Bill Dwyre in the Times

Some days. the news is so dismal you just have to read the paper backwards. Which led me to Bill Dwyre's Sports Section piece "Whistles aren't the Problem" about a decided lack of credibility in sports officiating.

I like good writing and good ideas. Dwyre points out that disgraced NBA ref Tim Donaghy has indeed "poisoned the pool," but there's a deeper--or at least, an additional--problem. Us and our short attention span.

"We don't seem to be willing to wait for proof of guilt or innocence these days. Our world moves too fast. We hear it, text-message our assumptions and move quickly to the next arena of instant gratification."

Ouch! That's so true. A bit later in the editorial he says:

"We care only that it is neat and clean and fits perfectly into our current video game mind-set. Quick, visual and over.

"The retaining of the "human element" in sports officiating has long ago lost its appeal. The games, especially on the pro level, aren't so much fun anymore as they are life and death."

I include this picture of a Galaxy game not because there were controversial calls in it, but because I took the picture myself so I can include it without getting into trouble.