee

[Rich]

I'm very sad to read this. Please post (or PM) an obituary when you can. I didn't know Woody personally, just from this site, but his voice is one I had hoped would come back again someday.

Condolences to his family and friends.

[Back In The Saddle]

That is very sad news indeed. Even though I never actually met him, I learned a lot from him. And even though times where we butted heads, I always respected him for his knowledge, his commitment, and his willingness to speak his mind. Thank you, Woody.

[Adam]

Originally Posted by 26 Year Gap

He will be greatly missed. I was able to discuss with him a situation in my officiating life whereby he offered a great perspective which helped me to not second-guess myself and to look forward.

Originally Posted by BktBallRef

Very sad to hear. I'll have to take some time before I can say more.

Originally Posted by Dan_ref

Damn. Still one Woody left limping along, Woody :tear:

Originally Posted by M&M Guy

I don't care how old he was, it was still way too early for him to leave.

Woody, you will be missed by probably many more people than you realize.

Originally Posted by JRutledge

I was absolutely terrified this is what I was going to read. We have lost another great person to this forum and to forums like this for sure. I certainly learned a lot from the man even when I did not agree with him.

My prayers go out to his friends and family.

Peace

Originally Posted by RichMSN

I'm very sad to read this. Please post (or PM) an obituary when you can. I didn't know Woody personally, just from this site, but his voice is one I had hoped would come back again someday.

Condolences to his family and friends.

Originally Posted by Back In The Saddle

That is very sad news indeed. Even though I never actually met him, I learned a lot from him. And even though times where we butted heads, I always respected him for his knowledge, his commitment, and his willingness to speak his mind. Thank you, Woody.

All I can say for now is, +1 to all of the above.

[ChuckElias]

I'd been in contact with him through his illness. In typical Woody-fashion, he never told me what he was battling. Over the last couple weeks, I was trying to get in touch and didn't get any replies. So, sadly, this news is not a surprise.

But it is deeply saddening to me. His contributions here were tremendous. His knowledge of the game had few peers. Catching him in a rules error was a rare accomplishment. Our Yankees/Red Sox skirmishes were a source of great fun. Additionally, he was helpful to me personally in my officiating career.

I have been missing him over the last few weeks and now I miss him even more. I mean, who's going to mail unbelievably tasteless, inappropriate wife-jokes to me? Rest in peace, buddy.

[grunewar]

Like many, I only new JR from afar. He taught me a lot over the years.

Best wishes to his family, friends, and loved ones. RIP.

[tref]

Can't say that I knew the man personally, but he slapped me around so much on the Forum that he made me get my nose in the rule book. JR definitely helped me become a better official. RIP Jurassic Referee!

[BillyMac]

I didn't always agree with his "delivery", but his rules knowledge was always near perfect.

I mixed it up with Jurassic Referee once, for about a week, regarding whether, or not, advantage/disadvantage applied to violations, and I finally got him to admit that there were, maybe, two, and only two, violations where advantage/disadvantage may apply, three seconds, and ten seconds for a free throw. After a week of back and forth posts, I was mentally drained, and with the "partial victory" I felt that I had won the "Forum Super Bowl".

His knowledge, and experience, will be missed on this Forum. The Forum was a better place with him, and will be a lesser place without him.

Now that it appears to be safe for Old School to come back, in case he does, it's up to the rest of us to "step up our game" and show him, and others like him, the door, and to make sure that we let the door hit him on the *** on the way out.

[Texas Aggie]

he made me get my nose in the rule book

Excellent observation. Even if we didn't agree, I'm sure I learned something from every interaction. That's a legacy that transcends agreement.

[Larks]

Originally Posted by ChuckElias

IHis contributions here were tremendous. His knowledge of the game had few peers. Catching him in a rules error was a rare accomplishment.

Spot on. Its amazing to me that I am affected by the passing of someone I've never met. Woody was a mentor and a friend and he is missed.

Rest In Peace Jurassic Referee

[Bad Zebra]

I'm at a loss for words here. One of the biggest reasons I have continued to follow and post here was the biting sarcasm and pointed responses from JR. What a treasure trove of knowledge, wit and wisdom. Whether you agreed with his delivery or not, you could take his answers to the bank....they were ALWAYS correct. I have wondered about his absence often lately.

The Forum is a little bit of a lesser place today. RIP JR. Prayers to his family.