[Mark T. DeNucci, Sr.]

Mark P., let me first say that I feel your pain because I have had the same experiences too.

Second, I hope that she is not in Howard Mayo's association because I think that he would be appalled.

Other than what I have just said I do not what to tell you. The real problem is that there are too many officials who are just like her and too many of them have far more years of experience that she does.

I have found that when officials start wanting their brethern to become experts on the rules and mechanics and to really take an interest in their job on the court, the first their brethern tells them that officiaing is a avocation and not a profession. But we all know that officiating is a profession masquerading as an avocation.

As you know, coaches rule the roost in Ohio, and decide who officiates and who does not. On two different occasions this year (one time in the presence of two other varsity officials, one of whom and taken my officiating class), that there were black balling me because I enforce the rules the way that the NFHS Rules Committee wants the rules to be enforced and not the way the coaches in NW Ohio want the rules enforced. I was told that my insistence on: 1) calling charges on offensive players when the defender is moving; 2) not calling "palming" when the dribbler dribles the ball high; and 3) calling disconcerting action when the coach yells to his players along the free throw line while his opponent is shooting free throws, were among the reasons for my black balling.

When I wrote the coaches up on game reports for unethical conduct the state took the position that the coaches could have any official they wanted to officate. Now you know why we have officials like your partner this past weekend.

Keep the faith.