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Judgment Call By Patryk Fournier June 2nd, 2003

	Every time that whistle tweets the official's judgment is questioned.

It has to be the most unforgiving, unappreciated and undesirable professions anyone could wish to take on. Each decision is analyzed under the bright lights of public and professional objectivity and scrutiny. A single decision either way leaves you subject to the demonstrable negative reaction of those who deviate from your line of thinking. In some cases a poor judgment can result in a national declaration for blood, although that's normally reserved for soccer-passionate countries. (Does anyone else notice how weird 'judgment' looks without an 'e'? I digress.) The life of a sports official comes in many different forms; referee, umpire or judge. No matter the form, the profession remains an embattled one to carry out.

Despite having a position that's publicly scrutinized and difficult to carry out, officials are never quick to spurn the spotlight. Have you ever seen an official get miked up for a game? In football it's a regular occurrence, where officials drag out the explanations of calls into an apparent audition soliloquy or monologue for the latest revival of Hamlet. When NHL referees get miked up it's the ultimate machismo and testosterone shot. The minute a mic is put on them they turn into these no-nonsense bad cops, high on authority. "Get in the box!" "Don't talk back to me!" "Are you looking at me boy? Tell me you didn't just didn't just look at me! That's it. Two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct." The contrast of behaviour when a mic is put on a ref is the same level of contrast between a guy's voice when he's talking to his friends compared to talking to his girlfriend. Automatically the voice moves down a few baritone levels when a guy spots some of his friends while out on a date. The minute the friends leave the voice goes up a few notches and goes back to that voice that girls find sweet, non-threatening and assuring. It happens without thought.

	Ed is looking hard to find his fans.

I know that referees and officials wear numbers on their jerseys so that the league's brass has an easier time reviewing disputed calls and judging the performance of their officials but deep down you gotta think the refs and officials are just looking for some love and recognition. Just once I'm sure Kerry Fraser, Ed Hochuli and Durwood Merrill would love to look up in the stands and see some young fan sporting one of their jerseys. Have you also noticed that names are no longer present on the back of official's jerseys, just the number? A few years ago NHL referees switched from having names and numbers on their jerseys to just having a number. I guess the heckling of fans was much more personal; "You suck Gregson!" must sting a little a more than "You suck #2!" I guess its true; the world is becoming a place where everyone is just a number.

	So Steve, what does take the place of the soul?

Another thing I find interesting is that officials and referees don't have to answer to the media after the game. In fact, can you ever remember a time when an official was available for comment after a game? It just doesn't happen. In an ideal world someone would make that SNL sketch 'The Referee Pittman Show' with John Goodman a reality. Each week a different official from a different sport is interviewed and answers questions from the fans. Would there be anything more priceless than someone asking Steve Javie the following: "My boy and I were wondering, we know you have no soul so what takes its place? Is it human excrement or dog excrement?" Or someone asking Don Koharski, "What's it like to referee the game with your head all the way up your butt?" FOX are you listening? This would be a surefire TV hit.

Is it just me or does the umpire-manager face-to-face encounter look fake in a Harlem Globetrotters type way? I mean, kicking dirt at the umpire, covering the home plate with dirt and getting face-to-face and over animated. It just seems so scripted. Would anyone be surprised if while they were arguing a player snuck up pulled the umpire's pants down and squirted him with some seltzer?

One thing that always flies in the face of logic is the retaliation call, a favourite amongst all officials. You've seen the situation before; two players are involved in an altercation that was instigated by a high stick or an elbow. Yet when the player who received the elbow or high stick exacts revenge or sticks up for himself, it's an automatic trip to the penalty box. Talking your way out of it is pointless; it's like explaining to an elementary school teacher why you hit Billy. "But he hit me first. It's not fair I was just sticking up for myself. He started it." Referees and teachers will give you the same response. "I don't care who started it, you finished it. Two wrongs don't make a right. Now go sit down for two minutes and think about what you did."

For all the public scrutiny that comes with the job, what other profession do you know where you can make mistake after mistake and still be guaranteed a job the next day, week and year? Making mistakes is almost a given for the profession and the leagues accept it, which in turn creates complacency. With complacency comes no initiative to improve. The NFL is trying to change that trend when they told 8 officials that they will not be asked to come back this year due to poor performance. Hopefully other professional leagues take a cue from the NFL's action and start making referees, officials and umpires more accountable for the work they do.