'Hey ref!'… Thanks for making the game fun

He was a jolly guy with a bellowing laugh. A 50-something; barrel-chested with a little extra padding around the midsection -- a reflection of "good livin'" as he called it.

He bore a striking resemblance to Dennis Green, the former NFL coach and one of several coaches-turned-pitchmen for Coors Light television ads. But the jolly guy certainly didn't bear any resemblance to the Dennis Green of "The-Bears-Are-Who-We-Thought-They-Were!" temperament.

Instead, he was akin to the Dennis Green who laughs and chuckles throughout the TV spot where he's shown at a press conference chortling with the press.

And that's why the jolly guy looked out of place when I saw him at a local high school basketball game. He was dressed in a striped shirt. Black pants. Wearing a whistle. And having a good 'ol time.

But nobody seemed to like him. Every time he'd blow that whistle, it set off a series of reactions. One coach throws his hands in the air as the other coach shouts "It's about time!" Fans wail. Some groan, some cheer derisively.

The jolly guy struts over to the scorer's table, taking it all in stride. He reports the foul -- "Blue 25" -- and smacks his forearm to indicate the type of foul called.

And then he's accosted by the coach who, just seconds earlier, had his hands in the air.

"How can you call that??!!" the coach demands.

"Because I saw it," the referee responds with amusement.

Because I saw it. Priceless. I couldn't help but laugh with the jolly guy.

One of the privileges (hazards?) of covering basketball games as a reporter is that you're often seated near the action -- normally in close proximity to the scorer's table. So that puts you within earshot of the oft-heated conversations that occur.

On this night, however, it was more comedy than anger. The jolly guy diffused every tense situation because -- as he told me later, still chuckling -- that's just his style.

His is a refreshing perspective. He's been a referee for 26 years and stayed at it that long because he enjoys it. He wishes more participants -- fans, players and coaches alike -- shared his upbeat view. These are high school sports, he reminded. Play hard, strive to win and leave everything on the floor. But don't let hyper-competitiveness get in the way of having fun, which is why everybody plays sports in the first place.

Unfortunately, too few are getting the message. Pick any game, at any gym. Chances are, you'll see and hear a couple malcontents -- often parents, sadly -- who believe it's their duty to spew disparaging opinions toward the referees who make these games possible.

It's classless behavior, embarrassing not only to them personally, but to the program they're supposedly supporting. But many of these "leather-lungs" -- as refs like to call their dissenters -- either don't care or are too ignorant to realize they're wrong.

I contend it's the latter -- at least judging from some of the comments. "Even it up!" "Call 'em both ways!" "How much they (other team) payin' you, ref?" "Are you blind?" "You're missing a great game, ref!"

Being that this is a family newspaper, there are many more slurs I can't print. But you've probably heard them and cringed.

Listen, referees are under no obligation to call an equal amount of fouls. The game dictates their calls. Nor do they have a rooting interest, bias or "have it in" for one team or another. Their agenda is to call the game as it unfolds, possession by possession.

"I don't pay close attention to the scoreboard, other than the game clock," the jolly guy said.

Too many fans -- and coaches for that matter -- fail to understand that.

The jolly guy had another amusing yet true analogy when explaining a foul call to the disheveled coach. He really put this coach's protest into perspective -- with humor, of course.

"Listen coach," he said amusedly, "you'd want me to make that call if it happened against one of your players. A foul is a foul."

The coach never answered, but his hands quickly went from overhead and plunged deep into his pants pockets. End of argument. It's not often that a ref's call elicits a smile. The jolly guy actually makes us laugh. You've gotta love his attitude.

As March Madness approaches, here's hoping for a fun-filled run for all. May sportsmanship prevail. And, if you're lucky, maybe you'll have the jolly guy officiating your team's game. He'll call 'em as he sees 'em, and make you appreciate what high school sports are all about.