I had a chance to ref a flag football game this summer with 6 – 9 year olds. During one of the games a team who had yet to lose that season had a call go against them … I saw the play clearly that took place 5 foot in front of me. After it was over I had an angry parent (of a 6 year old) followed me to the car wondering why I hadn’t called clipping on that play. I explained, “It’s simple, because it wasn’t a clipping.” The guy went ballistic!

Pretty sad!

Incidentally, hubby wanted to watch a jv rematch against Floydada tonight. The previous matchup saw a player leave the court on a stretcher to be loaded into an ambulance. Yes, parents need to grow up, yet refs need to remember that they are paid to actually control the game, not let it turn into female mud wrestling.

Hope the Childress -Friona matchup is a safe one. Drive safe, too.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_36OpchdG6w

And I hope your son does well at his game.

I will never forget at one allstar baseball game when my son was about 10 or 11 and was the hind catcher. The backup hind catcher’s mother sat right behind the catcher and said awful things to him and he was so rattled by that, he asked to come out of the game. I think the coach finally had the ref to make her stop, but why would you do that to a 10 year old? I think it’s just stupidity!!!

My daughter’s coach called the game and took the loss because he said he did not want his team around an adult making a “donkey” of himself. (my daughter’s coach did not say “donkey”)

I appreciated my daughter’s coach calling the game because of the actions of the other coach. It made our parents grateful to have a good coach.

Crazy people!

I was a high school basketball official for almost 20 years and often would make eye contact with the parent abusing me … when they would look right at me, I’d wink. Most often they would see that I was just trying to do my job, but sometimes it would infuriate them and make them worse.

When I would make a call that was totally obvious and no question about it, and that screaming parent was on the first couple of pews where I could speak to them, I would look at him/her and say, “I can get the easy ones right!” They would often smile and leave me alone.

I remember one game when I had laryngitis and could not utter a sound. Not one person screamed at me that night … I suppose they figured if I couldn’t speak I couldn’t hear what they were saying! Who knows?

But most of the time I just called the game and ignored them as much as I could.

Sadly, I could be vicious to baseball umps, mostly to have fun. Until one day I was acting like such a fool and all of a sudden realized that my actions might be the only perspective that umpire might have on a “Christian” (out kids went to Christian high schools) and from that moment until this day, I’ve not said one negative word toward a game official.

Much like his take on parenting… “I may not be right but, I’m the daddy!” (accompanied by THAT look)

good luck tonight PARKER!