November 19, 2008

Official nears final whistle after 30 years: Jake Ireland had barely cracked the lid on his coffee.
"I heard a new line from a fan this year," he said, smiling.
It was in Hamilton, and Ireland, a long-time referee, has always loved working
C.F.L. games in Hamilton. The stands at Ivor Wynne Stadium are snug against the field, which fosters the growth of a certain rapport between officials and the paying customers, like the one who yelled at Ireland this season.
"Jake," the man yelled. "I found your cell phone."
There was a pause.
"I know it's yours," he continued, "because there's six missed calls on it."

posted by tommytrump to football at 08:49 AM - 1 comment