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[Back In The Saddle]

Originally Posted by bainsey

Anyway, doesn't this topic really come down to communication? In the pre-game, I always tell my partner that I have no problem if he calls something in my PCA, as I could have been straightlined, and ultimately, it's about getting it right on the court and serving the players, not each other's ratings.

While I generally espouse your philosophy, it needs to be tempered with some wisdom and experience. I have no problem with my partner coming and getting something, even in front of me, that needs to be gotten. But before I will go and get something in front of my partner, I ask myself some questions.

First, am I reasonably certain my partner did not see what I saw? Was he straightlined, screened, did what I saw happen on the back side of the play, did the play curl away from him, was he likely watching something else? If not, I'm going to leave it alone.

Second, am I reasonably certain I saw the whole play, or at least all of the portion of the play that was problematic? If not, I'm going to leave it alone.

Third, how reliable is the angle I had on the play. The wrong angle can make it appear that contact occurred when it really didn't.

One of the virtues of "Be late" is it gives you a little time to process those questions in your own mind.