"These refs suck."

There it was, overheard confirmation that what I had suspected since just after tip-off was true. This wasn't working. We, my parther and I, weren't working.

Perhaps I should have realized from the way he said "You're the professional ref" during our too-brief pregame. I assumed he was just nervous or being self-deprecating. It never occurred to me that he was excusing himself to check out on me.

It had already been a long day and a half, and I had worked with a wide array of rookie officials at this camp. I had been invited as one of a host of evaluators, but it quickly became apparent I could be most useful working games with the newer officials, taking care of bidness while giving them a chance to work on fundamentals. And so I assumed a role I have become increasingly comfortable playing: the stronger partner.

Is "weak" too strong a word?

Now you may think I'm just bragging. You may feel that talk of strong or weak officials is divisive or demeaning. Look at it like this: Somewhere out there is the greatest referee working in the game today. Somewhere else out there is the worst. Assuming we're neither of those exceptional officials, you and I fit somewhere in the continuum between. That means we're stronger than some partners and weaker than others. That's just a fact.

Continued...