[Bruce Noland]

I read an article in the sports pages not to long ago. It was about an umpire who was retiring after a long and storied career. He told the reporter who was writing the story that the best moments of his career came when there was absolute silence after he made a call. All the fans and players knew, at that moment, he had made a fair call. Silence, what a great way to judge the fairness of an important decision. This man retired with the respect of all the players, coaches and fans.