Hey Ref, You Suck!

New Blog Location

2008-07-13T20:35:00.001-05:00

I decided to start using Wordpress for blogging to see if I like it. My regular posting will be found there from now on.

bluescityref.wordpress.com

Farewell to my favorite clown

2008-07-08T00:43:00.004-05:00

I missed this the other day but this is why I read blogs. It helps me keep up with current events without the mainstream media slant to it.

I realize this is not a story based on something "Memphis" but I know it was certainly part of my childhood when we first got cable in the late 80's. The Bozo Show on WGN.

Everyone wanted to be on the Grand Prize Game so they could win prizes for throwing ping pong balls into the buckets on the floor.

Goodbye to Bozo .

End of the Road

2008-07-07T22:26:00.005-05:00

I went to Muvico 22 at Peabody Place last night to see Wanted at the 1035 showing. This was the last showing at Peabody Place ever. Quite a sad night for the people that had been working there for many many years. There's always a sad feeling to see anything arrive at the end of its time.

I asked the people downstairs taking tickets if anyone would mind if I snapped shots of the building before none of us can get in it again. I will see if I can get them out there to the Lost Memphis site as well so all can enjoy what once was.

Tantric at Newby's Memphis 06/19/08

2008-06-22T23:02:00.016-05:00

I finally figured out what Myspace is for. Its for being able to find an impromptu bulletin about a band playing in town. I logged into Myspace on Thursday morning and found a bulletin posted by Newby's Memphis about a band playing that night.

I was unprepared to snap shots of the action but when you're that close to the band.... my cell phone did a decent enough job.

Hugo decided some "Journey" was appropriate for the evening. At one point I remember him saying he was going to do shots and sing Journey the rest of the night. Luckily for the crowd he went back to Tantric tunes after just one song.

At the end of the show Hugo decided what the hell and got the entire crowd on stage with the band while they played "Breakdown". A few of us stayed on the ground level but only because we were rapidly snapping shots of this rare event as it was unfolding.

It was definitely one of the best audience experiences that I have ever seen at a show in town. Thanks Myspace; I got some random excitement for once during the week.

New Format

2008-06-20T13:07:00.002-05:00

I think I'm going to change the format up on this blog a little bit. When I am in town I will write things that relate to Memphis be it bad politics or one of my crazy ass nights out. There are a lot of acts and things coming to town right now so it shouldn't be hard to find some content this summer.

I always seem to have an inside track to information here lately so I guess I can use this medium for people to pick up on it. In the winter it will still occasionally house some hockey or officiating information.

Speaking of crazy ass nights out; I went to an impromptu concert at Newby's last night. Tantric showed up in town and hardly anyone was there. That being said I got a few decent pictures on the camera phone that I'll put up. Stay tuned.

New Skates

2008-05-31T18:38:00.001-05:00

I payed a visit to Perani's in Livonia, MI while I was in Detroit working at Motorcity Casino this week. I ended up getting last years model of NikeBauers One90. They really fit differently which I hope is going to be something positive for once with skates.

The sales guy said they fit more like the traditional supremes did. That's what I need; something with traditional feel. Bauer 3 & 4000's were the best skates I've ever worn. Going back to something similar to that should be great. Now I just need some roller blades too.

Penguins Fans???

2008-05-27T20:36:00.003-05:00

I pull up to Motorcity Casino to check into the hotel and I see a bunch of people wearing Pittsburg Penguins jerseys out and about around the place. It's hard to believe that these people don't realize that the Illitch family owns Motorcity.

Yeah, you guys, you're helping the Red Wings' players get a raise. Do your homework next time you're coming to town for the game and need a place to stay. Sheesh.

Holy ShNikes...

2008-05-13T13:07:00.004-05:00

So has everyone seen the price of a set of Bauer One95's. All I can say is holy shit.

I remember the first time I ever payed $200 for a pair of skates. I believe it was 1993 and even then there was a feeling of guilt that was overwhelming. $650 is the craziest shit I have ever heard. Looks like I'm going to have a tough decision of which skate company to overpay for a set of skates this summer. Damn!

Nice Fight!

2007-11-27T13:59:00.000-06:00

Pretty self explanatory I think...

Back to skating

2007-10-26T13:11:00.000-05:00

I have my first assignments of the year coming up this weekend. It is Peewee Travel hockey weekend in Decatur, AL. I have 5 games to work especially the 630am game on Sunday. I really love the early game let me tell you.

I missed out on the seminar a few weekends back. They changed the date I thought it was going to be and I ended up having to work that day. I went thru the open book test the other night giving all of the answers that I am confident in and it didn't seem as bad as years in the past. I guess we'll know once I go back over it and submit it for a score.

I could have been a contender!

2006-11-23T01:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, I never knew I shared the same day of birth as a real hockey great. I feel honored.

http://www.bostonbruins.com/pressbox/pressreleases.asp?id=1845

No more hair helmets!

2006-11-21T15:13:00.000-06:00

This is worth another post today. I never thought I would witness this in my life time. What is the world coming to?

http://www.hockeyrefs.com/intheheadlines/2006/11/20.php

Let's Take A Look at a Hockey Referee

2006-11-21T03:21:00.000-06:00

Here is one of my favorite training tools out of Hockey Canada and the Ontario Hockey Officials Association. I repost it places from time to time to remind people who my brothers and I are.

LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT A HOCKEY REFEREE

Let's "take a look" at the official who is alleged to be responsible for the inability of players to score goals and teams to win games. He is the living barrier who mysteriously transforms victory to defeat. What are his qualifications and is there anything to be said in his defense?

In the first place, the IDEAL referee must be an apt student, who is letter perfect in the laws of hockey and their interpretation. Unlike judges in our courts, he must see the crime, identify the offence, and hand out the sentence - not later in the day, tomorrow or next month, but all within seconds.

Next, the IDEAL referee must be a good skater and physically sound. A player can get frequent relief, but officials must be on the ice for the entire game. Moreover, hockey officials are expected to act as peace officers and prevent crime by restraining angry players who are intent upon "beating up" their opponents.

An IDEAL referee, and there is no such person, should have the speed of a sprinter, the endurance of a marathoner, the tact of a diplomat, the mind of a professor and the unruffled demeanor of a supreme court judge. It would also help if he had 20-20 vision and was stone deaf.

Fans, players, coaches and management alike expect too much of officials. Few players ever think their sentence was deserved; coaches shriek in anguish at a borderline off-side call; and fans view with alarm, every decision that goes against their favorites. Yet contrastingly, a judge has his judgment appealed and his decision repealed without loss of prestige. No less than perfection is expected from the versatile hockey official.

It is an old but valid argument that referees don't make the rules; they are merely agents charged with the responsibility of enforcing the laws as provided by the rule book. The fact that players trip, charge, spear, or high-stick is not the referee's fault any more than a police officer is responsible for the actions of offenders who break society's laws.

Few men are so constituted that they can suffer silently while they are publicly criticized. While it is unlikely that hockey's governing bodies will do much to ease the referee's life while the sport is enjoying a prolific boom, it does seem that there should be less official criticism of referees and linesman. For instance, it isn't fair to second guess them with slow motion film. The man on the ice has to call the play instantly; he can't wait for the crowd to tell him and he can't see what goes on behind his back. Neither can he ponder over border line incidents in his private chambers or delay a decision momentarily while waiting the instant replay. He just has to do the best he can based on his years of experience. He doesn't expect to be popular; but he has a right to be recognized as the representative of the law makers and to be spared from public humiliation and criticism from those who are themselves involved in the development of the sport.

Certainly, hockey cannot exist without officials; so we had better learn to live with them and, who knows, we might even learn to like them.

Nice Night for a set of Orange Bands

2006-11-16T13:19:00.000-06:00

Wednesday night was the first time I had been asked to wear the bands for a set of high school games this season. I just received my new ref sweater with the sewn in bands which I was thrilled to get to try out. I also got my first ever set of shin tights and some new runners for my t-blades.

The sweater worked out awesome, the shin tights did what I wanted, and the t-blades put me on my ass more than once that night. Nothing better than watching a hockey official fall down. It's way more memorable when you are the head ref of the game too. I got lucky in that game and it wasn't anything with my skating skill that took me out.

I was at about mach 2 headed down the ice chasing the play when a player came from the bench for a line change. Let's just say he didn't stand a chance. He forgot to look both ways before crossing the railroad tracks and got hit by locomotive BluesCityRef at full speed. The only way to attract more attention would have been to had an explosion happen at the same time.

Luckily no one was hurt during the collision (most importantly me) and I was able to spring back to my feet instantly. That was just the beginning of the night for everyone.

Earlier in the day a phone conversation had frustrated me. When she called me back later I was on the way to the game so I ignored the call. I don't ever do that to anyone (especially her) but I had to get my head straight for the game and was afraid something might rattle my mental capacity right then. I turned on the music loud in the car to try and focus on something else. It didn't help.

Come game time I wasn't dwelling on anything left over but it had to remain in the back of my mind. Hockey's an emotional game and sometimes the days emotions can carry into it. At the end of the game I had called 14 penalties on one team and 13 on the other. I broke the record for most calls this year by 6. I was fired up enough that I wasn't taking shit from anyone. A little mouthy-ness was worth a trip to the box that night.

I had two coaches in penalty trouble and one player in jeopardy of not being able to play their next games. I've never had a night like that in my career ever. I'm usually the ref that lets things slide and get evened up. Guess I should go to the rink a little pissed more often. Nah, then none of us are having any fun.

19 Games later

2006-10-31T20:17:00.000-06:00

Well I have 19 games under the belt since October 7th and am still heading forward at full steam. I really couldn't have counted on the problems that I have not had with my skates this season so far. They were rubbing early on but I think my ankles developed some callis' which have helped stop the pain this season.

I thought that I was going to have some issues and end up bailing out mid way through the month. So far nothing of the sort has happened which I am thrilled about. My injury level is at an all time low since nothing is bothering me at the current moment. I can't wait to see how the rest of the season goes.

High School Jamboree

2006-10-10T14:49:00.000-05:00

Well I got my first taste of being on ice for the season. We ran a 4 man system just to keep everyone from being killed first time out. 4 man is a little different to get used to but was beneficial since we could concentrate more on penalties. It's going to be a hell of a challenging year to do that without a parnter. We should be in pretty great shape at the end though.

Can't wait to see where things go.

Changes

2006-09-02T17:30:00.000-05:00

Well I have re-registered to be an official for the forth year. Maybe this time I can actually come up with my level 3 credentials. Last year I took the open book exam without opening the book and missed 12 questions. That was two more than allowed. Before I knew it 30 days had passed and I didn't have the chance to fix the two questions so I was lowered back to level 2 for another season.

Quite humiliating when it comes down to it. I caught alot of hell from the state supervisor for that. Especially considering I am a senior official in the area.

I just got done watching the rules & emphasis video for this season. I am actually happy to see a well done video that will be shown to parents and coaches regarding all of the changes. This year will be hell for the officials on the ice considering all of the interpretation changes that are going to be enforced.

It should speed the game up and at the same time slow it down. We'll see how it goes in the first couple of games to know how it's going to go.

Getting in shape again...

2006-08-18T04:12:00.000-05:00

Well its that time of the year again where getting back in shape is essential. I actually made the trek to Decatur, AL to get some time in on the ice. There will be a greater demand this season for senior level officials than there has been in the past. USA Hockey has decided to adopt the NHL style of rule interpretations.

I'm pretty sure that means I'm going to have twice as many parents bitching about calls that are made this season. More disciplinary meetings to rule what happens to coaches and players that are in trouble for too many penalties in one game. It should make for an interesting season none the less.

Lots of travel this year since the Desoto Center is also going to house an indoor soccer team. I'm not sure why they would want to try that since no indoor soccer team has ever been able to make it in the Memphis area. I remember being one of the very few people at Rogues' games in the 80's. We'll see what happens after a year but in the meantime it will mean lots of trips to Decatur for Memphis Youth Hockey games.

With all of these variables to be overcome the most significant will be good health. I have done much this off season to wreck my well being but I am lighter than I have been in a long time so hopefully that will work in my favor. I'm about 5 or 10 pounds over my playing weight from when I was a teenager. I didn't think I would ever be this light again. Normally in the summer I put on weight not loose any. It should make starting training a little bit easier since there won't be as much weight to stress joints. We'll soon see I guess.

Game Over

2006-04-14T23:39:00.000-05:00

The season is officially over now. It wasn't as long as others I have remembered. It was one that bothered me in the end since I couldn't stay healthy or without some kind of problem.

Skates have plagued me this year along with some sort of ankle or foot injury because of it.

I discovered t-blades a little too late in the year. Hopefully they are going to be the best answer for the start of the next season. I look forward to it and will start working out now to prepare.

Foot ache

2006-03-09T19:35:00.000-06:00

Wow I haven't had a blister since I was at Mohegan Sun Casino last summer. I can honestly say this is the worst one I have had in my life. I hiked 88 miles through Shiloh National Park in one year and dealt with many blisters during that trek. I've never had anything as bad as what my skates left on my foot the other night.

I woke up to this fluid filled monster the next morning. After deflating it I got my odds and ends done and went to a couple of casinos. On the way home I hit the local Wal-mart for some food and other assorted items. It had seemed alright until I quit moving. Now it is just a painful reminder of my skates not fitting the way they should.

I've only worn them once this season but I had them baked last year when I purchased them. Now I know my foot is more than likely not the same shape as they were when I bought them but the pain I have now is crazy. They have to be close to the same shape as they were when they were baked. I am going to have to find a solution to this now but I have an idea.

Ultimate Pain

2006-03-08T14:40:00.000-06:00

Well the t-blades themselves performed terrific in the games I had to officiate. The boot however gets a huge failure mark. I was in terrible pain after the second game. I ended up having to give away my last game to another guy that was there. Thankfully he was able to pick it up or I would have been in a tough spot.

Luckily my ankle became the least of my concern for the evening. There is something seriously wrong with it however. It has a nice lump that does not match the other one.

I'm glad that I don't have any games on a professional level anywhere. I would seriously feel like shit having to call a league supervisor and explain that my health has become a problem. I will correct that this summer unlike the last two. It's tough at the age of 28 to accept the fact that your physical fitness is not where it needs to be so your body will recover from injuries quicker. I am officially over the hill as an official and only a good physique will be the thing that can keep me in the game.

Hopefully it won't take too much work to get there since I am truly not heavy. I just hate to run. I am currently researching a plyometrics workout that will help develop more speed. I definitely will be taking a break from the beers and cigarettes I seem to enjoy on the weekends lately.

t-blade playing test

2006-03-07T00:30:00.000-06:00

I tested out the t-blades tonight playing in an adult game and they are loud but awesome. My team honestly thinks I just had that much energy but doesn't realize that the blades and chasis did a lot of the work tonight. They were so light when we were in the 3rd period I was beating guys to loose pucks and giving chase which I would never normally do. The difference being that the blades were much smoother and lighter I didn't have to burn as much energy to get down ice.

The ultimate test comes tomorrow. I have 4 games to officiate and that will be a lot of time on them. I expect my foot to cramp and be in pain but only because the skates have not truly been broken in.

Public Skating

2006-03-05T20:52:00.000-06:00

Why do they call it that? If you're skating in a rink is there ever a time when you're not doing it in public?

Anyway I got to go to a post game skate the other night and tryout the t-blades on the Tacks that just came back in from Nashville. I actually didn't have any problems skating on them. I was looking for something to bother me and having to re-learn to skate on them. In actuality I like them better then when they had the CCM holder on them. I am not sure if I will be used to the edge but everything felt alright. Even the boot felt better than the last time I was out on them. I think the new chasis is helping to put my foot into a better position which is causing less pain in the arch.

I can't wait to put them into a serious test. I think I might even put the runner with the shorter rocker and deeper hollow on them.

t-blades

2006-03-02T08:03:00.000-06:00

Can't take the pain anymore. I broke down today and sent the CCM Pro Tacks I bought last year to Nashville to have the t-blade system installed on them. I really wanted to go to Nashville this weekend and work a tournament but I was afraid after that many games that I might not be able to skate anymore for a while.

I need to be able to skate the next week because I have the important games coming up. I have a set of playoff games for the high school league that week. Since I don't want to deal with a bruised ankle again I decided some drastic measures were going to have to be taken. A trip to the local Fed Ex spot and off they go. A trip on a jet airliner and they will be fixed and on their way back to me. I wish they had gotten done earlier so I could have skated in them for the first men's league game this week.

I am excited to see how much I like or dislike them.

9 Days Off

2006-01-30T17:38:00.000-06:00

I get 9 days off since my company is sending me to Primm, NV. Where the hell is that you ask?... about 41 miles from Las Vegas and really close to California. I could use the time off my skates since I seem to have a bruise on the bone of my ankle. The tongue of the skate really is digging in right there and keeps me in pain for some reason if I have them on. It might be time to retire them and pick up another pair.

I get to spend a week in the desert hopefully there will be something to do since it is so far out of Vegas. I would have taken my gear with me and got a few games out there but of course injuries have plagued me all season this year.

I fought off a groin strain around Christmas. Thankfully we had a two week break for the holidays. That helped recovery tremendously but my first game back wearing the bands was tragic with that much time off. I fought off an ankle problem early in the season but now it is bruised which is the same as injuring it. I am scheduled for 5 games this week as an official and am supposed to play in one. Needless to say I will ref one and skip the playing.

I am not sure why I even had the league admin put me on a team since I am never in town or physically able to play.

Hey Ref, Get A Dog!

2006-01-29T20:41:00.000-06:00

The most original put down we have ever heard come from a fan's mouth. At least it wasn't the normal cliche crap that they often think means something to us. I often laugh at them for using the same lines game after game. It gets old really quick but they don't seem to think so.

You've got to call it both ways... still my favorite one to hear coming over the glass. Funny thing is I still don't understand exactly what that means to this day. How do you call it both ways?

I am a hockey official. My job is to keep the game safe and fair. Safety first and fairness second; the fans are always willing to let us know when either objective has not been obtained. The objectives are the thing that crack me up about the "calling it both ways" comment. You can't stay safe and fair and even off penalties just because the crowd thinks you should. Someone is always going to be mad; I'm fine with that.

Too many fights....

2006-01-19T23:57:00.000-06:00

Wow, is all I can say after last night's first game of the evening. It was a very hard fought game between two teams I would have never thought were an even match. We were about 3 minutes into the first period when a scrum started in front of one of the goalkeepers.

Punches were thrown and since I was one of the linesmen I got the pleasure of going in to break it up. It wasn't too tough going in and locking them up but I remember the one that I had to take being a little taller than me and being really fired up. Once I had him pulled away I had to remind him not to start punching on me or resisting or he would get the skate of shame. I hate that.

Interestingly enough, the guy that started the first scrum got the skate of shame later in the game. He ended up with a few too many double minors and got the gate for 5 penalties in one game. Serves him right he was the trouble maker the entire game.

I only had three games left to do afterwards. I felt bad that after the high school games I had an adult game that I would care nothing about due to physical fatigue. Once your out of it physically the mind goes shortly after. For me it's almost immediately; I'll have to work on that.

First Adult League Game as a Player

2006-01-18T02:53:00.000-06:00

I hate being p.c. but it is the men's league with a few women out there too. I give them credit they are trying and you have to start somewhere. Maybe if I wanted to be more p.c. I should call it what it is; the Beer League.

It's not uncommon these days to see the ladies on ice. In a lot of cities they often have a choice to play in the women's league. Hell this is Memphis, we're lucky to have a sheet of ice to play on these days so that's not an option here. Beggars can't be choosers, and that goes for any of us. I get plenty of ice but that is because I usually ref around 80 games a season. This season I am going to play 12 on top of that. I played like shit tonight so it should make for a good time either way.

I have to ref 4 later on today: 1 adult and 3 high school games. I'm sure my body will be pretty miserable afterwards but that should be it for this week.

I actually have another adult game as a player Thursday but I will be in Hot Springs, AR for the beginning of live horse racing that night. It's actually one of my favorite days over there with the exception of the last day of live racing, either way it should be a great time.

Happy Dr K Day

2006-01-16T15:26:00.000-06:00

As I sit here writing this I wonder how many other people actually get this day off? I am shocked after years and years of not getting any holidays off at all; that now I get every bank holiday there is.

I remember MLKJ Day in 97' was one of the best trips that my buddies and I ever took together. We had traveled all over the country during the summer always going to drum corps shows to visit friends on tour. I remember I was about 19 at the time and we all decided to go skiing / snowboarding because the KKK was having a rally in Memphis that weekend.

None of us had ever been before so we all packed the warm clothes and piled in the cars and headed for the North Carolina border. Amazingly I remember the night before it actually snowed in Memphis which is extremely unusual. Once we arrived we stocked up on all of the beer you could fit into the refridgerator and then headed for the mountain. After a hard day on the slopes it was truly unbelievable none of us had the energy to consume any beverages that night. I was extremely bruised and battered; that snowboard really beat the shit out of me the first day.

The next day there was a blizzard coming down out of the sky so we ended up getting stranded away from our condo since none of us had four wheel drive. Some locals gave us a ride up the mountain and the next morning when we were departing they ended up with a lot of beer as a gift of appreciation. Pretty much all the beer that we bought and never touched.

And the whole reason we got out of town that weekend: Memphis made national news coverage after the police tear gased the protestors. The KKK a bunch of ignorant bastards staged a protest protected by the first amendment of the Constitution of our great country. Another big bunch of dumbasses gathered to protest the KKK and gave the police the opportunity to practice their crowd control training.

Ignorance must truly be bliss.

Tivo Junkie

2006-01-15T17:09:00.000-06:00

Man if it weren't for that damn Tivo I might get some things done on the weekends. I generally end up sitting around trying to watch some of the 36 hours of Alias, 13 hours of Jag, 15 hours of Charmed, and 12 hours of Angel that I have recorded. When I am not reffing hockey that is. Not forgetting that I also record Dog the Bounty Hunter, My Name is Earl, and my new fav Rollergirls during the week but watch them easily since they are only half an hour long. I'd probably have Buffy recorded too but it comes on the same time slot as Angel so that fucks that up.

What can I say? I worked in the casino business for the last 5 years so prime time television wasn't something I ever got to see. It just seems like I am overwhelmed with more tv to watch than I have seen in the last 10 years. What a product; I now officially watch more television than I would if I hadn't bought the Tivo.

I recently stumbled across two blogs that I now seem to read constantly.

Check them out when you have the chance. I enjoy them thoroughly.
http://ryannreflections.blogspot.com/
http://humanwrites.typepad.com/dadgonemad/

The game we love

2006-01-04T03:03:00.000-06:00

I recently read some posts in the current USA Hockey Magazine about the reason people love the game. I figured I could take a minute to explain why I love the game and post it in my blog, since I would never send a piece of writing like that to USA Hockey.

I love the game of hockey; so much that all of the hours and pain I give to the game should make that quite apparent. It's a living breathing animal that is actually hard to comprehend some days and other days the simplicity of it is remarkable. The game is the one daily reminder for me what hard work and fundamentals can do for anyone. I have friends from all over the world and who have played all over the world. We all have one thing in common: hockey. Some are good at it some are not so good at it. A few of us make money at it and others are just there for the camradarie that goes with being a part of it.

Amazingly in my mothers last days she was still a season ticket holder of the pro team in the area. It had become part of her identity just as it had been mine for years and years. After a while you realize all the dedication it has taken over the years is just something that can't go away overnight. Some times we can take a break from it but you can't stay away from it forever.

The game is still the best friend I have. No matter how many bad habits I have it still is able to keep me healthy and baffle the doctors every time I am there.

I recently met a female friend that I am debating becoming involved with in the complicated sense; but I often wonder if she will share in the same love that I have and that my mother also came to know?

Bantam Weekend

2005-12-05T02:57:00.000-06:00

On December 3rd we had bantam weekend. It was a chance for those of us with less experience with the bands a time to hone some skills. I got a good workout and a lot of opportunity to work on positioning which was needed for my future assignments. I did have a first for my officiating career during the weekend; a penalty shot.

A team from Little Rock, AR had a tight game going with the team from Nashville. Nashville was ahead by one goal with less than a minute to go in the game. LR pulled their goalkeeper and went with the extra attacker on the ice. Somehow Nashville made it out of the zone with the puck and was able to get a shot on an empty net. The shot was wide of the goal but for some reason the LR defenseman threw his stick at the puck. It's amazing that when you see this happen it's like everything is happening in slow motion. It took me a good two seconds to realize "Hey, you have the bands on, you have to make this call!" I throw up the arm and blow the whistle and then have to take the time to process what just happened. The player throwing the stick did not change the path that the puck was traveling; however he was there between the attacking player and the goal so it wasn't an automatic goal award. Amazingly I got that call correct on the ice and had to read the f-ing rule book afterwards in the locker room to make sure of that.

Turns out I was right and my partner was able to quote it almost verbatim before we found the rule. I am still amazed to have been able to assess that correctly right at that moment. That's all my ego needs is a boost that demonstrates that I evidently know what I am doing. Thankfully I still realize that I have much to learn and review. Hopefully that mentality will stick around for years to come.

First time with the bands on in 05'

2005-11-29T21:27:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since my last officiating post. Well needless to say the season has begun. I'm on game #22 so far. Not quite as many games as fast as last year but the season is far from over. By the end of the weekend I will be closer to game #30. I drew Collierville High School vs Chrisitian Brothers High School in my first game of the high school season. Going into the game everyone knows that Collierville (the defending State Champions) are more than likely going to win and probably by a large margin. So, I actually expected the game to be fairly lax and easy. It turned out to be far from that.

It was about half way through the second period when there was a questionable hit that sparked a fight. Next thing I know one of Christian Brother's players is trying to get in between the fighters. So I ended up handing out two major penalties for fighting and game misconducts. The guy that jumped in got a game misconduct also for being the first to intervene. Needless to say the coaching staff was upset at the third man call but what can you do? (I have been there before and in the middle of a 6 man brawl due to the guy that is just coming to help break it up. It is really a one of a kind experience to watch two goal tenders duking it out though.)

After that set of calls though the game seemed to police itself which was a great feeling that a referee only gets "once in a blue moon". Too bad they all can't go that way.

Last trip to Biloxi

2005-09-05T13:18:00.000-05:00

Well since everyone has seen the news it's easy to realize I won't be back in Biloxi, MS in the immediate future.

I spent the week of August 22nd thru the 25th there. Luckily I was scheduled to leave and come back on Labor Day weekend for the opening of the Hard Rock Casino so I wasn't there during the storm. Needless to say all of the hard work I did that week preparing Hard Rock was all for naught. The building was flattened by our good friend Katrina that decided to come through and remodel the coastal front and many lives with it. It is totally a surreal experience to be able to look at places that were there one day and completely wiped out of existence the next.

One of my big bosses from Las Vegas was in town checking things out so we spent quite a bit of time with him that week. His one stipulation while we were in town was that we had to eat at local establishments the whole time we were there. No, O'Charley's or any other large chain restaurants; we had no problems finding good meals all week at many interesting places. It's hard to fathom that all of these places were completely leveled after the storm. One of the places we ate had been there for something like 125 years. I guarantee it is there no longer. It is a shame though it really had character.

I always enjoy my time while I am in Biloxi and usually get to make my trips to Mobile, AL, and Pensacola, FL, during the same time. Hopefully I'll get to go back shortly and the place won't look like a total war zone.

Mohegan Sun

2005-07-19T01:57:00.000-05:00

Spending a week in Uncasville, CT this week. Mohegan Sun has the largest casino floor I have ever been on. My feet have the blisters to prove it. I never thought I would have a problem with the shoes that I have been wearing, but boy was I wrong. The Casino of the Sky was my favorite as far as decoration goes. I however loved the Casino of the Earth because of the cool ass wolves on top of the slot banks. Someone told me that they are on timers and one of the employees told me they howl when someone hits a jackpot. During the whole week I was there I only heard them howl once so I would believe the later was true.

While I was there I made it out to the US Naval Submarine Museum in Groton, Connecticut. It's kind of sad that it might not be open much longer. It receives no funding and depends on donations to keep the doors open. I found it interesting to see the history of subs and learned some things that I was not aware of.

Yosemite Valley

2005-06-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

I was out in Coarsegold, California for a week and on one of the last days I went sight seeing. Here's a couple of shots I took while I was in Yosemite National Park. It only took a 5 mile hike to get the picture of the grove of giant sequoyahs but I think it was worth it. They're truly unbelievable in person.

Hey Ref, Where Have You Been?

2005-03-08T01:00:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I laced up some skates. The new job has had me out on tour, so far the list is:
Shreveport/Bossier City, LA
Atlantic City, NJ
Montgomery, AL
Birmingham, AL
Jacksonville, FL
Las Vegas, NV
Tulsa, OK
Oklahoma City, OK
Biloxi, MS
Mobile, AL
Pensacola, FL and the list keeps growing and growing.

I finally made it out to the driving range today. I have had my new irons for about two weeks now and haven't swung them until today. My golf game is going to need some major work to get it back in shape. Speaking of shape it is that time of the year again. It is time to start skating when available and hitting the gym to cut weight and get the body reshaped again. I have to pick out a work out regiment which I haven't decided on yet. I will put out an update when I have figured out what I am going to use.

First Time With The Arm Bands On

2004-12-22T18:00:00.000-06:00

Tuesday night was the first time that I had ever been called on to act as head ref this year. Until this point I have just been a linesman when needed. There was an unofficial/practice game between Germantown High School and the Bantam Travel Team. The elders of the league thought this would be a good chance for me to get some practice in with the arm bands on. I thought the same at first but worried that my conditioning was not up to par for the task being asked.

It wasn't very far into the game when I realized I was over skating everything. I ended up ahead of the play once or twice from over anticipation which I thought would happen before the game. I knew that if one team controlled the puck more than the other one that I would end up in the zone earlier than I would prefer. Thankfully the high school team did put up a good show and kept things from being too lop sided in favor of the travel team. I fully expected the travel team to dominate that game if the Germantown seniors were not playing. Once the game started I did not see one of the star players of the Germantown squad so I was sure the travel team would not be too over challenged. I was however worried about myself being over challenged.

The travel coach said in pre-game that he wanted his guys to get to work on some penalty killing so he would have them take a penalty or two intentionally. This had me a little nervous that I might miss the call that he was expecting to be a penalty call. Worse, I was worried if I did miss the call what might ensue afterwards. (normally a melee takes place) Luckily the Germantown squad never allowed that to happen. Some teams play hockey and others take stupid penalties. It was Germantown's night to do a little of each. Needless to say the travel players got to work on their power play more than the penalty kill. Not to knock the Germantown squad, but they had some good opportunities to even that game up and didn't capitalize on it.

I had one play where a puck was kicked into the net, but thankfully I was on the whistle quick that night and was already shutting that play down before it crossed the line.

I thought things went alright at the end. I don't know how anyone does more than one game a night as a referee. I guess when you get in shape for it the job becomes easier. I can say that I was a little more than tired when it was over. I look forward to the experience of getting to do a few more games like that but also know where my challenge now lies. Thankfully I wasn't hit in the legs by a puck that night; first time in 3 games that hasn't happened. Now if these other bruises would just go away.

Hey Ref, Your Partners Suck Too!

2004-12-19T13:44:00.000-06:00

Funny how the guy lining in front of the bench of the coach that is pissed off catches the heat eventhough he may not be mad at you. I heard over my shoulder this weekend a couple of times; "You better keep your partner on that side of the ice because he is doing you no justice over here." All because of a couple of offside calls that maybe were or maybe were not correct. I can understand one of them; the second one maybe he should have caught and exercised judgement a little better but it was his first series of the season.

It was game # 58 for me. Of course my calls are going to be made with confidence and more than likely going to be hard to dispute. I had a 57 game advantange on my partner. Especially after a 10 game weekend the weekend before in Alabama. I saw and worked on as many of the things that I do incorrectly that weekend so they would be improved when I got back here. I think I did well progressing through that. He was looking at game #2 for the season.

That game did end with the coach mad at the referee too. What game doesn't have that happen? I got the traditional speech from the coach "Is this what we can expect tomorrow too?". I assured him that the referee would be back as a linesman and that the other two guys would be fresh crew with good consistency. How I can make a statement like that I am not sure because I don't have the first idea what the guy coming in might do.

Hey Ref, You Still Suck!

2004-12-17T11:24:00.000-06:00

So I ended up scheduled for the championship game for the adult league on Tuesday night. The original schedule said that game would be played on Thursday. I had talked to the league admin about the games moving and he said that the officials didn't have to change unless I wanted them too. I really didn't see a problem with the two people that I was selected to work these games with so I told him not to worry about it. ...I should have worried about it.

I end up at game time with no partner in the largest game for the adult league season. It took about a period to get adjusted to what was happening and where I should be. The team I hoped would win did, but I can't say that everyone played their hardest due to the fact they knew I couldn't keep up at both ends of the ice. I can honestly say that the game was hard fought and the winning goalie made some crucial saves that could have changed the course of the game. If he hadn't made those particular stops the team with the most talent would have won.

The most important thing about this game: David Sorrell finally got his name on the adult league trophy. David is a good guy and a hard working hockey player; he deserves his name on the cup finally.

Silver Sticks

2004-12-15T11:50:00.000-06:00

Last weekend I was in Huntsville, Alabama for the annual Silver Sticks tournament. I actually enjoyed being back in Huntsville for the first time in 9 years. The last time I was there I was playing in that tournament. Since 9 years ago they have divided the tournament into two different weekends. I was there for little kid weekend. Mites, Squirts, and PeeWees were playing all that weekend. The higher levels were the week before which helps for that weekend to run very smooth. Most games were running 20 minutes early which is extremely odd for a tournament.

I got to call one game with the PeeWee A team from Nashville playing in it. I love seeing that team anytime the PeeWee tournaments are going. That's one coach that is good at what is happening on and off the ice. I heard him get loud once about one of my calls but he knew I wasn't wrong on the call just justififed it incorrectly. I quickly told him I called it the wrong thing and what it would show on the scoresheet and he had no more concern on it. He knew it was a good call eventhough the signal was wrong on the ice by the time we got to the scorekeepers area I changed it to what it should be. With the point of emphasis being head contact that game I had no issues justifying that to either bench. When both teams are committing the same offenses it is easy to not get coaches giving you the "Got to call it both ways" statement.

Hey Ref, You Suck!

2004-12-14T15:24:00.000-06:00

I am amazed by the hockey coaches that think they are the almighty when it comes to the game. I am definitely not saying that I am, but that I know my place. I have witnessed coaches being disrespectful twice this weekend. One was the coach of 10 year olds and one was the coach of 15 - 18 year olds. Noting that both of these groups of kids are impressionable minds.

These are the same guys who will challenge my knowledge of the game; yet don't know all the rules themselves.

There was another incident but that coach waited until after the game and after everyone had left the ice to berate us. I can handle that. At that point it's just a coach and some officials having the usual disagreement that you expect those two groups to have.

About Me

2004-01-01T01:28:00.000-06:00

This is a blog about me. I ref ice hockey in the winter time in whatever facility can be found around the Memphis Metro Area. Lately that can take me as far as Decatur, Alabama, for a Memphis Blues home game. I have been known to lend out my athleticism to other towns from time to time also i.e. Nashville & Huntsville most often.

Luckily the nice community of Desoto County, Mississippi, has a pro arena that we get to purchase ice time from. It helps their community subsidize some of the expense of having an arena and keeps the hockey community alive around Memphis. Why the leadership in Memphis couldn't figure that out we'll never know.

I touched my first IBM based computer at the ripe age 0f 18 when I entered college. The only thing that I had used before that was something in the educational institutions. Generally that was a Macintosh and I ruled at Oregon Trail.

In the fall of 1997 I entered New Horizon's Computer Learning Center as one of the first set of people to go through the network certification courses. I believe I was the only individual that payed for those type classes during that time. Anyone in classes with me had been sent through by their companies. I made lots of contacts from that place.

After completing all of the courses for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer and Certified Novell Engineer I never took an exam. I think I had enough fear in me at the time due to being 19 years old and new to personal computers.