Life in stripes: Referees call it how they see it

Life in stripes: Referees call it how they see it:

This quote sums up why there will always be a "cats and dogs living together" relationship between fans, players coaches and officials. For officials, it's the "Raison d'être".

"“You have to know as an official, that fans see things with their hearts and not their brains,” veteran NCAA referee John Higgins, fresh off his officiating stint in the Final Four, said. “We understand there is pressure on coaches and players, but we’re there to enforce the rules. The best thing you can do is be consistent.”"

It's why we'll always tip-toe right up to the line as far as behavior and sportsmanship goes, I guess. It just comes down to human nature and human emotions. As long as we just go to the line and not over the line, it's all good. It just goes with territory.

I wish I had a nickel for every time I heard a coach say "just be consistent, that's all I ask" usually delivered as a sort of backhanded compliment. It almost sounds like it would be OK to be bad, just be consistently bad. They'll adjust, is how the rest of the philosophy goes.

Later in the article, the guys talk about what I refer to as understanding the "culture of the game" or how the game is supposed to work and how that separates the good officials from the not-so-good ones.

Pollard and Higgins, both referees in the Missouri Valley Conference and Big 12 Conference, equally believe that it’s important to have a “feel” for the game compared to simply being a rules juggernaut.

“I think former players make better officials,” Pollard said. “There’s a difference between rules knowledgeable kind of guys and those with a great feel for the game. There is such a thing as falling in the zone from an officiating standpoint.”

You can have all the rules knowledge you want, if you go out there and puke a rule book up all over their shoes, there's going to be issues. In baseball, knowing the definition of the strike-zone is the "science" and helps you pass the test. The proper "application" of the definition to the level of play and the situation is the "art" of officiating and umpiring and gets you through ball games.

Some folks don't like to hear that, but most that don't have never played the game, is my guess. If you've been around long enough and learn, you usually understand.