All Aboard

Spending an entire day in a gym surrounded by basketball players, coaches, officials and fans/parents can be mentally taxing to say the least, so logically there needs to be some type of “get away/mental escape” correct?

 

 With the invention of the smartphone, you no diggity find that most officials head straight over to their seating area, pick up that smartphone and begin checking for texts, calls, Facebook posts, tweets, etc. (yep I am just as guilty as the next).  During an off game (aka..break, if you get one), it’s therapeutic to take off that striped shirt and whistle, sometimes even the shoes, grab something cold to drink and maybe something to eat and become just another person in the gym for a while, instead of being “that guy who made the terrible call on someone’s child…lol)

 

Someone recently asked me why some of us post photo’s on Facebook of each other officiating on the court……simply all in FUN, is the answer.  Yes it may be overkill/redundant to some, and I’m sure some don’t get it, or even care too for that matter…. but again, spending 12+ hours in a gym, one has to entertain themselves somehow..lol   Yes indeed we try to make this opportunity (I wouldn’t call it a job) as much fun as possible by keeping it light/joking. 

 

Now scheduling officials to work a camp/shootout IS a job/work…LOL.   Most officials understand the process and hold to their commitment, but then you have those that ask, dang near beg you to schedule them for games..then turn around and:

 a). Not show up

b). Show up, get on the court and do nothing but complain/whine…some to the point where the coach/tournament director ask you to NEVER bring that person back

c). Constantly ask you when they are going to be paid (if one is doing this strictly for the $$, WRONG place to be dude!)

d). Ask for X number of games, then want to bail on you before the games that they asked for are completed, then wonder why you don’t call them to work anymore(I have a LONG memory..lol)

e). This @#$% could go on and on as I’m assuming you are probably thinking right about now J

 

For most officials that I know of, this time of year FUN.  The ability to make some EXTRA $$( aka The Money Train…chooo chooo),  wear shorts  and not have to switch court positions on every whistle is enough to make the pay differential a non-factor (given that you usually work a lot more games in a day, and most pay you cash on the spot doesn’t hurt either..lol)

 So take that class, get that license and hop on the Train (Alllllllllllll aboard!)

 

Interesting Deception

Wolf in sheep's clothing is an idiom of Biblical origin. It is used to describe those that play a role contrary to their REAL character, with whom contact is dangerous.  Know any?  I’m pretty certain that you do, and they could be sitting/standing right next to you at this very moment…lol (talk about THAT awkward moment).

 

One can act as though one really cares, or speaks to things that one KNOWS everyone wants to hear at the present moment (aka Buzz words), but when they are behind closed doors and there’s nobody to “perform” for, I would love to be that preverbal  “fly on the wall” to really see how such a person lives with themselves.

 

 I have to assume that it’s not a very pleasant existence at all….…thus the need for them to go OUT and about and create unnecessary drama (Misery loves company) and to put up the facade that one doesn’t really care about what other’s think…but the moment someone says anything about them, they lash out and become the Wolf,  but neglecting to ditch the sheep’s clothing!

Today's Journey....

 
Today’s journey on my spin bike takes me to New Castle, PA. 

New Castle, Pa. was the hub of my family growing up.  So many family memories , back when families were just that in the true sense of the word.  From my grandparents big house on Mahoning Ave, to my uncle Bobby’s house on Harbor Rd and those mean @$$ horses…lol, to my Uncle Billy’s gas & service station on Washington, to the epic football games that took place in the back yard at the Sessions, to the numerous journeys at King Village at my Uncle Gerome’s.

Our family was/is large, and it would seem that everyone could fit into my grandparents house on Mahoning Ave.  My cousins can attest to how large the house was, because I can honestly say that MOST of us never dared to venture up to the 3^rd floor…lol

I think today, my children haven’t had (and sorry to say and think that they probably never will) the experience that we did as kids, in terms of knowing their cousins/family.  We knew ALL of our cousins, and if one of the families moved, “we” would be there visiting at some point.  My two girls know a few of their cousins, but they are in awe when I tell them how many cousins I have, and can name each and every one of them…lol   I used to be afraid of my cousin Aldie, because I thought he was a giant..lol  he’s probably 6’1” or 6’2”, but as a kid he was a giant to me…lol  I remember going to watch him play basketball when East Liverpool would come to Warren to play.

I remember my brother Kent, and cousin Keith were the most competitive individuals with each other that I have ever known…lol  That 3^rd floor at my grandparents house that I spoke of earlier, I remember going up there ONE time with the two of them, and they were always faster than I was as a kid, and they took off running down the stairs and left me behind…YEP I still remember that fella’s…LOL  One never forgets a traumatic experience like that J.

I remember going over to the slaughter house and watching them march those animals in there…not know that one of them would probably be on the dinner table later than evening…lol

I remember my grandmother’s brother, uncle Paul eating chittlins, and trying to convince me to eat them by telling my “boy, just slap some hot sauce on that (can’t remember the word), but remember my grandmother Emily taking her spoon and poppin him in the shoulder and giving him that look that EACH and EVERYONE of my cousins knew, and would still know to this day if she was still with us…LOL

I remember my aunt Gail’s huge afro and bell bottom pants J

I remember Miss Hawkins that lived next door to my grandparents, and how nice of a lady she was. 

I remember my brother trying to throw a piece of wood with a nail in it..until he realized the nail was stuck in his finger…OUCH!!!

I remember the football games in the snow with our “uniforms” at the Sessions house (Kent, Keith, Gary, Steve, Chris, Mike, Me, Eddie and who am I forgetting?????...lol

I remember having to go to the hospital to get stitches in my face(still have the scare to this day) when I was standing (yep before seatbelts and all of those laws) in the back of my Uncle Bobby’s car and he hit the brakes to avoid a train when the guards didn’t come down and slammed my face into the bottom of the seat.

I remember my grandfather placing a hand full of pennies in my hand as they were stitching my up and saying “boy you got all this money in your hand now, THAT should make you smile”.

I remember rides in the back of my Uncle Gerome’s pick up truck, cousins piled up in the back with NO seats or seatbelts…Try that today…LOL

I remember being terrified of my cousin Selina, because I always thought she was going to beat me up….LOL  Such a tomboy back in the say, turned out to be the girliest of girls…LOL ;-).

I remember LOTS of us getting to go to the Coney Island downtown that was such a treat back in those days.

Man, so may memories. I would love for my family to share some of theirs with me also.  YES I know there isn’t room on the entire internet for all of the memories that we had as kids, but still.

 As I ride/spin, today I prayed for New Castle, Pa, just like I do for Warren, Ohio, as my 2^nd city is experiencing much of the same as my 1^st.  Join me if you would, because if there was no New Castle, there would be no Me!

Wise man?

As the AAU/Summer camps season rev’s up, I wonder to myself just how many of us do this JUST for the money!  Don’t get me wrong, if they were not paying, I’m pretty certain that I would not be out there sweating and blowing the whistle…but then again I do look at it as an increased form of paid workouts.

Recently I worked with a seriously overweight partner(and I'm being nice here), that I actually found myself feeling a little bit sorry for.  Normally (and those of you that really know me)….. I am of the school of thought that “you did/are doing this to yourself, so suck it up and make some changes”.…but I found myself doing a LOT more than what was required of me for an AAU game.  Overcompensating for someone else’s lack of mobility shouldn’t be my responsibility, correct?  Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t about to let him pimp me out there simply because he was struggling to get up and down the court…(YEP I forced the issue several times and made him switch positions/run/etc…but my heart was half going out to him and his feet).

 

A good friend of mine and fellow official recently asked me “are you a softer, milder Mark Brooks”?? "No, tell me it aint so"!!....LOL   I’m not sure it’s like that yet, but my outlook on some things has undergone a definite change recently.

-          Technical fouls were way down this year

-          Not nearly as many fans got the THUMB…lol

-          I’ve worked with individuals that I had sworn to NEVER work with again, and made the best out of it

-          I’ve passed on game opportunities in order to spend time with my family

 

They say with age & experience, comes wisdom…… I wonder if I’m wising up to some things J

Random question & thoughts

Random thoughts & questions…..no real rhyme or reason (wink) ;-)

 

-          Is it considered taboo for an official to ref an AAU game in full uniform?

 

-          One should probably avoid the drive through window if one has to open one’s door, get out of the vehicle to pay & again to receive one’s food…..JUST GO IN!!!

 

-          As an official, or in everyday work life, can you really work effectively with someone that you absolutely do not trust?

 

-          Just because you played the game, doesn’t translate into you being a good official….just sayin!

 

-          Ever told someone, “you’ll need me long before I’ll ever need you”, and have them ask you for help not too long afterwards?….LOL

Back soon....

The high school season is winding down, which means the AAU/summer camp season will be ramping up again very soon.  Lots of games, LOTS of material for the blog, and a few $$’s here and there won’t be bad either ;-).

Thanks to those that read this…. stay tuned for a more diverse version coming soon J

Metaphor of life....

Basketball can be viewed as a metaphor of life...

In basketball, just as in life:

·          We have to learn how to get along with others/teammates

·          We are usually going to need assistance in some form or another to be successful

·         There are rules that have to be followed

·         Enforcers of those rules sometimes are good, honest people… and sometimes they can be the polar opposite

·         We can be successful/happy/ and win one day….. and the very next day we can fall on hard times/ lose/ or not be happy… but have to put it behind us, persevere and move onto the next game/day.

·          We should prepare ourselves, because at some point the game will end!!