FBRULES

The first Ryle High School boys basketball head coach, Ken Clore, died this past Sunday. He was 63. He was a long time assistant to the late Bill Warfield at Conner and former freshman boys coach at the then Conner Junior High School before becoming Ryle's first coach in 1993. His visitation and funeral is this weekend in Burlington. Far more significant was his faithful involvement to his Church community and dedication to his family. He will be missed.

Actually, they are called fouls. The penalty is the consequence for the foul.

Officials should be cautious. It's against KHSAA policy for registered officials to give comment on rules, mechanics, or that which is officiating related in online forums (as much as some of us would like to do just that).

Sorry guys, in our registration packets this season, officials have been advised that it is unprofessional to comment or give opinion, even field questions, on rules questions and have been asked to refer all questions to the KHSAA or local authority. Thus, you should not see officials in all sports engaged in any conversation (right, wrong or in between) on these or other forums. In fact, this will have to be my last one, too. My only hope is that other people related to the KHSAA (board members, for example) might exercise the same sense of professionalism. Have a great season.

The Northern Kentucky Football officials send our sympathy and prayers. We, too, will miss Coach Logan and offer the Panther community our heartfelt love and support.

I switched to Direct TV because of this last week and the loss of other local programming. These are financial decisions made, I'm sure, by people far away who care nothing about our locality. These programs will never be replaced by something of equal value and are a part of wider dumbing down of our culture. It's not surprising anymore, but terribly sad.

I remember a tidbit in a rule book when I first started officiating in 1990. It said that fans tend to have three common characteristics and I have found this to be virtually true. The advice was to pay no attention to the fans becuase fans: 1. are ignorant of the rules (ignorant in the intellectual sense). 2. are highly partisan to one team. 3. delight in antagonizing the officials. I think I've lasted for 21 years with this advice being in the top five reasons why.

As easy as this appears on the surface, it's not. What if that shot took place at the end of the first half and the team lost by two? Would you look at film later and say that goal should have counted and the game now goes to overtime? The bottom line is that the call was missed, no one likes it, and it's not fair (at least as that one play is concerned). But, three things come to mind. One, you have to move on at some point and now is as good a time as any. Two, the "fair" is that which comes to Burlington in the first full week of August. And, three, sometimes things happen that, in least in the current case, cannot be fixed. Human beings are involved in this game and crucial physical and mental lapses happen by coaches, players, and officials. Everyone, from top to bottom, has to try their very best to do their very best. What should we do now: 1. Jail them? 2. Stand on the corner with a sign saying I missed a call? 3. Overeact and spend money we don't have in schools on more technology? 4. Move on?

Parents complaining. Shocking.

Offensive interference should only be 15 yards not 15 yards and a loss of down. A player who is scoring a touchdown commits unsportsmanlike conduct before the touchdown is scored (high stepping, taunting, diving into endzone) should be a spot foul and no score instead of being enforced, counting the touchdown, on the try or kickoff. Holding and illegal blocking fouls (10 and 15) on the offense behind the neutral zone should be enforced from the previous spot instead of the spot of the foul. Holding should be 10 yards, not 17, for example.

This is one of the most difficult calls to make when players are in full speed because you always have to see the whole thing and you cannot guess when making calls.

At the end of the day, a lot of folks forget that officials work for the schools and, thus, if a school playing doesn't want that official then, since they are the employer, don't have to have that official. It's really that simple.

I'm surprised this thread garnered 41 previous postings and 42 including mine.

My dad and I went to the Conner/Boone game tonight; for that matter, so did mom. We sort of thought there would have been more of a crowd especially from students.

Offensive Interference 15 and a loss of down is a terrible rule. It should be 15 yards only or it should simply be an incomplete pass. The penalty for OPI is the most severe penalty in the book, more than personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct.