2025 Other Side of Sports Too

     Well fans it appears that the year 2024 is ending and the year 2025 is going to begin if you believe me on this one.  So, read on and I will bring back a few memories maybe not of importance but maybe of some interest, eh?

     Well in September of 2024 it was the 50^th anniversary of the start of my ice hockey referee career in September 1974 on the ice rink at the NY State Fair Coliseum at the fairgrounds north of Syracuse.

     It was a Senior A game, if I remember correctly which led over the years to me being referee in Chief for USA Hockey organizations in Fulton, Pulaski and Watertown, N.Y.  This led to me being the instructor for USA Hockey Referee’s in Northern New York and eastern Ontario and a bit a pleasure a skate on the ice at the 1980 Olympic Rink in Lake Placid.  Not bad eh.

     The above was also coupled with being the referee for one of the three games at the 1999 NHL Allstar weekend in Tampa, I did the media all-star game which the American writers won the first ever of their games 6-0 thanks to a goalie from Buffalo, N.Y.

     Then there is a very, very, very… bad downside to this and that was about three years ago when a Sunblades Ice Rink employee tried to enter the ice of a game I was officiating and I blocked him, gave him a penalty which he deserved so the game could continue.

     This person wanted me as the referee to extend the game, which is a no-no but later I found out he worked for the rink, so I canned the penalty.  But fans he got me blocked from doing any more games here in Florida with the state referee’s association.  This meant I was no longer allowed to do the one exercise I could do for my bad left knee, my first of three Purple Hearts in Vietnam.  Now since ice skating is the only exercise, I can do for both of my bad knees I have yet to be able to sleep a whole night through.

     Well, I wrote an article about this person, and he was soon fired but ended up someplace in southern Tennessee which I understand he might already have been fired from there.

     Hey fans just remembered something from the past and it is that on November 8, 1998, I showed up at the Phillies Carpenter Complex to interview GM Ed Wade and Manager Terry Francona after an Instructional League game.

     Well fans Lee Elia came running out of the clubhouse when he saw me coming and ask if, “Can you do the game?”  I said, “Yes but I need a jock with a cup.”

     Now the Phillies were hosting the Devil Rays Instructional League squad, and it wasn’t until the third inning that I was discovered by the Rays.  You see fans that summer I was the Rays Gulf Coast League official scorer and since I didn’t take off my mask when facing the Rays bench, they didn’t recognize me.  Well, when they finally did it was old home week and even the Phillies knew who I was, so it was old home week.  And yes, I did get my lengthy interviews.

     To make the story short to this day I still have not been paid for umpiring the game and at a cost to the Phillies of $50.00 plus interest, penalties etc. I wonder what they owe me for holding back my payment for the past 26-plus years.  Interesting, eh?

     Now fans I guess it’s time to take a break from the above past problems and hopefully move onto a more positive new year and may you all be blessed with a much better future.