[JRutledge]

Originally posted by His High Holiness
Rut;

Carl gives his writers complete independence. He doesn't care that I regularly tick off the readership. The more controversy the better and believe me, there are a lot of people that get ticked off at what I write. I have the undying hatred of Little Leaguers and t-ballers.

So.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
The only thing that I can't do is call Carl an a$$hole, even if he is.

You just did.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
This argument won't wash, Rut. You cannot use as an excuse that you will lose your independence. It just isn't true. I am living proof of that. Four years ago, there was no one on the Internet that Carl hated more than me. I am sure that anyone who has been around that long will bear me out.

So.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
He still hired me because I had something useful to say and was entertaining in the process. He will hire you if you have something useful to say in a language that bears a resemblance to English. Many of us writers lack professional journalism skills; he hires us anyway and edits out our worst mistakes.

Whatever you say.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
So, Rut, it's time to put up. I know you won't shut up. The major posters at officiating.com have all taken a stab at writing an article or two for the site. Only the trolls with no names or the total newbies with nothing to say, sit on the sidelines

They have? JR has? Tony has? There was a list of the Top 10 Posters at one time on this board. I believe all of them were primarily Basketball Officials. I think none of them except maybe Bob J. wrote for this site. And Bob only did that on the Baseball Board. I would not want to write about baseball umpiring, not with my lack of interest during most of the year. I am a month away from my first Football Meetings and I have enough to do there as a Board Member.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
It's time for to step up to the plate and take your turn at bat. You are doing the work by writing tons of stuff, why not get paid for it.

I do not need any money. Maybe you do, but I have better ways to make my money.

Originally posted by His High Holiness
Unless of course, you are worried about rejection and being exposed as a fraud.

I sit on at least one board in each of my sports. I am the Vice President of one of my Basketball Boards. I am the Treasurer of my Football Board (elected twice). I was just elected on my Baseball Board (I was nominated without being asked). And I sat as the Vice President of that very same baseball board for two years. I also will represent another association (Which I am a member in football and basketball) as a delegate to the IHSA Convention in about two weeks. If I was a fraud, I would never have been given the responsiblity to make decisions that I have to make. I would never have been voted in these positions and I would have been asked to speak at all the major clinics (all 3 sports I might add) that are put on in my area. I only say this because if I was a complete fraud, I would never have been given these opportunities ever. And I have worked playoffs in all my sports. So if I am a fraud, I am really fooling a lot of people. Espeically considering that many of these people that have voted for me or asked me to get involved, have seen me work on the field. Or they assign me to work games for them as well. I would rather become a writer on Referee Magazine or the NF Quarterly, where people literally across the country really read and follow the information in those articles. I have never heard anyone outside of this board talk about your article. But I have had several conversations about what was said in the other publications. But then again, that might mean that you are not as important as you think you are.

Peace