If you are among basketball fans who frequently find fault with officials, maybe you should meet this guy, who …

*worked two games in the girls state tournament last year

*is ranked second among Class A regional officials by coaches of girls teams and 

third by coaches of boys teams

*was ranked 3

 overall among 46 Fourth Region varsity officials last season *officiates three college women’s leagues regularly

*and laughs with coaches, who seem to enjoy having him call their games.

     Chances are if you’re from Logan County, you have already met him. He’s South Logan farmer Terry Baldwin.

     He’s the same Terry Baldwin who was often the brunt of jokes and joking while he was calling middle school games a decade or so ago.

     Somewhere along the line Terry Baldwin has matured into one of the most respected officials in Southcentral Kentucky.

     Additionally, it’s not just officiating basketball in which Baldwin has earned respect. 

     He’s been umpiring fast-pitch softball for about five years. Last year he was selected to call the high school regional championship game, which was won by eventual state champion Greenwood.

    Baldwin credits much of the turnaround in the way he is regarded as an official to the influence of veteran official Jerry Kimmel, who is the assigning secretary for Fourth Region officials.

     “Until Mr. Kimmel took over, officials were kind of on our own, and there wasn’t much room for advancement,” Baldwin says. “He is so professional at his job that it made us want to be more professional ourselves. He rates us after every game he attends, and he tells both those who are near the top and those who are just beginning what we can do to improve. Whatever he says, you should take it to heart.”

     Especially important in his development was learning that coaches, players and officials all want a good, fair game. “I used to feel like it was me against coaches and players,” Baldwin says. “Now I’ve learned we’re all in this together.”

     Baldwin believes his penchant for smiling has helped coaches come to like him. “If I can ever get them to laugh with me, then we’re going to get along,” he says.

     “The coaches like Terry, and that’s a big plus,” Kimmel says. “He’s still in charge, though. He has become very professional at what he does.”

     Baldwin says one key came when Kimmel convinced him not to work any more freshman or junior varsity games for a few years. “He said coaches tend not to respect lower level officials as much, and you can be labeled as one,” Baldwin says. “At first it cost me some money, but now I get to work a high school or a college game three or four nights a week, maybe more. I’ll probably work 65 regular season high school games and 25 college games plus postseason tournaments this year.”

     Kimmel says area officials used to leave the gym when their game was over and another was being played. Now they stay to watch their comrades’ games. They’ve become a close-knit group.

     Baldwin is especially close to fellow official Will Jones of Bowling Green. They often are assigned to work together in college and high school games. They travel to Indiana, Illinois and Tennessee for college games.

     Terry Baldwin acknowledges he was not an outstanding athlete at old Olmstead High School. He knew success as an adult softball player, earning the nickname Kimmel and fellow officials call him, ‘Rabbit.’ He can cover a lot of ground in a hurry.

     He officiated games his daughters Brandi and Stephanie played in during his early years as a referee. “Brandi fouled out of every game of hers I ever called, I was trying so hard not to show favoritism,” he remembers. Brandi Violette is now the girls coach at Olmstead Middle School.

     Terry gives much credit to his wife Chastity, who he says never complains about staying home with their young daughters, Page and Caitlyn, while he is off wearing black and white striped shirts.

     Terry Baldwin is 48 years old, an age at which most people couldn’t run up and down a playing floor every night the way he does. “Will’s 31, so I’m working with a guy much younger than I am. I think I can keep working until I’m 55. Then I’ll have to evaluate whether I can keep going or not.

     Jerry Kimmel began officiating in 1956 and he still sees the floor clearly. No one knows when Terry Baldwin’s whistle will stop, but it’s near the top now.