[M&M Guy]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Of course, if you just call it all the time without issuing warnings (i.e. you do it the way the rulebook says) you won't have to make a philosophical decision here.

Maybe the phrase "issuing warnings" isn't quite what I mean; I think it's more along the lines of the preventative officiating technique of talking to the players and saying things like, "keep moving", or "hands off". Of course there are no official warnings for being in the lane.

I don't necessarily make the same calls every night. I might have totally different levels from night to night. But I do make the same calls from start to finish within a game. At least - I try to.

Once again, I don't really disagree. I actually strive to do that as well. But, I'm only going on what officials who are higher up the food chain, so to speak, have told me. Maybe this is a way to help manage the frustration that the obviously losing team is experiencing. If the losing team is just playing bad, we can't change that so we should continue to officiate as in the beginning of the game. But, if we can do something to keep frustration fouls or fights from breaking out, shouldn't we do that as well? There are many options available to us; it appears that tightening up on the team that's ahead and pressing could be one of those options.

I'm just not smart enough yet to know when to do these things. Maybe that comes with experience. I just wish I could find some more concrete guidelines so I wouldn't have to think as much. Besides, my head hurts when I think too much, and my hair starts to turn blonde...