1.   Soccer referees have a thankless task.

2.   Being a soccer referee is not an easy job.

3.   David A. Spina is the corporate incarnation of a soccer referee.

4.   In Greensboro, N.C. last year, a mother was charged with assault after attacking a soccer referee.

5.   In fact, most soccer referees show a reasonable tolerance for players running around with one yellow card.

6.   Its aggressive public relations campaign includes regular television advertisements -- the latest depicts it as a soccer referee, keeping the game clean -- and a corruption hotline.

7.   Like Baharmast, my son is a soccer referee.

8.   Soccer referees are about the loneliest sports officials on the planet, although rugby buffs and boxing fans will make a case for their lone rangers, too.

9.   Soccer referees are like no other sports officials.

10.   Ten days ago, the Sunday Globe ran a story about suburban parents aggressing teen-age soccer referees, which I can assure you is something I would never do.