Emotional Rollercoaster kind of day..

Put LOTS of miles on the shoes and the Jeep this weekend…lol

Saturday’s AAU tournament in Michigan (early morning I might add), my officiating partners were kind enough to let me get my games in so that I could hit the road to Sandusky, Ohio to join my family & friends at the indoor waterpark.

Saturday was a strange kind of day on the court….the Ying to my Yang, then the oil to my water water, or whichever cliché that you’d like to/or normally use.

With my one partner, we roll through games seamlessly as we are almost always in synch on the court.  We have a ton of fun out there, but we are on our P’s & Q’s while doing so, and we make the necessary calls to keep the game flowing under control.

 Now my other partner on Saturday….NOT so sure bro was a “real” official (and the red font was no mistake)…lol   I’m pretty certain that he didn’t know some of the rules, had VERY weak mechanics, didn’t make any tough calls, and just seemed to be going through the motions for the most part.  So imagine alternating between the two partners for 8 straight games….I was in need of a few TALL ONES after that!!

After finishing up my last game (and telling my other partner NO on a couple of occasions that I didn’t want to do his last 3 games..NO THANKS BRO, I gotta go!), I hit the road and headed to Sandusky to the water park, sweaty, tired from being up since 6:30am and working in a hot gym, and just ready to relax.  An hour later I arrive at the hotel and check in, etc. and open the door and I’m greeted by my little one, who runs and jumps into my arms…not caring that dad is sweaty, in need of a shower, tired, or whatever…lol  She really doesn’t understand that her dad works hard in order to provide things like this for her, but at the age of 7,  she really doesn’t need too, she just needs to enjoy herself and let dad worry about all that…LOL.  But she said “thanks dad, this is so awesome”

 I was able to get a quick shower and headed down to dinner & drinks with my family and friends.  After dinner I changed and went straight to the waterpark to access the hot tub…lol  WHOA…. talk about sitting back and letting the day pass me by mentally as I held my feet and lower legs against the jets of water..ahhhhh!

 

AAU basketball has been and is still good to me and my fellow officials.  It provides an opportunity to work on our games/mechanics, to have fun, and to make extra $$, sometimes LOTS of extra $$.... Periodically I’ll bypass a day of reffing in order to do things like the waterpark, shopping, etc.  I know some wonder and will ask why I’m giving up a day of making $$....but to see the smiles and excitement on my family’s faces…THAT is reason enough for me!

 

 

My brother's keeper?

During lunch today, I walked over to a local establishment for lunch.  Upon exiting the establishment, a guy walks up to me and the conversation goes a little something like this:

Dude:  Hey can you help me out so I can go in here and get something to eat?
Me:  Sorry, I can’t help you out
Dude:  Psssssst ( and stomps off)

He walks away a bit then turns around and starts yelling at me “can’t even help a black man out” “MF’s think they too good for other N’s”, and some other crap that I couldn’t decipher.

Am I my brother’s keeper??  Am I obligated to give him $$ that I work hard for to help him get something to eat(or whatever else)  JUST because we are both black men?  Mind you, as I’m sitting in the establishment, I watched him walk out of the establishment right next door with a big @$$ winter coat on and it’s 70+ degrees outside..so I had a feeling of what he might’ve been up too, and the money he was asking for most def wasn’t going to go for food!

I am proud of myself for not turning around and saying anything to him while he was ranting.  For those that knew me a few years ago, that DEFINITELY would not have been the case…LOL

Parental Agenda's....

As parents, we have many agendas in our lives..…work, relationships, children, hobbies, etc.  The past few weekends have led me to wonder JUST want some parent’s agenda really is.

Scenario #1 -  A couple weeks ago at the AAU tournament, a mother (who obviously had a child playing) had on an outfit that made me, and quite a few other’s I’m sure wonder just want her agenda for the day was.  The “mother of a child” had on a pair of spandex( not even Yoga pants) pants, tucked inside of some cowboy/cowgirl boots, the top was made of spandex type material also, and it wasn’t leaving a lot to the imagination either…and she had on one of those little short jean jacket things that women are wearing now a days.   What was her agenda for the day?? 

Scenario # 2 – Saturday’s AAU tournament site, a father comes into the guy with Red sunglasses/shades, matching shirt and jeans, and the brightest red shoes that I’ve ever witnessed..AND had on sooooo much cologne that I could smell it while out of the court.  What was his agenda for the day??

Scenario # 3 – Today’s AAU site, a parent is in the stands being obnoxious, ignorant, and frankly getting on  me and my partner’s nerves.  He’s berating his son in between trying to make every call for us officials.  I stopped the game and gave him is customary warning that if he continued, he would be removed from the gym.  Tough guy says something sarcastic….”whistle blast”.  LEAVE THE BUILDING SIR I manage to say without laughing...so he proceeds to call us “Horse $#1t officials”…LOL  I politely tell him to keep in moving and to exit stage left.  What was his agenda for the day??  To embarrass his son? To make a total @$$ out of himself?  Or try to compensate for other shortcomings??...LOL

TGIF Old School Hip Hop Poll...

Kane                                                    or                           Rakim



Who ya got??

                         
Public Enemy                                           or                          KRS One/BDP

Remember Equality?

Please don’t get upset with someone for treating you in the same way/manner that you treat them.  That old cliché of “what goes around comes around” is still prevalent today, and probably will be until the end of time.

Some of yall believe in Karma, while others believe in the Golden Rule (do unto others…yada yada yada..), but I find it very amusing when someone takes offense to someone doing/not doing the exact same thing(s) that they have done/not done to/for that person.  Not sure why this is, but my educated guess is that they either have short memories, or feel somewhat entitled to the unequal treatment that they dish out…LOL   thoughts??

As I’ve stated previously, I feel that there is a difference between being vindictive, and having a LONG memory(in some cases and Awful Long memory...lol)…. Ginkgo biloba (is popular as a "brain herb." Studies have proven that it can improve memory)!!  

 Remember that :-)

Adios!

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!