Working The Refs, The MISL Way ...

So is it open season on soccer officials or something? Why were we not notified? It seems that on Saturday, Baltimore Blast head coach Tim Wittman was hauled off by the cops after he attacked a referee at a Major Indoor Soccer League game in Stockton, Calif. Wittman charged official Yader Reyes and put him in a choke hold after the California Cougars' 8-6 win over the Blast, according to the account in the Stockton Record. Wittman was pulled off of Reyes by Cougars forward Vicente Figueroa and members of the security staff. He was then led off the field by Blast goalkeeper Sagu. Said Figueroa:

I saw his (Reyes) face turning purple and his tongue sticking out. He was having difficulty breathing, so I grabbed his (Wittman) hand and started pulling his fingers, but he was really strong and he knew what he was doing.

As always, we have questions:

• People really turn purple when you choke them, and their tongues stick out? We thought that was only in, like, Huckleberry Hound cartoons. • Sagu? They have players who go by one name — in the MISL? • What about the penalty? We can't imagine the ref, after regaining conciousness and slowly sitting up, holding a red card aloft and scribbling the name in his notebook. • Will Wittman now become the men's soccer coach at Texas Tech?

Blast Coach Suspended, Faces Charges [Stockton Record] Wittman Goes After Official [Baltimore Sun]