Mr. Spock has been beamed up to that great Starship Enterprise in the sky. Leonard Nimoy died last week, best known for playing Mr. Spock on the “Star Trek” TV series.
Anyone who has watched much “Star Trek” knowns Spock was a Vulcan, an interesting species that tries to live by reason with no interference from emotion. When things were leaning the wrong way and other “Star Trek” characters were making decisions based on panic, Spock was always the cool-headed one who guided the crew with logic.
Spock was always my favorite character because he could use telepathy, a skill I’m still trying to develop, and he used that Vulcan nerve pinch to disable his enemies. When applied properly near the neck, the Vulcan nerve pinch would render the victim unconscious and they would drop to the floor. Cool stuff.
I mention all this about Vulcans and logical, rational thinking because it comes to mind after the completion of another rowdy season of Jaycee basketball. Team Southern Standard just finished our tournament in the 9-year-old league Saturday at Hickory Creek and what a ride it was.
For those who have never attended Jaycee basketball, I can provide a little insight from a typical scene from one of our games. There’s usually screaming, kicking, crying, and even a few out-of-control tantrums. And that’s just from me.
However, as obnoxious as I’ve been known to be, I’m pleased to report I’ve never been given a technical foul in all my years of coaching. That’s mainly because I’ve never yelled at a referee, no matter how bad the call. I must have a little Vulcan in me.
But based on what I’ve seen, there are many Jaycee basketball fans who can’t say the same as yelling at the referees is a regular part of their game-day routine. Just this year I’ve seen fans yell at players on the other team -- and even yell at other parents. I’ve seen parents cheer when a player from the other team got hurt. And I’ve seen a person thrown out of a 9-year-old basketball game for hurling insults at the ref. Yes, that all happened this season.
I fully realize how emotional a sporting event can be when little Billy is out there competing. Sometimes little Billy may get fouled and the whistle isn’t blown. Sometimes little Billy may get called out on strikes when you think that last pitch was a ball. It happens.
The important thing is to not let our emotions get the best of us because that’s what people remember. Five years from now I don’t know how much I’ll retain from this Jaycee basketball season, but I’m probably going to remember the lady who lost control and got thrown out of the gym.
The moral of this story is not to go through life void of emotion, but to show just a little restraint when it comes to ball games. We may never be able to perfect the Vulcan nerve grip like Mr. Spock, but many of us can work to maintain more control when the calls don’t go our way.