There's a TIMEOUT on the floor

It started innocently enough, with an email titled "Anything going on tonight?". Dunne's baseball coach and resident Pats fan flew to Glendale for the aforementioned Super Bowl, leaving the PA gig for Senior Night at the varsity basketball game. So I was able to get my Jon Thompson on and get behind the mike.

The moral? That job was a lot harder than it looked. I stumbled through Senior names and service projects and completely bombed mom's names such as Lacracha and Sophronia, off to a brilliant start. I stuck to the basics - baskets by X, foul on Q, etc. And of course, "There's a TIMEOUT on the floor." At halftime, I was able to announce the Drill Team (for non-Texans: think the ND pom squad with the white boots of the Cowboy cheerleaders) who waited at halfcourt for THREE MINUTES for music to come on. There was none. Awkward!! The game got tight in the 2nd half, and Dunne made a thrilling comeback. It was tough to stay impartial but I was working the "for THREEEEEEEE". Dunne (actually, one of my students and the laziest kid ever there, and completely hyper-nuts on the court) is fouled with 2.1 seconds to play in a tied regulation game. I am told by the AD to make the obligatory "At the end of the game, fans (students) are reminded to STAY OFF the court." Classic jinx. Brandon shoots the first FT 3 feet long, and missed the 2nd just short. Overtime. I'm pretty sure at this point that there will be a HS fight after this game if the Falcons lose. In a back-and-forth period, the Falcons are down 2 with 10 seconds to go, and able to score a bucket with 0.9 seconds to play to tie it. After a timeout, the opponent draws up a play, runs the baseline, and heaves it downcourt. The ball hits a rafter on the roof, giving Dunne possession underneath the basket. A buzzer beater GOES IN! And Dunne wins 81-79 in Overtime, crowd goes wild, and all the PA announcements about not rushing the court are soundly ignored.

Overall, it was quite a rush, and very revealing to be in a perspective where I could see and hear just how much crap refs have to take, even at a HS game. My only regret? That I didn't throw in a neat-o safety announcement after the 3rd quarter.

"Falcon fans, remember ... "

So long everybody.