BUT I'M PULLING FOR THE BLUEJAYS...
If Alabama had "beaten" Creighton the way they won the game against us I would have taken it in a heartbeat. Let me tell you right of the bat I am not whining. I have a legitimate belief (at least to me) that television is making the calls on who they would prefer to win. That doesn't mean the CBS giant eye's preferences could be pulled off in every game. No one 'preferred' Lehigh or Norfolk State to win because no one ever thought it could happen. Next season 1-16 games and 2-15 games will be talked about and television will tell the NCAA who they would 'prefer' for the Lehigh and Northfolk states not bump off the big boys, because how the heck cares about watching Norfolk State? I'll tell you this if the TV would stay away from the who they want to win and let the games just play out this would be an even greater event. The gap between the big guys and the little guys is just about gone. If I were CBS I'd be thinking about how you incorporate Lehigh and their "little" buddies in their chosen teams. I'm not saying that Cinderella is dead, but she's off public assistance and is starting in to interview with the fortune 500 employers.
I have no beef with Creighton who won the game unfair and unsquare, and under any circumstance you can't expect the BlueJays to just walk away. But lets look at a couple of other instances of that final play just to reassure me, and perhaps you that we got a shaft job. Was Releford fouled? Sure and the NCAA has even started hinting that some games are going to be reviewed and some "penalties" will be handed down "if appropriate" regarding officiasl Look at the photo to your left. The Creighton defender has his entire palm on Releford's forearm. There is no doubt that's true. But doesn't it burn you that the official was in the perfect angle to make the call. Perfect position because he is trained to stand even with three point arc to establish he was outside the three point shot. But that is merely to establish angle, and watch the actual shot. And he saw it and we saw it. The entire nation has now seen it, and it's like ho-hum nothing happened. Every sportswriter (with some exceptions) said it was a blocked shot. I applaud Al.COM Matt Scalici for bringing up the possibility of their being a foul. He uses the term "appeared show" a foul. Matt, thanks for going to the question, but shame on your for not reporting that the officials miss the foul and could have changed the game. I understand that the Tide "blew" an 11 point point lead. But Creighton wasn't just giving up. Bama's death nail was not giving up the lead but not having the firepower to score some points. Credit to Alabama for still being in the position to win. Just as an aside I don't think the jump shot would have gone in. TR has his legs crossed (due to lack of time and pressure). Shots taken from that form rarely go in. Credit to TR for getting his shoulders square to the hoop. So it 'could' have gone in. We will never know. What we do know is that he was positively fouled. It makes no difference that the Creighton offender might have grazed the ball. It was the inability have enough leverage and arm speed to shoot get the ball to the rim. As one of the TBS announcers correctly pointed out - shots just don't fall that short unless the shooter was fouled. That could have been the argument that announcers love to make. Instead, preference gave way to truth. I have known far to many television people to believe otherwise.
The back court call earlier. Read the rule, it says both feet in the front court. So what constitutes front court. It isn't over the line it is on the line if you read the definition what a line is i constituted to be, and their purpose. Here's a general rule that applies: There is no circumstance But the over and back rule must be read in conjunction lines definition. it is very clear that on the line regarding out of bounds and touching a line is out of bounds. The rule further says that touching the line rule is written to make touching a line the worst of things and not the best. Shoot a three point shot and have a foot on the line? It is a 2 and not a 3. The same applies to midcourt lines. On is over, pure and simple. Now the real question is what happens if the man is across midcourt and the ball isn't. Because the man clearly had possession of the ball it crossed midcourt it was in the front court. Try standing on an out of bounds line and arguing the ball wasn't across the line. Same official. He was looking down at the line. I understand he said the man never had control of the ball, after he said being on the line didn't matter. I'm not suggesting the official be taken out behind the arena and shot. I'm not even saying he should be publicly called out. He should just quietly be given a ticket for the next plane trip home, along with a copy of the rule book for the test he has take to get back into high level officiating. This tendency to not call fouls late in the game in key moments is just a cop out. We have the rules in place and we should require they be used. Years ago a football team won a game because they were inadvertently given a fifth down. The scored and won the game. Only the integrity of the College president who turned down the win corrected the obvious mistake. Those things will never happen in today's sports world. Money calls the shots. Television has the money, and college sports have become no more than pigs at the trough getting fat. That's why I get so upset about anything that reeks of unfair play. Alabama and Lehigh and anyone else that plays in the NCAA should be afforded a chance to win between the lines and not in the backroom of the NCAA and CBS. I have some other photos to show you about other things, and if I get them cleared up enough I'll print them. One in particular is interesting.
If Alabama had "beaten" Creighton the way they won the game against us I would have taken it in a heartbeat. Let me tell you right of the bat I am not whining. I have a legitimate belief (at least to me) that television is making the calls on who they would prefer to win. That doesn't mean the CBS giant eye's preferences could be pulled off in every game. No one 'preferred' Lehigh or Norfolk State to win because no one ever thought it could happen. Next season 1-16 games and 2-15 games will be talked about and television will tell the NCAA who they would 'prefer' for the Lehigh and Northfolk states not bump off the big boys, because how the heck cares about watching Norfolk State? I'll tell you this if the TV would stay away from the who they want to win and let the games just play out this would be an even greater event. The gap between the big guys and the little guys is just about gone. If I were CBS I'd be thinking about how you incorporate Lehigh and their "little" buddies in their chosen teams. I'm not saying that Cinderella is dead, but she's off public assistance and is starting in to interview with the fortune 500 employers.
The back court call earlier. Read the rule, it says both feet in the front court. So what constitutes front court. It isn't over the line it is on the line if you read the definition what a line is i constituted to be, and their purpose. Here's a general rule that applies: There is no circumstance But the over and back rule must be read in conjunction lines definition. it is very clear that on the line regarding out of bounds and touching a line is out of bounds. The rule further says that touching the line rule is written to make touching a line the worst of things and not the best. Shoot a three point shot and have a foot on the line? It is a 2 and not a 3. The same applies to midcourt lines. On is over, pure and simple. Now the real question is what happens if the man is across midcourt and the ball isn't. Because the man clearly had possession of the ball it crossed midcourt it was in the front court. Try standing on an out of bounds line and arguing the ball wasn't across the line. Same official. He was looking down at the line. I understand he said the man never had control of the ball, after he said being on the line didn't matter. I'm not suggesting the official be taken out behind the arena and shot. I'm not even saying he should be publicly called out. He should just quietly be given a ticket for the next plane trip home, along with a copy of the rule book for the test he has take to get back into high level officiating. This tendency to not call fouls late in the game in key moments is just a cop out. We have the rules in place and we should require they be used. Years ago a football team won a game because they were inadvertently given a fifth down. The scored and won the game. Only the integrity of the College president who turned down the win corrected the obvious mistake. Those things will never happen in today's sports world. Money calls the shots. Television has the money, and college sports have become no more than pigs at the trough getting fat. That's why I get so upset about anything that reeks of unfair play. Alabama and Lehigh and anyone else that plays in the NCAA should be afforded a chance to win between the lines and not in the backroom of the NCAA and CBS. I have some other photos to show you about other things, and if I get them cleared up enough I'll print them. One in particular is interesting.
- kevin Scarbinsky took free shot at Grant and Alabama? I expected it. It is a shame that a nice has a shill for a dying newspaper.
- VCU over Wichita State? I like the Shockers, but this wasn't like a take your breath away upset.
- UNC-Ashville hanging with Syracuse? Big surprise. Sorry officiating when the Orange needed it? Nope
- Gonzago over West Virginia? The Mountaineers are proof too many Big East teams play
- South Dakota State hanging around with Baylor? Big surprise
- Iowa State over Uconn? Please reload the West Virginia notes. ISU is good. Uconn isn't
- Colorado over UNLV? Maybe the PAC 10 is better than we thought? Ask Northwestern and the red faced Selection Committee.
- Cincy over Texas? Only surprise here was the margin was much larger. Texas instead of Washington? The Selection committee should have no alcohol rule.
- St. Bonnie almost beating ACC – Florida State? No, FSU is overrated.
- Lehigh over Duke? Sure, but we said it would be close.
- Norfolk State beats Mizzou? Norfolk trumps Lehigh in the biggest upset of the day...
- Ohio over Michigan? Too a lot of people but it was my upset special of the day.
- South Florida over Temple? Surprised me by beating them soundly.
- Xavier over Notre Dame? See the WSU and UCONN statements above. Will the Scommitte ever catch on?
- Purdue beats St. Mary's? I have to say this was a real surprise to me.
- Ohio State over Gonzaga? No, but my god, the calls for State in the second half.
- Syracuse over Kansas State? Nope, the Orange ball thing learned its lesson the other day.
- NC State over over Georgetown? See my previous remarks about the Big East
- Alabama getting beat by Creighton? DON'T YOU JUST LOVE CORPORATE ENDNGS?
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