The Show
It’s official, I’m official. I no longer have amateur status.
I’ve joined the ranks of the highly skilled, highly paid men and women in blue who ensure the integrity of sport through questionable judgment calls and wild speculation.
Previous to this day I’ve umpired softball as an amateur. But today it all changed. I got paid to call a game. At least I think I got paid to call a game - or was it a bribe?
Half an hour before the start of the game the school athletic director (known by us professionals as the AD) handed me a check for $25. I figured it was payment for a job well done that I had yet to do. I knew it couldn’t possibly be a bribe because a bribe would have been at least $30!
March 9, 2007
• Posted in: Blog Thoughts
7 Responses to “The Show”
what are they doing playing a game this early in the morning? No wonder they paid you.
Greg and I used to officiate basketball games at a local middle school (McNair) where the Principal was in the habit of handing you your check as you entered the gym. Always made me a little nervous.
It reminds me of the time that Greg and I were calling a boys J.V. basketball game between Rockledge and Vero Beach at Vero Beach. At the time both of us lived in Rockledge but it was apparently unknown to the folks from Rockledge because during the course of the game, one of us made a call that went against Rockledge. Out from the "crowd" came someone yelling, "Oh great, we’re getting "home (referring to a fixed by hometown refs) cooking" from the Refs." Little did they know.
Reminds me of a great baseball story, told as a true story, but I can’t verify it. It was the game between rivals. Bottom of the ninth. Score tied. Two outs. Count was 3-2. Winning run at third. Strongest batter at the plate. The pitch. Curve right over the corner of the plate. Every eye on the ump. Silence. Finally he yells out, "Too close to call. Pitch it again!"
Whatever you get paid, it is never enough to cover the blown calls that keep you awake at night. Of course, late night softball games keep you awake anyway…they are to be avoided. So are peewee football games. Fathers seem to lose their religion when you make a call against their sons. Avoid basketball games where you are the only ref. In the bible college gym, I heard the foul, but was evidently the only person who couldn’t see the foul. If you insist on continuing this insanity, you must first be able to forgive yourself. Others may be less willing.
I have faith in you. It was bound to be for a job well done!
Think of it this way: Would you rather have the treasurer give you check before or after you preach?
Peace.
. . . . give you your check, that is.
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