Greetings Citizens.

This afternoon I officiated some football games for the Boys & Girls Club of Salem. They run a very good program and do an excellent job of maintaining order with the coaches and parents. But there are moments and being the kind of guy that I am, problems seem to follow me. So we are working this game and a kid gets blocked and when the coach asks what happened the kid says he got held. Well, you know what? That's what they all say. Anyway the coach starts bitching every play for the next three plays how his kids are being held. I tell him that we're watching but it's impossible to see everything. Well he doesn't like that response and the discussion elevates to an argument. Let me tell you this: I ain't going to let some kiddie ball coach tell me how to officiate a game. So I just about have the guy under control (in my own special way) when my "more experienced partner" decides to butt in and tell me to "just let it go." I try to tell him what's going on but he's having none of it. So I back off. I then hear the coach tell his kids that since we aren't going to do anything that they should do what they need to do. And guess what, gentle readers. That's right! Two plays later the quarterback for the opposing team is injured on a personal foul. Not being one to remain quite, I told my most revered partner, "I'm not going to say I told you so... but I told you so. You wouldn't let me handle an out-of-control coach and now you have an injured player." He was pissed off at me. But a kid got hurt for no good reason. And it wouldn't have happened if I would have been allowed to finish my "discussion" with the coach. Needless to say I didn't get the customary handshake and "good job" from my partner when we were finished. No doubt the assigner has already heard some skewed version of today's events but I don't really care. The guy I was working with doesn't normally do the kiddie ball... he is usually doing small college games. As for the rest of us plebes, we're stuck with these guys all season long and if we don't (to use Barney Fife's immortal words) nip it in the bud we are going to have some serious problems down the road.

Some of my friends from Auburn are here this evening. They are some serious golfers down to check out a couple of courses in this neck of the woods. (I quite playing golf a long time ago. I got tired of paying $40 to be mad for five hours so I gave up the game). Anyway, they're here spending the night. They are sprawled out all over the living room. It reminds me of the old college days when people would come over to Pullman and we'd go to Moscow (where the drinking age was 19) and get blotto. It's a little tamer now. I made Japanese-style curry and cut up a couple of cantaloupes. After dinner, they smoked the hippie lettuce as I watched on.