Come on ref! Call it both ways!

In my time as a sports writer and a father, I can honestly say I have seen my share of high school sports coupled with many youth games. And during many of those events, I have been able to compile a list of the most interesting sayings coming from the mouths of a number of parents. As a parent myself, I am probably guilty of a few of these overly obvious words of wisdom. Let me share a few of my favorites:
* On many occasions I have heard this one as a son or daughter is standing on the mound, inevitably a parent or coach will say, “Throw strikes!” As that pitcher on the mound, the thought has to go through his/her head, “Oh! O.K.! I hadn’t considered that thought. Really wasn’t sure that was what I was suppose to be doing out here!”
* Or how about after the first strike on the batter, the words “Now you’re ready!” will be heard from outside the chained-in fence. Was the hitter not ready for any previous pitches that were thrown? Had he been hoping that at some point during the at-bat he would finally be ready?
* In basketball, one of my favorites is the phrase, “Put the ball in the bucket.” I am going to venture a guess that no basketball player has ever stepped on the court and not previously been taught that vital step in the basketball learning process. If only more of us understood to put the ball in the bucket, just think where we could be?
* And my favorite line yelled at many an umpire, referee and official: “Come on. Call it both ways!” What a revelation! And if we all were completely honest, we would have to admit that each of us has at least had the thought run through our mind. But there is always at least one bold fan willing to go there. Willing to step out of the comfort of simple “Come on ref!” statements and escalade himself into the lonliness of the obvious. Having been a baseball umpire, I can assure you that purposeful bias officiating is not a commonality in the world of sports. As I was told many times during my training processes, “After every call, half of the people will love you and the other half will yell, ‘Call it both ways!’”
So next time you find yourself at a sporting event, take a moment and consider the words that explode from the depths of one’s belly. And then stand proud and proclaim, “Come on guys! Get a win!” Duh!