Note: This story is a special contribution from Nugable.  Go to his website for hilarious, insightful and honest surfing revelations.

Scapegoat \ˈskāp-ˌgōt\ noun
a: one that bears the blame for others
b: one that is the object of irrational hostility.     

In sports, a judge, official or referee is a thankless job.     

Perry Hatchett, the ASP’s now ex-head judge, held the position since 1997. Australia’s Surfing Life broke the story yesterday. Technically he was not fired. They just did not renew his contract. Because the ASP has essentially been silent on the matter, I can only speculate on their logic and timing. The 2010 season begins in less than a month.  So why was he really let go? Was it because…   

a) He thought a rodeo clown was a Brazilian midget from São Paulo.    

b) He threatened to leave and replace Simon Cowell on American Idol.    

c) Former Russian Olympic judge Igor Kasmanov said he’d replace Hatchett for half the price—as long as Alana Blanchard joins Russia’s ice skating team.     

d) ASP CEO Brodie Carr saw Modern Collective and lost his marbles. He couldn’t believe such maneuvers were possible. He had to do something quickly. Since Oliver North was unavailable Hatchett was the next logical scapegoat.     

e) Rebel Tour dementia got the best of the ASP stakeholders, causing the same I-can-do-anything-I-want syndrome that urged Napoleon and Hitler to invade Russia in the winter.  

f) He was unable to understand the “revised” judging criteria because they changed it from paragraph from to bullet point form.      

All kidding aside, Hatchett was true ambassador for the sport and ASP leadership has suffered from Bugs-itis since Rabbit Bartholomew stepped down as ASP President at the end of the 2008 season. This is yet another blow. Bugs gave the tour even more legitimacy. He was a surfer’s surfer. A former world champ. He was instrumental in making the Association better for everyone. The Dream Tour was his concept. His baby. He wasn’t an absolute savior by any means. He couldn’t turn water into wine. But, in a way, he turned Huntington into Trestles and Allentown into Chopes. And we can thank Bugs and Mr. Hatchett for that.