[mplagrow]

I heard an adage once, "The first team to complain is the one that's going to lose." When I coach, I try very hard to impress that on my players. Complaining is an excuse for losing. A game is not won or lost on the last play, ever. There are always countless missed opportunities, mistakes, etc. that had a bearing on the final outcome. I'm always disappointed when I hear an athlete put a loss on the officials. It happens a lot. In 13 years, I've probably coached 100 games and reffed 1000. I don't even want to hazard a guess as to how many I've seen on TV or watched as a fan. Lots. But in all of that, I can honestly say that there's been only one game I've ever seen that the way an official conducted himself had a direct bearing on the outcome of the game.