Roundball Time!

Just a few days{4} after my final Football Game, a Varsity encounter at Spencerville....I headed south to Versailles yesterday afternoon.  The occasion was my first basketball work of the season, a combined Girls Varsity/JV threeway with the home team, St. Marys and Troy.  Working a few 3 man crews on the Varsity side and a 2 man on the JV side, we finished up in about 2 hours...Pizza and Gatorade was waiting on players, coaches, and officials when we ended our work, I opted out of the Pizza, despite it looking tasty, grabbed a Gatorade and headed home....the dark roads made one realize that winter was approaching...Daylight Savings Time had ended this past weekend, and it now is pitch black before 6pm, but the time Christmas comes and the days start once again getting longer, it will be pitch black by 5pm,,,,not nearly as early as some locations however, I remember delivering a RV to Maine a decade or so ago, and I pulled into the dealership on a Friday Afternoon at 3:15 to unload the merchandise, it was already dark, now those are short days, even compared to western Ohio.

This was my first scrimmage, and my next will be a week from tomorrow, which will be followed by 7 more over a 10 day stretch, then a week's break before my regular season begins on November 30th...same day at the Ohio State/Michigan Football Clash....hopefully the football game is early, so I can catch it before heading to Paulding to toss the ball up.

The things that separate baseball, football, and basketball officiating are many...from fan and coach interactions, to the work out you get are as varied as the sports involved.  Basketball, especially the 2 man crew working Boys JV, is the most physical....that's why I took less of those this year and replaced them with Junior High, and a handful of 3 man varsity games, in both girls and boys hoops.  Not sure how many more years I will work basketball and football...but despite pushing that decision back, I will know when it's time...Baseball, on the other hand, I will likely continue to work until I can't walk or see....or until I drop...I can think of worse ways to go.

Light rain falling this morning, and tonight I will head to Van Wert for my 3rd Association Meeting on the rules and changes in this years High School Roundball scene.

back later>>>>