I like your responses, Art, especially for #3. It's not a matter of "favoring" the losing team, as much as it is trying to have at least SOME "flow" in the game. If the losing team doesn't have the same skills as the ahead team, I may lower my own expectations of what they are capable of doing and, thus, pass on certain minor violations and fouls. Of course you keep calling the ones you need to, but you also try to give them more breaks because otherwise the game may get ridiculous with whistles stopping play. And in a blow out, I agree that I may call it tighter if the winning team is going to keep pressing in the second half. What goes around comes around, many times anyway.
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