[Back In The Saddle]

Huh? The term weak is too strong? That's a new one on me.

Somewhere out there in the world is the greatest referee working today. Somewhere else out there is the worst ref working today. The rest of us fall somewhere in a continuum between these two exceptional officials. Which means that each of us is weaker than some partners and stronger than others. It's not derogatory, it's a fact of life that must be dealt with on the court.

I merely posed a question which grew out of an unpleasant, very real situation. In asking my question I have not called anybody out; I have not named any names. My question isn't even about the official who inspired it; it's about how to better handle the next one. And there will be a next one. To try and steer the conversation around the truth for the sake of preserving the tender feelings of some official who is not present, has not been named, and is unknown to anybody else in the conversation is just plain silly and dilutes the usefulness of the discussion.