THOSE THREE OFFICIALS NEED TO BE BARRED FROM THE SEC FOREVER...
 |
| Jale Bell. A lot of this horrible officiating started with the hiring of this man... |
Okay, I have to admit I'm upset. More than upset, I'm stunned at the inept officiating we've seen all season long. Today was the poster child for banning officials. There were so many bad calls against Bama today you can't pick out any single whistle as the worst of all. I'm giving it my best shot, though. The call on Shannon Hale, who when he wasn't involved in the play, was laughable. Then, when it was halftime, the announcers brought the call to the attention of the officials who changed the foul to Anthony Edwards. They can't do that. It is against the rules to do that. It wasn't reviewable unless it occurred in the last two minutes of the game. Beyond that, and the fact that Carolina shot almost fifty free throws it was a pretty good game.
Let me say this to the head of SEC officiating. Remember that nifty speech you gave in Birmingham and told everyone that the ultimate goal in officiating is to let the players decide the outcome of a game? So, given those lofty words, here is a suggestion Dr. Bell. You need to fix the problem or resign. Even though your selection was unanimous among the then current coaches, it wasn't popular. Your approval index is just south of Congress. Seriously, do your job or resign. Fix this mess or be man enough to know you can't. And don't give SEC fans the line that the NCAA is in charge of all those things now. Each conference has an influence on what they want or need.
I've watched basketball games in our league for seven decades. Under your tutelage applications for clown college have bottomed out. Now, they all want to be referees. Instead of having the officials walk out on the floor give them unicycles and some of those big red noses. I'm talking the Ronald McDonald look. Yes, the Tide took the brunt of your calls today. Just as sad is the fact that Carolina walked off the floor thinking they had beaten Alabama. We all know why they won. When Bama cut the lead to six late, the officials doubled down for Carolina like Donald Trump on an immigration. South Carolina might have won this game with fair officiating. We'll never know. Take nothing away from Carolina. They were aggressive. They played hard and wanted to repay the Tide for the last game the teams played. That's the way it happens some games. It doesn't mean we have to accept quietly the fact wit happened.
And one final word for Avery Johnson. At some point in the second half, you should lobbied for technical foul to let your team know you aren't going to let the type of stuff continue. I admire Retin for saying enough is enough regarding the officials.
Despite all the free-throw shooting, the soft play underneath by Taylor and Kessens, and crazy line-ups, the Tide had a chance with 5 minutes to win. We were playing a group I never thought I'd see on the floor. All this tells me two things. First, Retin Obasahan is a man. Second, Alabama is going to be excellent in a couple of seasons. Give me five Obasahans and Norris type players and I'd go to war with anyone. Those guys are the personification of what Alabama players should be. And Coach you should have gotten a T in the midst of all that mess. I think the team might have appreciated it. In this league, the meek get eaten alive by officials.
The officiating is so bad it gives the fans the feeling that improprieties are taking place. The mere appearance of impropriety is enough to ruin a sport. Here's some stats
10 Worst NCAA Men’s DI Basketball Referees, 2008-9 through 2012-13
| Rank | Referee | Common Conferences | Home Foul Margin (per game) | Net Home Foul Margin (all five seasons) | Games |
| 1 | Antinio Petty | Atlantic Sun, SEC | -3.10 | -942.6 | 304 |
| 2 | Doug Shows | Big East, SEC | -2.99 | -1157 | 387 |
| 3 | Rick Hartzell | SEC, Sun Belt | -2.97 | -1210 | 408 |
| 4 | Bernard Clinton | A-10, ACC | -2.65 | -772.4 | 292 |
| 5 | John Gaffney | Big 10, Big East | -2.63 | -972.3 | 369 |
| 6 | Bo Boroski | Big 10, MAC | -2.62 | -1034.8 | 395 |
| 7 | Lamar Simpson | A-10, SEC | -2.61 | -781.6 | 299 |
| 8 | Terry Wymer | Big 10, MAC | -2.61 | -976.7 | 374 |
| 9 | Les Jones | ACC, Big East | -2.57 | -1122 | 436 |
| 10 | Tom O’Neill | Big 12, Mountain West | -2.57 | -1121.3 | 436 |
No comments:
Post a Comment