In article <[log in to unmask]>, STEPHEN HENDRICKSON <[log in to unmask]> says: > >Should they refs >not call anything in OT? You can't argue that in the ref's opinion they >were fouls because many of them were obvious. I believe you meant to say "you can't argue that in the refs' opinion they weren't fouls because many of them wereobvious." I don't understand the argument that officials should suddenly swallow their whistles in overtime and "let the players play." If you're going to call a hooking penalty in the first period, you should call it in the third period and in overtime. The stage of the game shouldn't be a factor at all. Any official who decides not to call anything near the end of a close game, or even a blow-out, isn't cut out to be an official in my book. When I umpire baseball games, I don't make (or not make) calls based on whether the fans are going to yell bloody murder. I've taken a lot of heat for it, but that goes with the territory. Officials have to have guts to make decisions that are going to met with violent disapproval. I did a game last summer for a weak league in which had a final score of 40-0, and the game ended in the third inning (out of seven). The team that lost was the pits. Its pitcher walked everybody. Yes, I had parents screaming at me to do something, but that's the way it was. I didn't want to be out there, but a ball is a ball is a ball. Interestingly enough, the players still had fun and never complained. As a previous poster noted, if a team commits a penalty which results in a power play goal against it, the team has nobody else to blame but itself. Not calling a penalty DOES affect the game. What do you tell the guy who was tripped as he streaked to the goal with nobody but the goalie in the way? _____________________________________________________________________ Ryan Robbins "Nothing in fine print is ever good news." University of Maine -- Andy Rooney _____________________________________________________________________ [log in to unmask] ____________________________________________