Game Log 1/12/09: A mistake I won't be making again

Sometimes this blog feels like a confessional booth. One who reads this would probably think that I'm not a very good ref. I hope that my continued upwardly-mobile varsity assignments would counter that. But if I'm gonna do this, I've got to do it warts and all. And I learn a lot more posting warts than posting airbrushed-centerfold games.

Boys' freshman game tonight. Quick kids--challenging game. I actually think that all the girls' varsity I've done this year has been bad for my boys' games. Last year, before they started giving me varsity, I went back and forth between boys' and girls' freshman games most of the year. This year, this is only my third boys' game. I think that my brain and my demeanor are a little different...I'm less confident than I should be.

Nonetheless, the game went fairly routinely, except that there was a bit of a foul disparity in the first half. Blue had a bit more than White. Wasn't a huge deal. Blue didn't care for one or two calls, and I explained them. Blue players and fans got a little bitchy. I dealt.

It was close late. I felt like we were adjusting well to the game (my first call of the game was a good blocking call). I wasn't 100% comfortable with my partner, not because he was bad, but because he seldom made eye contact with me. But hey, nobody's perfect. Calls felt good. Partner was supportive. And then Blue trailed by 3 points with 40 seconds left.

Strategic fouling time. I told myself to get the first one.

They called time out. White inbounded the ball. A few passes, and then I got the first one, a little touch foul.

The place erupted: players, coach, fans.

Damn. They weren't fouling.

I went over to the angry coach and told him the only thing I could possibly tell him--the truth. "Coach, I thought you were fouling. If you weren't, I shouldn't have called that, and I blew it."

Blue coach said "OK." Class act.

As it turned out, I did Blue a favor, since White missed both free throws. Blue had several shots to either tie or bring it to within one. They missed four shots (getting every rebound) before time expired.

OK. Now the kicking-of-self will go on until my next game. If you wipe away this late mistake, the calls were OK, but I felt timid, sort of like it's my first year all over again (which, for boys' ball, isn't far off). I'll get a chance to go back into the fire again on Wednesday, when I do a JV boys' game which includes one of the better programs in the area (in other words, a really fast, challenging game for me). I'll get that one right.

I simply won't coach anymore. I'll be aware of what could happen in a situation, but I won't anticipate it and take the move out of the coach's hands. If I won't call it as a normal foul, I won't call it as a strategic foul.

Seems like such a stupid thing to have to learn. There shouldn't have been a first time for this mistake--although I can hardly be the first one. Or, more likely, there are others who make the mistake the other way around...don't call the first strategic foul, so the second winds up being ugly or violent.

Maybe I just got too amped up late.

In any event, I'm looking forward to getting back out there so that I can get this damn thing out of my craw.

Oh. My partner stuck around on the floor after the game (NOT what I want to do), so I wound up getting back to the locker room alone. It was locked. So I had to walk back out into the hall to get the key. Much to my surprise, a guy said "Good game, stripes." (Of course, another called me horrible just as I passed. I elected not to turn around...)

THINGS I DID WELL: Actually pretty consistent on foul calls, wasn't beat more than once
THINGS TO WORK ON: Don't anticipate strategic foul, get brain going faster, project less timidity
NEXT UP: Boys' JV, big schools, on Wednesday (with no attached varsity game...interesting).