Ahhh.... This is the LIFE!!

[JRutledge]

Originally posted by Mark Padgett
Call all fouls the same way from beginning to end regardless of how many fouls an individual player has and regardless of who an individual player is. Anything less than that is poor officiating and indication that you are spineless. Officials who are afraid to make a foul call because they are afraid of the reaction from coaches and fans shouldn't be officiating.

I know I call fouls in game from time to time that I am not happy with. I know I am much harder on myself than anyone else will ever be. That comment for me has nothing to do with the fans or pissing anyone off. It is to make sure I call a solid foul when it takes place. At the end of the game you cannot just start calling things you did not call the rest of the game in my opinion. You do not want to call illegal screens and hand checks when you have not called them the rest of the game. For me that is about consistency, not making anyone happy (unless you exclude my personal feelings).

Peace

[Mark Padgett]

Originally posted by JRutledge
At the end of the game you cannot just start calling things you did not call the rest of the game in my opinion. You do not want to call illegal screens and hand checks when you have not called them the rest of the game.

I agree. My point is that the converse it just as true. You do not want to not call illegal screens and hand checks when you have called them the rest of the game.

BTW - none of my foul calls are ever "cheap" - ever.

[rainmaker]

I've been gone all day and just checking back in now. My tendency is to call like Mark does, because that seems the best to me. I also know that there are lots and lots of assignors who see a different game than I do, and they want things called differently. If I want to work for them, and I might, I need to learn to see it their way. In this particular game, it was a chance for me to practice this. The one team was way ahead, so one way or the other wouldn't significantly hurt the game. The star that we "kept in" was on the losing team, so we weren't taking the game away from anyone. Frankly, Mark, there were a couple of bumps that I didn't call, although I might have earlier in the game. Maybe I should n't have called them earlier, so it was okay not to now. Maybe I shouldn't have let them go. But it was good to think about things from this angle in a game where I didn't have to worry about swinging the game. I know, I know, the ref doesn't "decide" the game. i just mean it was nice not to have to worry myself about it.