---As with most of the populace, sports have been an intregal part of my life. In exploring the social phenomena known as sport, we see that it can be experienced in four related yet distinct ways---spectator, participant, coach and official. I have been fortunate to experience each of these approaches to our national craze and on a hot, sunny day in California several years ago, I actually was involved in all four during a single afternoon.
---The unusual day began at 12 noon when I arrived at the ballpark to watch a fastpitch softball game between competitors in the women's league where I also coached a team. It wasn't a purely spectator endeavor as I was also "scouting" the teams looking for strengths and weaknesses since we were scheduled to play both of them in upcoming games. While there I observed the usual partisanship of the fans and their exhortations to victory directed at the team which they supported in an almost symbiotic manner. Also not lost on me was the usual repartee directed to the game officials which at times could manifest itself in a very negative way depending upon whether the call benefited or penalized the supported team. More about this illogical aspect of fandom in the later discussion on officials.
---To this day, I still enjoy watching sports contests. The longer I officiate, however, the more difficult it is for me to enjoy the "big picture" as I tend to focus on the game as an official and not a fan. I'm definitely not a cable junkie with several televisions going and an occasional NFL, NBA or MLB game coupled with some live action seems to satisfy my spectatorship requirements.
---I left the stands at approximately 1:30 p.m. to warm-up as I was scheduled to pitch in the men's fastpitch game that followed at 2:00 p.m. For 4 innings, I toiled in the hot Central California sun giving up four hits while my teammates built a 4-1 lead. The rise ball, a delivery copied from an elder statesman of the league named Whitey, had worked its magic well to keep the hitters off balance. I then moved to first base and finished the game there as my relief "shut the door" with a blazing fastball for the next three innings and we won 7-1.
---As an adult, I continued to participate in recreational sports including basketball, fastpitch softball (the only "real" softball game), golf, hiking, hunting, tennis and touch football among others. These ventures allowed me to remain in contact with the sports that I enjoyed and also provided a necessary forum of social interaction (i.e. draft beer and Mexican food/pizza after the games).
---The unusual "quadruple play" continued at 4:00 p.m. when the women's fastpitch team that I coached took the field against a tough league opponent. We were trailing by one with one out in the top of the seventh and the bases loaded when a wild pitch scored the runner from third and the others all advanced a base. Tie score. On the next pitch, one of my best control hitters slapped down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt that scored the runner from third as the only play the defense had was to go to first. A popup by the next batter sent us into the bottom of the seventh hanging onto a one-run lead. My number one pitcher entered the game and effectively slammed the door allowing a triple to the leadoff batter before striking out the side.
---The 6:00 p.m. contest started a little late as our game had run past schedule and I still needed time to go to the car and "gear up" for the final game of the day. That contest was a special exhibition between one of our men's league teams and an out-of-town squad. We were working a three-man crew and I had the "dish." The temp was now near 100 degrees and the chest protector, shin guards and mask felt extra confining in the sweltering heat. Fortunately, there were two good pitchers in the game who never wavered far from the zone and each had some excellent "stuff" that kept the hitters off balance. If I remember correctly, I'll have to admit that the plate may have widened a little as the temperature increased under all that gear. The game ended after only an hour and fifteen minutes with the visiting team squeaking out a 3-2 triumph.
---What a day! Four games from 12 noon to 7:30 p.m. and the experience of seeing the games from all four perspectives---spectator, participant, coach and official. It has never happened again.
---As a youngster growing up in Oklahoma City, sports were far from a domineering force in my life. There wasn't the proliferation of games on television like we have today for one very good reason---there wasn't any television. And since there were no major baseball, football, basketball, etc. teams in that area, there was very little radio coverage of major sporting events.
---There were a couple of "sports" that definitely piqued my interest but those were family oriented and consisted of hunting and fishing with my Dad and relatives on my Grandpa and Grandma's farm and in various rivers and lakes in the area. I began both at an early age and can even vividly remember falling into Lake Overholser at age 6 and having my Dad grab me by the ankles and pull me out. I don't remember, however, if we caught anything that day. Another memorable day was a special Christmas when I received my very first rifle, a single-shot .22 caliber J.C. Higgins from Sears. I was only 10 years old but from an early age had been taught the respect and safety necessary in handling firearms. That .22, with its 24-inch barrel, is still the most accurate rifle I've ever owned and it remains in my possession to this day in the rack on the wall in my living room.
---The summer before I entered high school we moved from Oklahoma to the Central Valley of California. Despite being an awkward, geeky (at least in my mind) 14-year-old, I plunged headlong into interscholastic sports. During those four years, I participated in cross country, basketball, track and field, tennis, swimming and baseball. It was a great place and a great time to be in high school. I stumbled at first but in the later school years, as a "late bloomer," developed and contributed enough skills to truly feel a part of the teams on which I participated and I lettered in several sports.
---It was also during this time that I got my first taste of another of the four aspects of sports---officiating.
---Sports officiating remains one of the most misunderstood bailiwicks of sportdom. Many people think it's easy. Many people think they, or anyone else, could do it just as well as the guy or gal out there. There are still those people out there who ask the most incredibly naïve questions such as "You mean you get PAID for doing that?" and/or "I didn't know you COACHED."
---Please allow me to address the above misconceptions at this time. It is NOT easy to be a sports official. With the pace of most sports, situations occur at a speed that would tax a machine---let alone the human mind. Take the "block-charge" in basketball. In a split- second, two players collide. In that same split-second, the official, while running, must assess the situation in regards to who had established position, did the offensive player have control of the ball, did the defensive player alter his blocking path and initiate contact with the dribbler, was the fall of the defensive player a faked act or did the contact actually cause the fall, etc. etc. The official blows the whistle and in the space of perhaps one-half to one full second must review all of the above and more in his/her mind, apply a rule and render a decision that can have a definite effect on the outcome of the game and the pleasure/displeasure level of perhaps several hundred fans. Easy? I think not!
---Can anyone do this? Hardly. There is a special personality associated with those who function as arbiters. These are not your wishy-washy types who ride the fence and live in gray areas of decision-making. They are individuals of strong, independent personality who are unafraid to take a stance in what they believe. Many are the logical, analytical, no-nonsense types who are adept at problem-solving and simply "dealing" with situations as they arise. My kind of people!
---Although officiating is a vocation and one could never get rich doing it, it is still a task performed for others and as such should be and is duly compensated. It requires study, training and on-the-field/court experience to become an accomplished sports official. How much one should be rewarded monetarily is somewhat related to the level one referees/umpires.
---I personally have no qualms about asking for top dollar when officiating adult sports. After all, does it seem right that I should take less compensation so a 30-year-old male with a $300 bat, a $130 glove, a good job and a $35 per week beer and pizza habit has to pay less to the local parks and recreation department to indulge his fantasies of a long-ago athletic career? I don't think so, yet recreation departments throughout the country continue to try and squeeze umpires wages in order to assure that some of these pampered "boys of summer wannabes" will still sign up to play. That's bull. I know the psyche of the summer player as I've been dealing with them for years. The cost doesn't matter. To many of them, any cost is worth that proverbial "fifteen minutes in the spotlight" one experiences after driving in the winning run followed by the attendant cheers of teammates and fans. Wake up adult recreation departments and give the officials what they truly deserve!
---Officiating for youth games can be a somewhat different story depending upon the children who are participating. If they are kids who come from a lower socio-economic situation and this is the only way they would be able to enjoy the camaraderie and positive growth experience of team play, then I would be more than happy to donate my skills and time to that scenario. On the other hand, if their parents make more money than I do, why should I subsidize their kid from my pocket? My financial responsibility is to my children as theirs is to their children so they should pay whatever is necessary to provide their children with recreational activities and not expect the referees/umpires to support their kids. Simply giving up the green fee for one round of Mom's golf or foregoing the purchase of an expensive article of Dad's clothing and applying it to the recreational program cost for their own child could allow that program the budget to hire and keep more experienced officials.
---Because of some obvious misunderstanding and/or national dislike of authority, officiating just doesn't seem to get the respect it really deserves and in a nation where respect is sometimes sadly judged by the amount of money one has---well, you get the picture.
---And no, we are "officials," not "coaches." There is a definite difference. If you're still confused, remember the basic difference---officials know more about the game. # : o )
---My officiating career began as a 16-year-old high school sophomore when I was asked to fill in one evening at a Little League game. What could be easier, right? Young kids, just learning the game, supportive Dad and Mom, friendly atmosphere. Yeah, right. What an eye-opener! I didn't realize that Mothers were supposed to say things like that. Where did they learn all of those words? And how could they say those things to me? They didn't even know me! And the Dads---did they think that by screaming at their 10-year-old sons they were somehow going to encourage them to do better? What a baptism of fire into the wonderful world of sports officiating. Now please don't think this is a scathing indictment of the sport of Little League baseball as many situations are quite the opposite; however, it does happen on occasion and it certainly shouldn't.
---I later began officiating high school sports and to this day still referee/umpire volleyball, football, basketball, baseball and softball throughout the year. I sometimes joke that my closet doesn't contain clothes, just a change of different uniforms. It stills remains an enjoyable experience for me. It's an opportunity to remain in contact with the various sports, to get a little exercise and to make some pocket change that averages out to about $15 per hour.
---One thing I have noticed is the sometimes complete lack of verbal creativity and the tendency to rehash shopworn phrases and cliches. I'm referring to the oft heard coaches and/or fans laments such as "you gotta call 'em both ways," "that's brutal," "you gotta make that call," "where was that pitch?" "you're taking the bat out of his hands" and others too numerous to mention. The underlying theme of most of these whiny, self-serving blabberings is an attempt to escape blame for one's own lack of responsibility. We unfortunately live in a nation where acceptance of personal responsibility for one's actions is a dying artform. If at all possible, some feel they must find another on which to hang the responsibility of personal failure. It's very prevalent in the world of sports where the pampered, prima donna psyche is alive and well and if a personal loss is sustained, it MUST be someone else's fault. Let's see, who's handy…ah, the referee/umpire. The coach doesn't have to own up to his obvious lack of skill and leadership in admitting why his last bonehead strategy didn't work and the player doesn't have to admit defeat in not doing the job he/she was expected to do. Simply blame the official and/or someone else…the American way of dealing with personal failure.
---Finally, we come to the arena of the abuse of officials that goes beyond the "normal" accepted level of disagreement. In increasing numbers, there are instances every year of sports officials being physically attacked by coaches, players and/or fans. Some of these have resulted in permanent injury where a person's life was altered forever. The question is "why?" Have we sunk so low in the area of decency that we allow this to happen? Where are the restraints? the penalties?
---This growing situation has led to the defection of many individuals from the officiating ranks. Every year, it becomes increasingly difficult to recruit and train the individuals necessary to service schools and recreational organizations. For the low pay, the lack of respect and the lack of backup from those they service, veteran and prospective officials across the country are simply saying "no." This has led to many a situation where only one person has been available to officiate a contest that would be better served with the normal two-person crew. This further compounds the problem of satisfying the requirements of the game as two eyes simply do not provide enough coverage.
---Why is it that certain aggressive behavior in a sports arena is treated differently than if it had occurred on the street? Why should the penalty/punishment be different? Where do our children learn that there's something "sacred" about aberrant behavior if it occurs on a basketball court or baseball diamond?
---Case in point: A basketball player head-butts a referee and kicks a photographer in the groin. Incorrect punishment---a fine and/or suspension. Correct punishment---a policeman is summoned. He arrests and handcuffs the player on an assault charge and he spends the night in jail. Let our kids see THAT on television and maybe they might learn that there really is some hope for this country and the concept of right and wrong. Another case in point: A "recreational" softball player is ejected from a tournament game for unsportsmanlike conduct. (This player had a history of this type of behavior). He is supposed to sit out his team's next game. He whines and pleads with the T.D. (tournament director) that the umpire blowing calls and not really knowing what he was doing caused him to become upset and led to his ejection. The spineless T.D. finally relents, ignores his own tournament rule and allows the player to return for his team's next game. Once more, the good old American crutch of blaming someone else and a refusal to take responsibility for one's own actions rears its ugly head! And once more, a weak society, personified by the Tournament Director, refuses to have the backbone necessary to hold up the hand of reason and say "enough!"
---"Blackballing" is another sore subject in the officiating ranks. The very concept of fair play would indicate that neither team has any control over those who officiate their game. Yet, routinely, school administrators, upon request of their coaches, can bar an official from refereeing that school's game. Bottom line---in a black-and-white medium of thinking, that school is basically accusing the official of being incapable of treating that school's team fairly or, taking it a step further, is casting thinly-veiled aspersions on the integrity of that official. It shouldn't be allowed! Officials should be totally autonomous, basically operate as a confederation of independent contractors and schools should get who the commissioner assigns and not who they want or don't want.
---In closing the section on officiating, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the role that politics play. Yes, even in the very profession that is built upon black-and-white thinking and rules, the specter of politics rears its ugly head. Since it's very difficult to judge human performance as we are such complex creatures who employ many different ways to deal with issues, evaluating sports officials is a nearly impossible task. Oh, we can note how well the shoes are shined, how neat the shirt, pants, cap, etc. look, what time he/she arrives at the game, how much he/she "hustles" etc. but the meat of the matter---judgement---is strictly subjective analysis and leaves a lot of room for personal opinion. Sometimes, that opinion has been tempered, consciously or subconsciously, by how we perceive that official as a person, how we've related to him/her at meetings or at the local pub afterwards, what we've heard about him/her, whether the official is "one of the guys" or is an outsider from another association and must "prove" to us how good he/she is before gaining our acceptance. Yes, politics sadly play a part in which officials are assigned to which games and to how many. As long as we are humans and not machines, it will probably always be a part of the process.
---Overall, my experiences as a sports official have been rewarding ones. I recently stopped officiating high school volleyball, football, basketball, baseball and softball and adult basketball and softball, ending a 48-year career of making calls. Guess I figured nearly half a century and approximately 12,000 contests was enough for one person in one lifetime. Currently I still find plenty to keep me busy all year-long and hopefully out of trouble.
---My coaching and officiating experiences began at about the same time so I felt a balanced perspective regarding the two aspects of sports. My first experience was as a boys' physical education teacher at a California junior high. In addition to P.E. duties, I coached the football, basketball and baseball teams. I later taught girls' P.E. and was instrumental in bringing interscholastic girls' sports to an area where they had not existed before. (See the link to the Sierra Sweethearts Softball Team below).
---Being a teacher, I suppose my coaching technique was teacher-based in its approach. My philosophy was to create every possible game scenario in practice and to lead the players through the proper response in a step-by-step fashion until it became a near autonomic response. Endless repetition would then cement that response in their minds. In practice, with players on 2nd and 3rd, I would yell 2nd and 3rd bases occupied/one out and then immediately hit the ball to short right centerfield. As the player who called for the catch (2nd baseman, center fielder or right fielder) would come in, I would watch the movement of the other players to cover vacated positions, would listen to the verbal communication that was taking place calling out the location of the runners and where to throw the ball, etc. and evaluate each player's response to that particular play. Our practices were long and arduous and it took a special kind of individual (intelligent, resourceful, tough) to accept and learn the less-than-glamorous fundamentals but the effort paid off handsomely when it came to game time. When I see coach who spends a lot of time yelling at players all through the game, I see a coach who hasn't prepared them in practice.
---My most enjoyable coaching experience was mentoring my two children when they played t-ball and basketball. There's a certain joy to be observed when young children participate in a sport without having yet developed all of the "mature" barriers to pure and simple enjoyment of the game. It is sport in its truest and uncontaminated form. The skills are noticeably absent but no one seems to care as the participation factor seems to be perfectly sufficient for the enjoyment of the game.
---Ah, enjoyment of the game---that's the bottom line. Whether as a spectator, player, official or coach, one should never lose sight of the fact that sports are not real life. They are a form of fantasy, a release from the rigors of everyday life. Real life is bills, taxes, divorce, death, sick kids, being laid-off from work, etc. Sports are an escape from that and should be treated as such. If you apply the absolute seriousness to sports that you do to real life, you will never understand the beauty of the escape from reality they can offer. Each of us can use that release from the sometimes daily drudgery of existence. If we all refocus our perspective regarding sports, it could be the beginning of a movement that returns sports to a position in this country of which we can be proud.
PATERNAL (Masonhall) GENEALOGY
TRAVEL -- The Lure Of The Open Road
SANTIAM RIVER BAND -- Dave's Band Website