OK Boomer

New York City . . . where all the things I can't afford are so convenient.

However true that may be, NYC tour guide Christina Ray Stanton can help you plan your best tour of the Big Apple and entertain you with stories about clients like the Russian oligarch family.

"We [casino workers]get people wasted, take their money away from them, and then the casino owners want us to take an ethics class. Who's teaching that class, Britney Spear's dad?"

That's part of the hiarious conversation with Keith Lyle (don't miss part 1), a standup comedian who previously spent 25 years working in Las Vegas casinos. Keith also shares stories about customers who defecated at his craps table and about a celebrity who was taken from his table in handcuffs.

"It's like asking Tiger Woods to teach Driver's Education." That's how standup comedian Keith Lyle describes some of his ethics training as a casino worker back in the day. Lyle, who also has had small parts in movies like "The Hangover," shares his stories as a craps dealer in Las Vegas.

"If your arms stay down, I'll be a part of this conversation," says 40 year career official Tom Starr to amped coaches who want a piece of him during a high school sports contest. That technique for deescalating conflict is just some of the wisdom Tom imparts in this episode that explores highlights from his volleyball/softball/basketball officiating career along with discussion about the crisis in high school sports officiating.

"You've officiated four different high school sports? You officiated them for 40 years? Four heaven's sake!!"

Not only has Keith Medema officiated for four decades, in three of those four sports he was selected to officiate state final contests. Hear about some of those games, his ambulance ride from the football field to a hospital, the play that made ESPN's top play of the week, and more in this final episode of 2021.

As a high school wrestling official on the way to a contest, how do you handle your car breaking down? Hitchhike? Here about this , the nuances of stalling, the confrontation with a Harvard coach, the difficulty of officiating, and what it's like to be as a "judge, jury, and executioner." Boomer and Jimmy Ahmadoofous continue their conversation with acclaimed high school wrestling official Anthony Clarke.

Boomer and Jimmy Ahmahdoofus explore the diversity of high school wrestling and the challenges in officiating it with veteran official Anthony Clarke. Tony also describes the time his head coach wept at the conclusion of a high school match and the time a coach asked to be ejected from a wrestling meet.

Chuck Norris and Superman wrestled ... the loser had to wear his underwear over his pants for the rest of his life.

In this part 1 episode of Tales From the Workplace, Boomer and Jimmy Ahmadoofus continue to chat with high school sports officials, this time with wrestling referee Anthony Clarke. A 38 year veteran of paroling the wrestling mats, Anthony talks about rule changes, the evolution of the sport, the levels of athlete participation, and more.

I wanted to have a career in sports when I was young, but I had to give it up. I'm only six feet tall, so I couldn't play basketball. I'm only 190 pounds, so I couldn't play football. And I have 20-20 vision, so I couldn't be a referee.

OK, that might be funny, but this isn't:

"...harassment has grown so rampant that more than 70 percent of new referees in all sports quit the job within three years, according to the National Association of Sports Officials. The chief cause for the attrition, based on a survey conducted by the association, was pervasive abuse from parents and coaches." (New York Times)

In this episode, Boomer starts a s series of interviews with officials of different sports that explores the national shortage of sports officials and their experiences officiating on the playing field.