Bravo, Mr. Bavetta

These referees, officials, judges, whatever you want to call them -- I can't stand them. They are trained to get the call right, and when they don't, they maintain their omnipotent omnipresence as if they were hostesses at the pearly gates of heaven. \nAnd what's worse? They never miss a game.\nAt least, that is the case with NBA official Dick Bavetta. On Feb. 8, Bavetta, at 66 years of age, worked his 2,135th game for the NBA in zebra pinstripes. But what is more impressive than that is the number of games he has missed since starting out as an official in 1975. \nZero. Zippity. Zilch. Zanoodle. \nOK, so I made that last word up. But while my creativity with words may only affect the few fans actually reading my column, an official's creativity with a call could affect the outcome of destiny. It may affect some of sport's most spectacular stages. Like say ... the Super Bowl? \nBut nothing has stopped Bavetta -- not even ... (cough, cough) ... the flu. \nOf course, that streak has included an ordeal of obstacles. Bavetta has driven through snowstorms, once when the plane he was scheduled to board was encased in ice. He was dealt a broken nose courtesy of Jalen Rose's elbow, his face flatter than flashes of Hoosier basketball in February. But Bavetta would return the following night. \nA game between the Celtics and 76ers in the early '80s is viewed as his most famous appearance on the court. After his fellow officiating partner, Jack Madden, broke his leg in a collision with another player, Bavetta was forced to call the game by himself. \n"I'm trying to keep this game under control," Bavetta said in a statement. "At one point I look over and Larry Bird and Julius Erving are strangling each other. So I ejected both. The league saw my leadership qualities, and that was a stepping stone for me." \nBut even Bavetta, an official with 31 years of experience who has worked more than 200 playoff games, including 23 NBA Final games, is subject to scrutiny. \nA controversial Game 7 in the 2000 playoffs between New York and Miami resulted in a final fumbled call by Bavetta's officiating staff, leading to a New York victory. In the locker room after the game, Tim Hardaway of the Heat called Dick, "Knick" Bavetta. \nIn the aftermath of Super Bowl XL, no aspect of sport has been criticized more than the referees. An official's ruling, once absolute in the Golden Age of Sport, is now questioned more than Mike Davis' job security. Technology has grown over time and with it has emerged a new age of fast athletes and faulty officials. But Dick Bavetta, NBA's ironman of referees, is present at every game through weather woes and a broken nose, with his integrity intact.\nBravo, Mr. Bavetta for officiating in your 2,135th consecutive game. Bravo, Mr. Bavetta for being, in all aspects of the game, exactly what referees these days fail to find in themselves -- consistency. \nAnd just in the Knick of time.