Quote:
Originally posted by Tim Roden
I disagree with making a statement like that. But when a player has 4 fouls I want to make sure his 5th foul is a solid foul. Everyone always remembers the 5th fouls. Especially when it is a star player.
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Tim - I think this is the first time I ever disagreed with you in all these years. I know this type of thinking is common with a lot of officials. That doesn't make it right.
You shouldn't think of the foul from the standpoint of how it affects the fouler, but how it affects the player who was fouled. If they were fouled in the same manner as all the other fouls you called that night up until then, they deserve to have the foul called regardless of who committed it. If you don't call it, you are penalizing that player for being faster, stronger, taller, etc.
When you start changing your criteria for fouls during the game, especially due to a player having four already, then you - not the players - are determining the outcome of the game and that's not right. This is the same problem I have with refs who only call "blood" fouls late in a close game. They think they are "letting the players decided the game" when exactly the opposite is true. There's another post and thread on this board and it's labeled "pet peeve." Well - this is mine.
Furthermore, I certainly don't buy into the theory that there is a different standard for "star" players than there is for everyone else. This isn't the NBA and it is still an athletic event, not show business.
I cover this in pregame all the time and let my partner know I intend to call the game (and especially fouls) the same exact way from start to finish regardless of the score. I tell him (or her) that I expect the same from them.