[grantsrc]

I got the short end of the stick this year too. I was p-oed. I vented a little, mostly to my wife and my white hat (I was replaced when our crew got a playoff game) and after a few days, I moved on and realized it was probably not my place to say anything.

I also emailed a guy I know that works college and he said to not say anything. In the long run, I think we do ourselves my benefit than harm staying quiet. It is always our first reaction to find out why we were looked past or ways we can improve. That is a natural reaction and desire and for some reason, very seldomly do we ever get hands on, practical feedback.

You mentioned that you had a playoff game the each of the last four years, correct? You also had high profile games this year during the regular season too, right? Chances are, your assigner is just trying to spread the playoff assignments around to other guys that might have been slighted last year or may have never worked a playoff game before. That's a positive way to look at it.

If you choose to talk with him about it, I would suggest waiting until after the season is complete. That way you don't appear as a whiner or a cry baby. If you ask for honest feedback on your performance this year and things to improve on in the offseason, your assigner will think more of you as an official. But if you come to him saying, "Why didn't I get a playoff game this year when these other guys did?" or something like that, that will make him defensive and possibly change his feelings about you as an official. Just MHO.

Good luck!