Time to hang up the notebook?

The thought crossed my mind about midway through the second half yesterday.

I was covering a girls soccer game at Timpview. It was just like the dozens of other girls soccer games I've covered for the newspaper in the last three or four years. It was a bit chilly though...

The thought I had was that I don't really look forward to a lot of these games anymore.

Now, obviously girls high school soccer has never presented any special thrills, but I've gotten to a point in the last year or so where most high school games I cover in any sport don't get me all that excited.

There are exceptions, of course. I really enjoy the playoff games for football, boys soccer, and boys basketball. There are a couple of regular-season games every year that are entertaining and fun to watch too. But, 80 percent of the time I'm just going to a game, going through the motions, and hoping it doesn't go into overtime.

On Saturday Jim, my boss at the D-News, called and said they needed some help in the press box for the BYU game. It's still cool sitting in the press box in some ways. The food is good, the running stats are nice, the TV sets and internet are convenient, and interviewing the players and coaches is interesting. But even after that, I found myself thinking that sitting with the commoners in the stands is just fine by me.

What does get me excited, however, is refereeing. I had more fun refereeing some sophomore and JV basketball games last season than I did covering most of the varsity games I went to, and I find myself a lot more enthusiastic about the two club soccer games I'm going to work Saturday morning than any of the three high school games on my calendar this week.

There are a couple of reasons for my difference in attitude toward the two. As a referee, you still enjoy the spectacle of the sport and the spirit of the competition, but you're also involved hands-on in what is happening. You're actually on the field with the players and you become part of the game, instead of just a spectator. Also, reporting involves deadlines, interviews, feature stories, box scores, etc. Little things that make it less convenient and more of a headache most of the time.

So, I think I'm about ready to hang up the notebook. For now I don't think I'll completely retire from sports reporting, but my big focus is going to be on refereeing. I'm going to make refereeing my No. 1 priority during basketball season, and only sparingly cover games for the paper. I'm also going to get on with boys high school soccer this spring and look at doing football next fall.

The Deseret News has been good to me. I've worked for them since 2000 and had lots of memorable experiences and fun times. And, covering the BYU football team for the Daily Universe in 2006 was awesome (I'll always prize that AP picture of Johnny Harline's catch with me in the background). But, juggling both sides is getting more complicated than it's worth. Monetarily it's probably a wash, but I'm definitely enjoying refereeing more, and that also has more future potential in terms of opportunities, money etc.

I told Jim I could promise him my availability through this fall, but not after that. I think my days as a dedicated sportswriter are coming to an end. But, my days as a dedicated sports official are just beginning.