Bad Officiating | Righting The Wrong in Sports Officiating

Wimbledon: Tennis Can’t Rely On Challenge Technology Anymore

refpolice — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 23:02:16 +0000

I think anyone watching today’s men’s semi-finals matches at Wimbledon would agree that the high-tech line calling machine was out of whack. Twice Roger Federer suggested the machine was wrong, and Andy Roddick did so several times, even though the result of the challenge went in his favor. John McEnroe agreed that the machine was providing inaccurate video images, and we all know that he knows a thing or two about line calls. Mac was matter of fact when he said “Generally when you see chalk fly the ball was in.” But the replay were so so far off you have to wonder. Federer even went as as to suggest it was the wrong point being displayed. I like the whole challenge rule, but when the machine isn’t working correctly, the umpire need to step-up and take charge with overrules. Otherwise it looks as though the linesman and players are the ones that are wrong.

Overheard in a Steamroom Somewhere in Florida

refpolice — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:57:58 +0000

Disney CEO Robert Iger: David, what the f***? You promised me 6 games!

NBA Commissioner David Stern: Oh not this again. I told you rigging NBA series isn’t as easy as it used to be. Plus, if you watched game 4 you’d notice we did just about everything we could, if the Magic could make a free throw, you’d have your 6th game.

Iger: You also promised a Kobe-LaBron series, and gave me Kobe-Rafer Alston…not exactly the match-up we were looking for…

Stern: Dwight Howard is not slouch you know…..

Iger: Viewer say otherwise….you owe me $86 million

Stern: For what?

Iger: That’s what we would have earned for a game 6

Stern: That seems like a lot, but I don’t have the money…

Iger: It would have been more if I hadn’t saved the Kobe-Labron puppet campaign for the finals. You know how many strip joints I had to take those guys to?

Stern: How many? I would have come along…

Iger: You’re missing the point. The series fell short, and was still rife with obvious officiating inconsistencies…..did I mention you own me $86 million?

Stern: Listen, buy next year’s series and I’ll make it up to you. I’m reinstating Tim Donaghy

Iger: Oh, just like you reinstated Joey Crawford?

Stern: We had him in our pocket…we needed him to, umm, make the calls for us.

Elbow Room

refpolice — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:32:49 +0000

The Orlando Magic didn’t help themselves tonight in Game 4 of the NBA Finals (they missed like 15 free throws, including 2 by Dwight Howard with 0:10 to play and a three point lead), but they didn’t catch any break from the officials. I counted 2 muggings on Howard in OT that went uncalled and an over-the-back on Lamar Odom on an offensive rebound that went uncalled. Plus inconsistent calls, like the push called on Derek Fisher that took an uncontested dunk from Howard in OT really make you wonder. But the one we’ll remember is the intentional, flying elbow Kobe Bryant threw to Jameer Nelson’s face that prevented him from defending Fisher, who drained the three ball and ended the game. It’s too bad, because a 2-2 series would have been worth tuning in to. But the way this one went down, I don’t see how the Magic will be able to get out of bed in the morning much less show up for game 5 on Sunday.

Avert Your Eyes David Stern, this was as Shameful as it Gets

refpolice — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 17:28:35 +0000

Tonight’s game NBA Finals Game 2 featured real NBA drama down the stretch, but with about 3 minutes to go with the Magic either up by 2 or with the game tied, the officials began calling a different game. After letting them play for most of the 3rd & 4th quarter and both teams in the penalty, a sequence of touchy calls, all against the Magic, may have decided the outcome of this series. There were four plays in all, two fouls called against Hedo Turkolu defensivley (both invoking comments from Jeff Van Gundy), one non-call on Turkolu that woulds have put him on the line with 0:09 left in a tied game, and an uncalled goaltending call on Pau Gasol in the final seconds of regulation. Gasol actually grabbed the rim to keep himself airborn enough to alter a last second attempt in regulation. Either goaltending or a technical could and should have been called, but neither were. In overtime, the officials made it look good in the box score, bu th damage had been done. This game and this series has been ruined (again) by horrendous, in consistent officiating.

AJ Burnett Suspension: the Wrong Guy

refpolice — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 17:20:41 +0000

AJ Burnett has always done the right thing. He’s always stood for up his teammates, but never put them in danger. Vicente Padilla on the other hand, is a well known jerk. In fact his own teammates hate him so much that they convinced management to request outright waivers. Translation: get this prick out of our locker room. Padilla is such a cancer in baseball, that respected analyst like Buck Showalter and Rick Sutcliffe don’t even bother hiding their disdain for the guy. So what does MLB’s front office do? They suspend Burnett for doing what every other self respecting pitcher would have done, he showed his teammates he had their back by thowing a purpose pitch. He didn’t even hit anyone. Padilla started it all by beaning, not just hitting, beaning his former teammate and currently the hottest hitter in baseball Mark Texiera not once but twice Tuesday night. Padilla has been fined, but the point is missed: If you’re going to suspend guys like Burnett, who by the way has never before been suspended, then why not preemptively suspend and fine guys like Josh Beckett, who routinely begins beanball wars without hitting anyone. In baseball the Book is just a guideline, and going by the book here is the wrong move.

Big Z Meltdown

refpolice — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:50:45 +0000

Carlos Zambrano is a large, short tempered, passionate player. But one thing we admire about him is that he knows when he’s right. He was right tonight when he followed his wild pitch to the plate, fielded a perfect throw from catcher Geovany Soto, blocked the plate from Nyjer Morgan trying to score from third and slapped a perfect tag on him. Home plate umpire Mark Carlson blew the play by calling Morgan safe, then prematurely thew Zambrano out after he protested. Big Z then got his money’s worth by blowing up and throwing Carlos out. Replays showed that Big Z was right, Morgan was out, and that Carlson positioned himself poorly to make the correct call.

Cuban Official Crisis

refpolice — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:29:13 +0000

When you have a foul to give and you’re up by two, the last thing you do is let a good shooter get off a three point shot. The fans, the owners, the coaches and the players know this. More importantly, the officials know this. In fact, the league has come up with rules designed to protect players in circumstances where everyone knows a foul is coming: call the foul, don’t expose players to injury. But the other night, the Dallas Mavericks were trailing 2-0 in the series and clinging to a 2 point lead in game 3 of the Western Conference semi-finals. With time running down and a foul to give, they followed the rules by fouling the ball handler, Carmelo Anthony, wanting to prevent him from getting off a 3-point shot. But the foul wasn’t called, and Anthony buried the shot, costing the Mavs the game and essentially ended the series. Mavs owner Mark Cuban flipped his lid (understandably) and NBA president Joel Litvin acknowledged that the refs made a mistake and should have called the foul. Oops. In the end it’s 3-0 instead of 2-1, and once again the league isn’t following it’s own rules.

Denver’s Martin Fined $25K for Foul on Nowitski

refpolice — Tue, 05 May 2009 22:57:07 +0000

Leave it to David Stern to throw the first “You Have to be Kidding me!” wet blanket on an otherwise great start to NBA playoffs. Kenyon Martin’s foul on Nowitski is available everywhere to see, and the more you watch it, the more you have you wonder what goes into the NBA play review process during the playoffs. Nuggets coach George Karl was understandably incredulous as he shook his head muttering “It’s amazing…” This isn’t as bad as the Robert Horry/Phoenix Suns incident in 2007 when Horry almost maimed Steve Nash, got 2 games while Amare Stoudemire got suspended for the sole of his shoe crossing the bench line in the post play disbelief. This single decision decided the outcome of the NBA championship, and every time Stern tries to convince us the Tim Donaghy days are behind him, decisions like this make is clear that they are not.

Celtic Screwjob Send Bulls Back Down 3-2

refpolice — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 18:40:17 +0000

Ah Spring, that special time of year when the air smells of blooming flowers, the days get longer and warmer, and the NBA referees get back to their business of wrecking playoff games. Last night in Boston, they did so first by bouncing Ray Allen with two ticky-tack calls in the final two minutes of regulation, then by NOT calling Rajon Rondo for a flagrant foul after he clobbered Bran Miller who was going in for the game-tying lay-up with just 0:03 left in OT. Miller had to get stiches and there was blood everywhere. Maybe it was a give back for the bad calls against Allen, but in not calling a flagrant, Miller, with blurred vision and a headache, was forced to shoot the free throws. His missed them both. Had the flagrant been called, the shooter would have been coach Vinnie Del Negro’s choice, which would have been Ben Gordon, who would have made them both sending the game into OT #2. Look for another giveback in game 6 in Chicago sending this otherwise great series back to Boston for a deciding game 7.

Cardinal Sin: Ref Deck Stacked Against Cards

refpolice — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 06:34:38 +0000

Don’t be mislead by the ‘exciting’ finish, this game was a series of blown calls and attempts to fix them with even worse calls. Starting with this missed clipping call on the 1oo yard interception for touchdown and ending with the inexplicable ‘non-review’, the second half was a manufactured comeback and orchestrated result. Here’s a list of the offenses:

1) Missed clipping call, cost the Cards 7 points

2) Bogus roughing the passer call which everyone thought was going to be grounding against Rothliesberger

3) Yellow Hankie Nominee: “Piling on the Holder” call against the Cards

4) Yellow Hankie Nominee: Why wasn’t the last play of the game reviewed??!! The NFL rules say all questionable calls inside of 2:00 has to be reviewed, but for some reason this one wasn’t.

Personally, I’m glad I took the time to record and watch the Mens tennis final (Nadal’s obsessive butt-picking notwithstanding) in Melbourne at the Australian Open because I saw more athletic brilliance in one point in the tennis match than in the entire 3rd quarter of the “McGruber Bowl”. And the fifth game of the fourth set was arguably more interesting and entertaining than anything the NFL produced all year. It had excitement, greatness, drama and efficiently managed officiating disputes, something the NFL still struggles to deliver. What’s more, tennis continues to perfect the officiating resolution process while the NFL continues to ignore the officiating elephant in the room. While entertaining, the Cardinals’ comeback wasn’t real, it was artificially manufactured with make-up calls in a terrible attempt to make for prior missed calls. Without the help of two absurd personal foul calls (presumably givebacks for the “piling on the holder” call and the rest), the Cardinals don’t score the first touchdown of the 4th quarter which pulls them to within 6 points. This Super Bowl stunk more than the Super Bowl Michael Phelps got caught smoking somewhere in the UK. Statistically, this has got be the most error-prone Super Bowl ever with 18 penalties for a combined 162 yards, 11 and 106 against the Cardinals and doesn’t count the two most glaring errors: the missed clip call on the interception for a 100 yard touchdown, and the non-review on the last play of the game. As a reference, 162 represents 23% of the 699 in total offense. Tonight’s team of officials collectively win the “Ed Hochuli Award” for officiating ineptitude, which is really too bad since sports is about the only thing any of us haveto look forward to these days.