Nothing like thinking back on the good old days…

My daughter had just completed playing in her junior varsity basketball game. She was a very good athlete and excelled in tennis and softball. For her, basketball was fun and she was a very good team player, usually passing to an open teammate. She played excellent defense, but didn’t care if she scored or if her teammates got the glory. This was a good thing because one of her teammate’s father was paying his kid a dollar for every time she took a shot. The kid was making around fifty bucks a game while scoring about 6 points.

We really didn’t care too much because my daughter was enjoying herself and the team had a young coach who didn’t really have any experience with the game of basketball, but he was good to the kids. He kind of struck me as a little odd, but who doesn’t, right?

After this particular game where I think her money-motivated teammate might have earned a hundred dollars, we stayed for the varsity game. During half time of the varsity game, I strolled outside to get some fresh air. As I got outside the gym, I found my daughter’s coach in a loud argument with his wife. The coach was losing it. People were screaming and a crowd was gathering. Suddenly, the coach went after his wife. At the time, I was still pretty strong and if I got you in a bear hold, you probably weren’t going to get out of it very quickly. I feared he was going to do something he regretted so I instinctively grabbed him from behind pinning his arms to his sides to protect him from himself and her from him. I said, “No, (his name) don’t!” I have no idea how I could remember his name 25 years later, but I do.

His wife though walked right up to him, while he was defenseless, and kicked him smack dab in his nuts. She kicked him so hard, my nuts hurt. He curled up, groaning, and as I let him slip to the ground, I said, “Sorry about that.”

I do believe they got divorced and he returned to his former job as a scuba diver instructor in the Bahamas.

Wasn’t that a pleasant story?