[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Originally posted by BktBallRef
Blane has been around for quite a while. I'll never achieve the success that he has in officiating. So, consider these two points as observations and not criticisms.

1- The belted slacks are definitely out of place. Quite honestly, he looks like he's lost weight and needs a belt to help keep his pants up.

2- His mechanics paled greatly when compared to Steve Javie. Even Jack Neis, who certainly isn't the prototypical looking NBA official looks much better than Blane. Just the way that he walks, swinging his arms, makes him look like he's at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I, too, missed the opening tip but my guess is that Javie was the crew cheif.

I wear belted slacks (currently the pleated style, and I hope that they stay in style forever) for dress and golf as well as for umpiring, but I do not wear them when officiate baseketball. The first time I saw other basketball officials wearing the beltless slacks I said that I would never go beltless, and then the first time I tried them I swore that I would never wear anything else. The really funny thing is that I later said the same thing about v-neck shirts and pleated officiaing slacks.

And we wonder why our kids laugh at us when we tell them that we really dressed like the actors dress in "That 70's Show."

MTD, Sr.