Game Over!

After 19 + hours, 17 games, 57,000 + steps taken.. equaling 26 + miles walked/run this past Saturday & Sunday, I had the opportunity to reflect, and I’ve come to the conclusion that I more than likely could not have physically accomplished this 10 yrs ago in my 40’s!  I expected to be completely worn out this morning when I got up (earlier I might add for a 7am meeting….. Who schedules a 7am meeting for a Monday morning??  This guy writing this blog….lol), but I’m pretty sure I could be back in the gym again today blowing the whistle!

Anyway…….while on the court, sometimes a game is NOT as interesting/challenging, and the mind tends to wander a bit J.  Yesterday, I began looking around the gym and would look at the people’s faces and wondered to myself if that person was happy with themselves (please don’t ask me why…my mind just works like that sometimes).

I came to another conclusion....that in order to be happy, everyone doesn’t have to be in the best of shape physically.  Everyone is different, and each one of us is more than likely in a different place in our lives.  YES, a lot of us are in tune with our workout routines/rituals, (whatever term you’d prefer to use) and really enjoy the physical aspect and benefits of working out …….but there are others that simply don’t care as much/place as high a value on the physical aspect of being in good physical shape.

Some of these people quite possibly could be in way better shape spiritually than some of us that are in decent to really good shape physically (and we could strive to become more like them in fact!).   

 

They say that the mirror is a visual reflection of YOU, but the mirror does NOT reflect what’s behind the eyes that view the image (Michael Jackson’s “man in the mirror” comes to mind here). 

It’s documented that a regular workout routine is good for the mind, the body and even soul…..but it can also have/take on an adverse effect with some.  It can pretty much take over a mind/way of thinking/ life even, making it seem like it’s the sole focus of that person’s existence…. or worse yet, making that person bestow onto others, and make others feel like they are less than a valuable member of society if he/she doesn't fit this person's "image" and is not in as good of physical shape.

Sometimes we may just have to step back and realize that “everyone isn’t like me, and I’m not like everyone else”…We are ALL rather unique in my own way, and that doesn’t mean that I need to relay my beliefs/outlooks on how “I” feel one’s body should look.  People have feelings, and sometimes those feelings are hurt, even if the person does not admit that it has affected them in some way, shape or form.

So in other words….Be Yourself, and let the next man/woman be themselves! J.

 

Until next time......Game over!

Plain old FUN!

 

Starting out just walking to the park with my wife, while Kelsey rode her bike, I began to reflect on some things….as I often do when I’m in the gym working out.

As we get older, we often tend to take this and that for granted (for those of you that really know me, know how annoying it is to me to feel like I'm taken for granted..lol)  A nice sunny spring day is just that for most.  We tend to be so happy that it’s “warm”, that we fail to capture the essence of our spirit that God has blessed us with.

For example, riding a bike down a street that you have driven on thousands of times a year, year after year, seems pretty mundane and rather ordinary (yep they basically mean the same thing….lol  thanks for paying attention).... but to an 8 year old who has never experienced riding her bike in the street…it’s a whole NEW world of experiences…one that’s filled with excitement, intrigue, exploration and just plain old FUN! 

Riding around the block recently with Kelsey (numerous times I might mention), I was amazed at how much fun she was having just being in the street with her dad.  It was contagious, and before I knew it, we were riding around laughing like 8 yr olds (no comments from the peanut galleries out there…lol).  I would periodically glance over and see the pure joy and excitement that an otherwise simple bike ride around the block (or baseball in the yard, sidewalk chalk in the driveway or jumping rope) brought to my youngest child.  I can’t tell you the amount of times I thanked God during this Easter Sunday outing, just to allow her to have the spirit to have FUN!

Given that this past weekend was the only “off” weekend from reffing that I’ve had in the past 6 weeks or so, and the last I’ll have in the next 6 (grinding)...it was so refreshing to just “play” and not be the “bad guy” or “that ref this, that ref that”.  So as summer approaches…YES I’ll be busy reffing on the weekends, but best believe I’ll take/make some time to get on our bikes and just go have some FUN!

Respect...Plain & Simple!

Respect can and does go a LONG way in any environment, arena or in life itself.

Respect is defined as:  1. esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person, a personal quality or ability, or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability. 2. to show regard or consideration for.

Some say to get respect, you have to give respect.  I agree with this cliché, in that if you show respect for me, I’ll definitely show respect for you…or vice versa. 

This weekend’s AAU tournament, 7 games on Saturday.  10 total hours in the gym….nothing but total respect for all players, coaches and parents/fans…not a single issue! (to good to be true you ask? I guess I jinxed myself for even thinking it could happen two days in a row).

Sunday rolls around(6 games on the schedule), and for those of you who have/do officiate AAU tournaments, you know that Sunday is championship tournament play…and it seems like someone purposely puts SOMETHING in the water, because some people tend to lose their natural mind it seems!

So here we go……

Sunday’s 2^nd contest, a team from a noted urban area of Michigan is getting ready to play a team from a suburb of a suburb (you get what I’m saying).  The urban team is loud, boisterous, and I’m sure attempting to intimidate the other team before the game even starts.  The coach of the team walks by me and my partner and loudly says to her asst. coach ( I’m sure so we could hear her), “they better call a good game today”.  My partner and I look at each other as to say “WTH”..…lol  Neither of us looked her way, nor did we say anything in response.

The game begins, and the urban team is pressing, and trying to create havoc by speeding up the tempo, etc.  My partner and I both call fouls on this team, along with a few traveling violations, etc.  So I’m running down the court in front of her bench and she loudly says “why yall calling all of that bull?”.   I blow my whistle, walk over to her bench and here is what took place:

Me: Coach, here’s how this is going to work today…(she immediately cuts me off)

Coach: I aint even talkin to you, there’s a game goin on

Me: No game going on, I stopped this contest for a reason (again she cuts me off)

Coach:  go on back out there and do your job (and sucks her teeth...REALLY??)

Me:  Again, this is how it’s going to work today…and you’re going to let me speak and listen to what I have to say, or you are going to find yourself getting text message updates from the parking lot or wherever…..

Me: I do NOT want to hear you:

a)      Make another call as if you are officiating this game, OR hear another complaint about a call… let me do what I do.. (she tries to interrupt me and I put a stop to that quickly)

b)      Do NOT let the word “better” come out of your mouth in respect to what I need to be doing out here again… (you better call this, you better do that, etc)

c)       I’m going to show you enough respect to allow you to finish coaching your team this morning, AND you’re going to show me enough respect to officiate this contest without all of the unnecessary drama

d)      Consider this your one and only warning, thank you!

The game starts and almost immediately I have to call a foul on her team…I blow the whistle and look directly at her and report the foul to the table (seeing if she’s going to act a fool….NOPE, not a peep!). 

A few minutes later, two of the girls, one on each team, are becoming very physical..so I warn both of them to “cease the nonsense and play basketball ladies”.  Not a minute later, the girl from the urban team throws a punch into the back of the girl…not thinking I could see her do it.  I blow my whistle and immediately eject her from the game (flagrant technical)…..I walk over to the coach and explain what happened and why she was ejected.

 Coach: (yells angrily): “you gotta toss her too, she foulin and carrying on”

 Me: “what did I tell you earlier about telling me how to do my job?”……BANG…issued her a Technical. 

Game ends with no more drama, and her team wins handily.  They walk by my partner and I and don’t say a word, probably because they had no idea which court their championship game will be played on J.

 

Now in all fairness, this same camp/program/organization had a few different teams in the tournament.  Two games later we had their older team, and the 2 coaches could not have been any more professional and respectful to us doing our jobs.

 

It all boils down to respect….. You show respect, you get respect…..plain and simple!!

Job Opportunities

Key word here is JOB!

Sometimes my understanding of some of today’s youth escapes me beyond my own comprehension!  In an era where it seems that job opportunities are at a premium, why in the world would someone just NOT show up for a job interview?  Understandably, other opportunities may have presented themselves, and one can/should do what’s best for that individual at that period in time.

 

For those that do show up for the opportunity, what ever happened to the basic interviewing skills/techniques of:

Ø  Dress for success (this does NOT include a “hoody” with another school’s name/logo)

Ø  Eye contact (this does NOT include looking down at your shoes/hands/cell phone almost the entire time)

Ø  Preparation (this does NOT include the phrase “what type of work is this again??”)

Ø  Speaking clearly (this does NOT included the phrase “fo real fo real” numerous times!!!  Or mumbling to the point where one has to actually ask you to SPEAK UP!!!)

Ø  Complete answers to MY questions to you (this does NOT include the phrases “you know what I’m sayin?) …No I do NOT know what you’re saying (there is a G on the end), or (“You know what I mean?”)…No sir, I need YOU to tell me what YOU mean!

Ø  Show up on TIME! (this does NOT include showing up 26 minutes late saying “I thought it was at 9:30am, when YOU selected and scheduled the time yourself)

Ø  Thanking for the opportunity to interview (this does NOT include the parting phrase of “Aiiight…peace!”)…Seriously??...LOL

 

As the old saying goes:  Time is money, and money is time….you might waste yours, but please don’t waste mine!