[BillyMac]

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I love the physical and mental challenge of a two person game. I love to sweat, the more the better. I want to be able to wring the sweat out of my black undershirt after every single game. Every single game, regardless of the interscholastic level, the gender, the matchup, or my partner, excites me. I get an adrenaline rush from the challenge to try to work a perfect game. And this happens to me every single night that I'm out there.

That being said, I'm pretty sure that the game of basketball is much better officiated when there are three officials.

Starting from the highest levels of basketball, the professional level, and moving downward through college, high school varsity, high school junior varsity, high school freshman, middle school, travel teams, and recreation leagues, is there some point at which it's definite that three officials aren't needed, or should there be three officials for every basketball game except the one in my driveway?

When the day comes (and it will soon) when I physically can't work a two person game, it will be time from me to hang up my whistle, it won't be time to look for the help of two other officials to keep working. I will not (physically) be the weakest link. I love the sport too much (player, coach, official), it's been great to me, it deserves better. I can still observe and train novice officials when it's time for me to hang up my whistle. Or can just sell raffle tickets at the door of our monthly board meetings. Anything to help the cause.

Old soldiers never die; they just fade away. (General Douglas MacArthur, 1951)