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R.I.P. Sal

Filed under: Imported

I was just putting together a post about yesterday's MLS Cup when some very sad news came over the transom. Salvador 'Sal' Sanchez, local soccer referee extraordinaire, died on Saturday from cancer. He was 62.

In my five years of playing soccer through Cities Sports Connection, Sal probably refereed a third of the games. He was by far the most enthusiastic referee I have ever encountered. Sal blew his whistle with a fervor not dissimilar to how Dizzy Gillespie attacked a trumpet.

Figuring out exactly what the call was could be a slightly more difficult matter. Sal would come running across the field and offer some explanation in his inimitable English, but it rarely helped. I think it's fair to say that Sal called the game according to his own quixotic rules. His first priority was always sportsmanship. If you dared to act in a manner disrespectful to the opposition he would not hesitate in kicking you off the field.

A couple of years ago, Sal invited my entire team over to his house for a party. This was surely a violation of some canonical rule of refereeing, but it was also a very sweet gesture. I was unable to attend, but several of my teammates did. They ate enchiladas and danced and had an all around swell time. I wish I'd been there.

According to the paid obit in today's Star Tribune, Sal was a professional soccer player and participated in both the 1956 and 1960 Olympics, presumably for his native country of El Salvador. I had no idea.  

Here's the note that Cities Sports Connection sent around today.

Sal will be missed.

Posted by Paul Demko at November 15, 2004 1:52 PM

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