[Goose]

The issue stilerng brings up is an interesting one.

Flash back to more than a few years ago and I happen to be working a varsity game with a well established, and should I say, playoff veteran.

The game is between a really good team and an average team, both in the same division. One team is notorious for a viscious pressing defensive attack while the other is content to play zone. Midway through the half at a timeout, my partner tells me to look at the scoreboard and the foul situation. The good team has 6 team fouls and the other team has 1. He then asks me if I think we are missing anything. My basic reply is that one team is pressing the hell out of the other and thus are committing more fouls, not to mention their aggressive man-to-man defense. He says O.K, and then over the next 3 minutes proceeds to call the next 6 fouls on the weaker team.

It was obvious to me that he was trying to even it up before halftime, and he did succeed. I lost whatever respect I had for the guy after that. Of course, I also witnessed him being spit on by a coach that year and not call a T, but then again, he was a regular in the State Playoffs year after year.

But truth be told, if you don't even it up, you probably won't advance. Personally, I will never do it, and I'm sure it has hurt me over the years.

Fast forward a few more years when I was training an up and comming varsity official. I was the R, and after the game he asks me if I thought we had done a good game because he thought we did. I asked him why he thought so, and his reply was, and I kid you not, "Because the fouls were even!"
I sort of mumbled and shrugged O.K....Moral of that story was that he was promoted the following year to an all varsity schedule that featured all 'A' teams and he too has worked quite a few State playoff games.

So, the way I see it is, you are damned if you do and damned if you don't. Personally, all I can say is that I have no problems sleeping at night and can live with myself after all these years not wondering if it was my ability or was it my schmoozing the system that got me where I am. And that my friend is something these guys will never be able to answer.

goose