Plug, plug, plug . . .

[Tim C]

Over on the baseball side of this website we speak to the fact that, like everything else, there are two type of officials:

Black Letter Rule Officials - people that believe, in their heart, that the rules are written to be called and there is no grey. They question why anyone would go to the trouble of writing specific rules if they did not want them called.

Common Sense and Fair Play Officials -- these are the officals that believe in things like the "Tower Principle" and letting the players decides who wins. They look at a rule book as "guidelines" rather than black letter law.

Now I think both sides are needed in officiating and both sides get bit by their specific philosophy.

As noted there may not be a perfect blend but a blend is needed . . . more than that, as you noted so well, the level of game participants means that "one size" does not fit all.

There is room for both types of officials in all sports.

"One Rule -- One Interpretation -- One Mechanic"