Referee

Sepp Blatter says the World Cup has the best and most qualified referees. I'd hate to see the ones who didn't make the cut. ETHAN FINGEROTE Spring Valley Lake I read with astonishment Grahame L. Jones' view that the referee was to blame for the Portugal-Netherlands fiasco. Funny, I didn't see the referee kick anyone nor waste time. If the players are childish, stupid and violent, do not blame the referee. ROBERT L. CHESNEY Simi Valley After watching all the yellow and red cards being handed out in the World Cup, at least now I realize that not all the lousy referees work in the NBA. RALPH S. BRAX Lancaster Such writhing and grimacing and rolling around Those brave World Cup players just drop to the ground.

Jerry Markbreit was an NFL official for 33 years, the referee in eight conference championships and four Super Bowls. He never saw anything close to what he witnessed Monday night. Markbreit was at home outside of Chicago, watching Green Bay play at Seattle, and - like millions of other viewers - he was stunned by the officiating calls that were made, the ones that weren't made, and the Seahawks' game-winning Hail Mary that wasn't a catch but an interception. Photos: Was it a touchdown or an interception?

Jonathan Quick and the Kings rebounded quickly from a one-sided loss. Anze Kopitar scored the lone shootout goal as the Kings beat the Tampa Bay Lightning, 2-1, Saturday night. Quick stopped 28 shots, helping the Kings win one day after they were routed 7-0 by the Atlanta Thrashers. "That felt great," Quick said. "[Friday's] game was a rough one, so it was great to see the way the team battled back the night after on the road. Everyone just dug in deep and played a great game." Drew Doughty scored in regulation for the Kings, who won for the second time in five games.

As long as Peter Ueberroth is trying to clean up baseball's image, I suggest he fine the gross (pun intended) number of overweight umpires for "unsportsmanlike appearance." The thought of facing another season with those fat derrieres blocking my view makes me cringe. Where do they find these guys? Have you ever seen an obese referee in football, basketball, soccer? The commissioner should dock these guys $10 for every pound they're overweight and donate the money to the poor. BERYL WINN North Hollywood

Micheal Ray Richardson, who last week rejected an offer by the Philadelphia 76ers and stayed with Knorr Bologna, was among a record of 17 players and team officials ejected during a brawl in an Italian League game Sunday. Knorr, which ended the game with only three players, lost to Ranger Varese 91-73. Riot police had to walk onto the court to stop the fighting. According to the initial referee reports, Richardson was among the players who initiated the fight.

How many players must be injured before the NHL decides to abolish the so-called "third-period/overtime" rule book? The Kings-Oilers playoff series has been marred by the officials' refusal to make any call except for coincidental penalties late in the game, presumably to let the outcome of the game be decided by the players, not the referee. The official who does his job properly does not have any effect on the outcome of the game as it is the players who commit the infractions and their teams suffer the consequences.

What's with the sudden concern among the yahoos who run the NHL over "image" just because a player smashes another one on the side of the head with his stick? What's the beef when league-approved mayhem and assault are what those nitwits think the public prefers, instead of skill and sportsmanship? Can anyone imagine an NFL referee calling time out and standing by while a couple of players punched each other around, then finally intervening like the ref at the end of a round in boxing?

Something's rotten in FIFA. South Korea is at risk of being the first host nation in World Cup history to miss the round of 16. National pride is on the line. Everything hinges on the results of two simultaneous games--the U.S. against Poland and South Korea against Portugal. Indeed, the distinct possibility of the U.S. advancing in place of Korea would pour salt into an Asian wound that has festered for three years since the U.S. women defeated China for the Women's World Cup. So FIFA gives the U.S. a Chinese referee?

Many times in the last few years, and once again in Melvin Durslag's column on Saturday, Feb. 24, the Times has published articles that raise the same question about soccer in the United States. At least Durslag's point of view was relatively positive, and didn't make any statements that were patently wrong to anyone who knows anything about soccer. When I was in high school here in Los Angeles 30 years ago, soccer was unknown. Twelve years ago, through my kids playing AYSO, I started to learn about the game.