[JRutledge]

CYO Butch,

Everyone's judgment is different. What is considered displacement one night, might be conconsidered fine the next night. And that is the nature of the beast. Especially when you talk about the baseball comparison. I am a baseball umpire and my strike zone is not the same as others strike zones. Umpires positioning, philosophy and ability can all factor in the differences of just a strike zone. So what is a strike or how much a pitch is considered a strike can vary from game to game. No differnet from a baskeball official's perspective (or any sport for that matter). What is displacement is going to vary from team to team, player to player and official to official. So my comment, "you have to decide what is legal and illegal," is just to say that I might call one thing a foul, the next time that might not be called. And depending on the skill of the players and the type of game I have, displacement is going to vary from time to time. The only thing I can add is call the game the first 4-6 minutes how you are going to call the game the entire game. Or at the very least, call all the handchecking, screens, rebounding fouls to set a tone, so that you will not have to call that when the game is on the line. It is the job of the players and coaches to adjust to us, not the other way around. For one, I cannot call the game based on what happen during a game I did not see or officiate myself. No one can.

Peace