OH, GO AHEAD: BOO HIM : Just Because He Was the Sockers’ Wolfman Doesn’t Mean Geyer Expects to Hear Cheers

Fans at the San Diego Sports Arena used to cheer wildly when former Socker defender Eric Geyer, known hereabouts as “The Wolfman,” mixed it up with opposing players against the sideboards.

That was when Geyer was commiting fouls, not calling them. He is now a referee, wearing a whistle instead of dreading the sound of one.

And those cheers have turned to boos.

In San Diego’s recent home exhibition game against Schalke 04, Geyer was booed for calling a foul against Socker forward Steve Zungul. Zungul was called for being too aggressive, a description which quite frequently fit Geyer when he played.

“The boos are the applause of the referee,” said Geyer, who has become a part-time referee in the Major Indoor Soccer League since completing his playing career last season. “I think the fans had mixed feelings for me. The first boos weren’t strong. They were probably thinking, ‘We can’t do that to Eric.’ ”

His mustache is still there and so are his powerful legs, but Geyer is no longer the same guy who used to race onto the field waving a white towel. He used to wear No. 8 and bleed Sockers’ gold and royal blue. He now wears the referee’s black uniform with No. 48 on his back and objectivity in his heart.

After three seasons and part of a fourth with the Sockers, Geyer must approach these games a bit differently.

When he was a player, Geyer was at liberty to race onto the field and pound shots into the stands to get his blood pumping. Since referees are supposed to be models of decorum, Geyer’s pregame warmup consists of standing at attention with his hands clasped behind his back.

Yet, he appears to be more comfortable with the transition than some of this former teammates.

As the players gathered on the field for the game against Schalke 04, Socker midfielder Kaz Deyna asked Geyer: “What are you doing here?”

Geyer was actually more surprised by that question than by the booing he received later.

“And the boos will get louder,” Geyer said. “But I don’t mind.”

Maybe this guy really is cut out to be a referee.

“A guy has to be a little crazy and looking for abuse to be an official,” said Herbert Silva, MISL director of officials. “Eric fits right in.”

Since Geyer had a reputation for being a very physical player who committed his share of fouls, he smiles at the idea of his becoming one of guys who call the infractions.

“But I had clean ways,” Geyer said. “My philosophy as a player was to be in the best shape and not to try to kick, hold or scratch an opponent. Even when I got heated up as a player, I had respect for referees.”

The respect is mutual.

“He was a tough, hard, aggressive player,” said Billy Maxwell, one of three full-time referees in the MISL. “But he had no problems with officials.”

Geyer’s respect for what referees have to endure has increased considerably since he changed “sides.” He has officiated 45 summer league games, attended a four-day MISL referee’s seminar in St. Louis last August and worked nine MISL games this year including the Sockers’ exhibition.

“The respect from referees to players is there,” Geyer said, “but you don’t have that respect from players to referees.”

Geyer suddenly sees the situation in a different light.

“When you go on IQ, a lot of players would lose out to referees,” he said. “Players can be crybabies, but referees have to be calm even when they’re exploding inside. Referees have strong personalities and understand psychology.”

This has been quite an adjustment for a man who was a player only a year ago, first for the Chicago Sting and later for the Sockers.

“I don’t think as a player anymore,” Geyer said. “I just see what I have to do to calm the player down. You can explain something to a player arrogantly or fluently.”

Talking and dealing with players has always been as natural to Geyer as coming up with a loose ball in the corner. But since he started signaling goals rather than scoring them, Geyer said he tends to have a postgame beer with other referees instead of players.

The main problem facing a player who becomes a referee is the possibility of conflicts of interest. That is the primary reason Silva will not allow Geyer to work San Diego or Chicago games this season and probably throughout the early part of his career. The game against Schalke 04 was an exception because it was an exhibition.

“I don’t want to put Eric in a compromising position,” Silva said. “I want to reduce the amount of pressure a guy is under.”

Regardless of the teams involved, it seems clear that Geyer will not impose himself on the game.

After the Schalke 04 game, Sockers midfielder Brian Quinn said: “He has a good rapport with the players. And I think he has a better feel for the game than other referees. We didn’t really see him and that’s good. He’s clever enough not to fall for tricks and he lets the game flow. That’s better for the fans. I’d give him an 8 on a scale of 10.”

Geyer will appreciate Quinn’s assessment since he bases his philosophy of officiating on letting the players play.

“I’m interested in keeping a game going,” Geyer said. “When the players aren’t thinking of the referee, I’m pleased. This is an entertaining sport. My philosophy is that fans don’t want to see fouls called. There isn’t much harm when players commit little fouls.”

In his early games, Geyer has received glowing reports from Silva and Maxwell. MISL officials are evaluated after each of their games and Maxwell has worked two with Geyer.

“Eric is very tenacious in his approach,” Silva said. “He is self-critical and he has come along a lot faster than most new officials would. Other new officials have been weeded out, and he passed through that. Of course, a little politics are involved. Being a former player, he was brought along at a faster clip, but he still had to meet certain standards.”

Last summer, Geyer would referee three indoor games in Fountain Valley from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. and then drive back to San Diego. Silva took that effort as an indication of Geyer’s desire to make the transformation from player to referee.

“While playing for Chicago last season, I started thinking about what to do after my career ended,” Geyer said. “I thought about coaching or refereeing, and decided that refereeing would be kind of a new challenge for me.”

Geyer read and reread the MISL rule book and passed a written test which got him an invitation to the MISL referees’ workshop in St. Louis.

“I had never read the rule book before that time,” Geyer said. “I’d say that 90% of the players don’t know all the rules of the indoor game. On certain calls, players have no idea.”

On certain calls, referees are equally confused.

“One day we spent 10 hours at the workshop going over video clips of wrong calls,” Geyer said. “Some calls look so easy, but then it’s incredible how tough they are when you see them in slow motion.”

Geyer, one of three former professional players working as part-time referees in the MISL, impressed Silva enough to earn the opportunity to officiate a MISL exhibition game. His first regular-season game followed shortly.

St. Louis was playing at Tacoma, but Geyer was so nervous he probably didn’t even realize who was playing.

“I was very nervous,” he said. “It was the worst game I’ve had. I didn’t find my rhythm and was too much off track. It was the only game in which I’ve been unsatisfied with myself.”

It was a rough initiation and an extremely tough way to earn $100. That’s right--$100.

There are three full-time MISL referees on salary: Gino Dippolito, Toros Kibritjian and Maxwell. There are 37 other part-time referees. Five senior part-timers earn $160 a game and the rookies earn $100. Full-time referees make $30,000-$40,000 a year, according to a high-ranking league official.

“It’s a little tight at the moment, but I know where I’m going,” Geyer said. “I’m still not there. It will take me another two years before I’m a full-time referee.”

That first night in Tacoma, Maxwell rated Geyer as “above average” aside from one or two problems Maxwell did not specify.

“Then I worked with him when Baltimore played in Minnesota, and there was a 200% improvement in his game,” Maxwell said. “We just clicked. We had some good crucial calls and I was very pleased. Some referees listen to you, but you don’t know if they are just being polite. Eric definitely listens to everything I said. It looks like he’ll be a fast learner.”

It looks as if Geyer’s future will be filled with more boos than cheers.