Ok, nwgirl, you asked...not me specifically of course, but here goes.
If I say "no way did katie run that marathon!" I think it's safe to assume it's only my opinion. Do I have to phrase it as "In my opinion, no way did Katie run that marathon" in order for it to be understood that it's JUST my opinion and of course I don't know for sure because I wasn't actually THERE?
I dunno...this argument is getting a little ridiculous. But in my opinion, only as a bystander with no axe to grind, you
did set the tone with your "fucking Sherlock Holmeses" comment. I think if you would have said, hey I'm just playing devils advocate here, but here's MY opinion, it might have been received better.
Again, just my opinion.