[Scrapper1]

Originally Posted by drinkeii

Then mechanics, which are a policy instituted by federations, associations, or assignors, have no bearing on our game.

Absolutely false. Proper mechanics matter in varying degrees to the people who assign games. If your assignor places a large emphasis on proper mechanics, then mechanics have a big bearing on your game.

The mechanics prescribed by the NFHS have a bearing only insofar as local organizations, assignors, and fellow officials care about them. I know from reading this forum that Texas uses very different mechanics from some of those in the NFHS handbook. Where I am, we disregard the NFHS mechanics for certain situations, like time-outs.

Mechanics do have a bearing on our game, but not simply because the NFHS says we should do it a certain way.

Whether you care or not, do what you want - ignore what you want, and watch the ethics of the world come crumbling down,

As my pre-teen daughter would say, "Exaggerate much?"

because everyone who is in a position of authority, who is supposed to care about these kinds of things, feels it isn't "their" responsibility. This would be the slippery slope theory.

And the slippery slope theory is one of the most common logical FALACIES in the book. Don't use the slippery slope "theory", because it almost never produces a legitimate conclusion.

So I take it you'd watch someone getting robbed, and do nothing to stop it if you had the opportunity without liklihood of harm to yourself, because you aren't a police officer?

This is, quite honestly, the dumbest statement in this whole thread. Please don't equate "How the he!!" with physical assault and robbery.

I'll still choose to address it - if it costs me games, so be it - at least in the end, I did what I felt was right - and since I have to live with my decision, and I'm comfortable with it, end of story.

That's fine. As long as you recognize the consequences and feel comfortable with them, do what you have to do. If you think that the other 99.9% of us are wrong, go knock yourself out. Is it possible that you're right and we're all wrong? Absoluely. Is it actually the case that you're right and we're all wrong? Sorry, but no.