I thought this might be a nice change of pace if you like Football, and especially if you're tired of the wrist-slitting "Gallup" diaries. This past weekend Notre Dame got their ass kicked by Michigan, probably ending Brady Quinn's Heisman hopes. However, the officials took center stage last in at least 2 games. Even with video review, the officiating crews imitated blind men to the point the University of Oklahoma is asking the for the game against Oregon to be nullified.
The President of the University of Oklahoma, former Democratic Governor & Senator David Boren, sent a letter to the Big 12 commissioner, in which he says...
...The Big 12 should request that the game should not go into the record books as a win or a loss by either team in light of the level of officiating mistakes,
The problem comes from 2 decisions from the officials that helped Oregon score 14 points at the end of the game. Oregon was the beneficiary of a pass interference call, even after an Oklahoma player tipped the ball (you can't have pass interference when a defensive player tips the ball). This allowed Oregon to get a first down within strking distance of the end zone.
After Oregon went on to score, & closed to within 6 points of OU, the Ducks were sucessful with an onside kick. However, replay shows that not only did Oregon touch the ball before they were allowed to, an Oklahoma player had control & possession of the ball when the onside kick was over. All of this was compounded by the fact that the play was sent upstairs for further review & the call on the field of "Oregon ball" was upheld. Oregon went on to score & take the lead 34-33, & eventually blocked a Oklahoma field goal for the win.
In the aftermath, the Pac-10 has suspended the officiating crew for one game. Also, it's been revealed that the review upstairs was looking at one frame of video...
A source in the replay booth on Saturday said that Riese found himself crunched for time, pressured by television and the on-field referee for a rapid decision, and there was such a delay in getting the video feed to Riese that he never even got to properly review the play.
The Pac-10's coordinator of football officiating confirmed that Riese didn't get all of the replays that ABC was providing.
With all the cameras working the game that one half of the country was watching, Riese saw only a single frame of video, the source said. The angle was bad. But it appeared to show an Oklahoma player touching the ball with his helmet before it hit the Oregon player. (From other angles, clearly, it hits the Ducks player first.) With no other video immediately available, and television waiting, Riese did what he's told to do when he's out of time and has no conclusive evidence.
He upheld the call on the field.
All of this has led to
death threats to the replay official & his family...
Riese said he has stopped answering the phone, and police are investigating the threatening calls while keeping an eye on his neighborhood.
"They not only threatened me, they threatened my wife and kids," Riese said.
LSU is complaining about the SEC officiating crew, and specifically some pass interference calls made in their loss to Auburn...
LSU coach Les Miles disagrees. Monday, he took his case, futile though he knew it to be, to the SEC and to the people.
Miles was 15 minutes late for his weekly media briefing Monday afternoon in large part because he had been discussing a series of calls with Rogers Redding, SEC coordinator of football officials. Miles also spoke to Redding on Sunday.
LSU senior associate athletic director Verge Ausberry said the school wanted a response to a list of 12 plays or situations from the game.
Redding commented Monday on two specifically -- the pass interference call late in the game that was waved off on Auburn's Zach Gilbert and a pass interference call that was upheld earlier in the fourth quarter on LSU's Daniel Francis.
My boys at
USC are upset with ABC Sports & Brent Musburger in particular, for
giving away some of their plays on national television...
USC, outraged over play-by-play veteran Brent Musburger's revealing during ABC's telecast of the Nebraska game what the Trojans contend was privileged information, fired off a complaint Monday to ESPN, which now oversees all sports programming on ABC.
With just over 9 1/2 minutes to play in the fourth quarter of Saturday's game and USC leading, 21-10, Musburger began describing on the air how USC quarterback John David Booty lets his receivers know he has spotted a certain kind of coverage.
"John David told us that his signal when he finds one-on-one and they're coming, it's that 'hang loose,' that familiar sign you've seen surfers use," said Musburger, referring to the sign where the thumb and little finger are raised.