Reffing with the experienced guy who calls nothing?

[Mark Padgett]

This isn't going to work every time, but maybe it can help sometimes. If you absolutely know the other guy calls his game just the opposite of how you call yours and you are convinced you are right, then in your pregame, take the initiative. Before the other guy even says hello, tell him how you are going to call the game. Put the burden on him to think that he is the one who has to make a decision, not you. This may not help you in getting the game called evenly by the two of you, but at least you have put it in his mind that if anyone is going to have to adjust, it will be him.

Then - if you get flak from coaches about the unevenness (sp?) of the game, you can go to your partner and say something like, "What's going on here? I told you in the pregame how this game is going to be called. Get with the program, dude."

Then run.

Oh, yeah. If the other guy is a long time veteran, don't count on moving up too soon, either.