The Calm Before the Rodmans, Barkleys

Until this week, Violet Palmer was a Los Angeles recreation director and Dee Kantner was a sales representative.

Now they’re pioneers, and pioneering can be rough.

What about Portland’s Kenny Anderson telling Kantner to watch the game instead of his pants? Michael Jordan saying Kantner wasn’t fast enough to keep up? A Sports Illustrated for Women report that Bulls’ players stuck their feet out trying to trip her in an exhibition?

“You guys are just all sensationalists, aren’t you?” said Kantner, laughing, as the new NBA referees met the press Wednesday.

“Actually, I think anybody can take data and fit it to whatever they want it to be. All I’m going to say is Violet and I will go out and referee to the best of our ability and hopefully a lot of this attention will eventually go away and we’ll just be another referee.”

The session was the new referees’ first and last, since league policy bars interviews with officials. Palmer, a former Cal Poly Pomona point guard, was confident. Kantner, a former Pitt field hockey player, was outgoing.

As the first female referees in a major U.S. male professional sports league, both are in the eye of a storm, presumably beginning this weekend when the season opens, though league policy bars disclosing their schedule too.

Neither has seen anything yet but they look ready for whatever happens.

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Question: How will you deal with the Charles Barkleys and Dennis Rodmans?

Palmer: “We will treat them like any other players. Dee and I both were referees to start and confrontation is a part of being a referee. If they cross a line they’re not supposed to, they’ll receive a technical foul, like any other player.”

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Q: You may not have set out to alter history but you must recognize you have a place in history now. How do you feel about that?

Kantner: “I don’t think Violet or I could ever say this was our intent, to be trailblazers, per se. Now if one of the aftereffects is that women are given opportunities that they weren’t [before], I think we’re both in favor of that. Our focus right now is just to referee in the NBA to the best of our ability.”

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Q: What will it be like, walking onto the floor for your first game?

Kantner: “Very, very intensely focused. Hopefully, doing the job the best I can that evening and every evening. But especially that first night, just being very focused on doing the right thing.”

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Q: If Rodman pats your backside, as he says he will, will you regard it as sexual harassment?

Kantner: “Hardly. If it is in the context of the game, athletes touch you on the butt--you know I never thought at age 37 I’d be answering these type of questions--but no, this is not something we’re going to misinterpret. If there are actions out there that are intended to be condescending, I think Violet and I will be able to handle that.”

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Q: What qualities helped you get here?

Kantner: “As far as qualities, I think dementia.”