Posted on 01/07/2004 6:04:40 PM PST by KneelBeforeZod
The reamed team:
U.S. vs. U.S.S.R. Sept. 1972 The U.S. Olympic basketball team had never lost a single game until 1988—but they had one stolen by officials in Munich. Trailing 49–48 with three seconds left in the gold-medal game, American guard Doug Collins was hacked hard en route to the hoop. He drilled the first free throw, and as he shot the second, the horn inexplicably went off. Still, the ball dropped, and the Americans took the lead. Then all hell broke loose. The Commies desperately heaved the ball to midcourt, where it was deflected out of bounds. Game over…but wait! Officials said there was one second left and handed the ball back to the Reds. Another long pass, another deflection. Game over…but wait! Officials said the clock should have been reset to three seconds and again gave the ball to the Reds. This time, Russian forward Aleksander Belov caught the length-of-court pass, knocked down two good guys and scored the game-stealing bucket. Game freakin’ over. Replays showed that the inbounding pinko had stepped on the line and that Belov had committed a lane violation. The U.S. boycotted the medal ceremony and told the Olympic committee to shove the silver.
The tricky coin toss:
Lions vs. Steelers Nov. 1998 This Thanksgiving slugfest ended with the teams deadlocked at 16. Referee Phil Luckett made the toss to determine who’d get the ball in overtime. Pittsburgh fullback Jerome Bettis called—and tapes back him up—tails. But Luckett, whose hearing was impaired by his own ass cheeks, heard “heads.” The Steelers squealed like Ned Beatty in Deliverance, and even the Lions looked stunned, though they immediately drove to a game-winning 42-yard field goal. The NFL responded by changing the coin-toss rule—the call must now be made before the coin is tossed in the air. At least that’s what we think they said.
The shoe-in:
Stars vs. Sabres June 1999 The Dallas Stars took home a tarnished Stanley Cup when Brett Hull scored the winning goal—in triple overtime—with his skate planted firmly and illegally in the crease. Although a replay rule was in place, officials mysteriously declined to review the goal. “Man in the crease, puck is definitely out of the crease—you can’t explain that one to me,” said iced Buffalo Sabres coach Lindy Ruff. Despite numerous TV replays revealing the obvious infraction, NHL supervisor of officials Bryan Lewis coolly explained that the play had been reviewed and upheld through the use of a mystical, top-secret “camera angle from down low that is mounted inside the net and not even available to television.” Or anybody else who asked to see it.
The immaculate deception:
49ers vs. Packers Jan. 1999 Trailing the Packers 27–23 with less than a minute to play in the NFC Wild-card game, the Niners needed a touchdown like Courteney Cox needs protein. Where else to look but Jerry Rice? Unfortunately, the all-world receiver clearly coughed up a six-yard pass reception when he was pasted by Packer safety Scott McGarrahan. The Packers were partying…until line judge Jeff Bergman gave the ball back to the Niners, saying the ground had caused the fumble and the ball was down. Replays showed that the ball popped loose about a month and a half before Jerry hit the turf. With three seconds left, Steve Young passed to Terrell Owens for the Niners’ winning 25-yard TD reception that became the SportsCenter highlight of the year.
The immovable object vs. inexplicable idiocy:
U.S. Open June 1994 In the final round, Ernie Els smacked his first shot into four inches of shag. Luckily for him, a mobile TV crane obscured his line of sight to the green, and official Trey Holland deemed the mobile crane (emphasis ours) an unmovable obstruction, giving Els a free drop and an improved lie that helped lift him into a three-way playoff. Holland broke the umpire code by admitting his mistake and had to eat crow when Els found himself in the same rough off the first tee in the playoff. This time, the crane was sheepishly lowered, and Els was forced to play the shot. He went on to win the Open anyway, and Holland, naturally, was promoted to president of the USGA.
Damn yankees! vs. Red Sox, ALCS Oct. 1999
Second baseman Chuck Knoblauch stole this series with two plays he didn’t make. In Game 1, he dropped the toss on a 10th-inning force-out at second—but umpire Rick Reed ruled that he had full control of the ball that was, well, rolling on the ground. The next batter hit into an inning-ending double play, and the Yanks went on to win 4–3. In Game 4, the Sox were Knobbed again when Chuck missed a tag on Boston’s Jose Offerman like Skylab missed Manhattan, but ump Tim Tschida made the “out” call anyway. The result? An inning-ending double play, another win for the Yanks. Beantown boiled over, and pissed fans showered the field with beer and garbage.
vs. Orioles, ALCS Oct. 1996
Umpire Richie Garcia turned a fly ball into a home run and a 12-year-old into a household name. With Baltimore clinging to a 4–3 lead in the eighth of Game 1, Derek Jeter hit a fly to right that looked catchable to outfielder Tony Tarasco—and everybody else with eyes. Suddenly, seventh-grader Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and deflected the ball into the stands for a home run, tying the game and sending the Orioles into cardiac arrest. A frantic protest was ignored, though Garcia later admitted that the ball probably wouldn’t have been a home run. Bernie Williams’ no-doubt dinger in the 11th won the game. The Yanks went on to the championship, Maier went on Letterman and Tarasco went on and on complaining, “I didn’t even have to jump to catch it.” Blah, blah, blah…
vs. Royals July 1983
At least this one was rescinded. Trailing 4–3 with two outs in the ninth against Kansas City, Royal pain George Brett bitch-slapped Yankee Goose Gossage for a two-run jack. Sometimes-not-drunk Yankee skipper Billy Martin asked rookie ump Tim McLelland to check Brett’s bat. Sure enough, the pine tar extended beyond the 18-inch limit from the knob—a thoroughly common practice. (Martin later admitted he’d been saving this gem for the right occasion.) The ump nullified the homer, and Brett shot out of the dugout like a howitzer. The league eventually KO’d the homer, and the Royals returned to the Bronx, finished the ninth and logged the official win.
vs. Dodgers,
World Series Oct. 1978 With the Dodgers leading the Series 2–1 and ahead 3–1 in Game 4, Yank Reggie Jackson put his ass on the line—literally—to break up a crucial double play. With one out in the sixth, Thurman Munson was on second and Jackson was on first. Lou Piniella lined a shot to Dodgers shortstop Bill Russell, who alertly dropped and retrieved the ball, stepped on second to force Jackson and fired to first. But Reggie stuck his butt out to deflect the throw. The ball careened into right field, enabling Munson to lumber home. The dumbstruck Dodgers went down 4–3 and lost the next four straight.
The Trojan protector:
USC vs. Michigan Jan. 1979 When USC running back Charles White dove into the end zone in the second quarter of the Rose Bowl, the ball came loose. Or, as White tells it, “I was just layin’ it down in the end zone for the ref to pick up, like I always do.” The line judge agreed, ruling that White had crossed the goal line before the fumble. The touchdown gave the Trojans an imposing 14–3 lead over Michigan, and they won 17–10 for a share of the national title with Alabama. Unfortunately, replays showed that White had actually lost possession of the ball at the two-foot line. Three years later, when USC beat Notre Dame on a similar play, still-miffed Michigan coach Bo Schembechler snapped, “USC has really perfected that play.”
The laps of dishonor:
True Value 500 June 1997 Jubilant rookie driver Billy Boat danced with tempestuous team owner A.J. Foyt in the winner’s circle before the night’s audit of the race stripped him of his title. Officials, who were asleep and/or getting chili dogs during the race, discovered that the electronic lap counter at Fort Worth’s Texas Motor Speedway had failed to record two of third-place finisher Arie Luyendyk’s trips around the track. When Luyendyk crashed the party on Victory Lane with the news, Foyt punched him in the face. Embarrassed officials later awarded Luyendyk the trophy, but when a race official asked Foyt to hand it over he replied: “If you think you’re man enough, come down to Houston and help yourself.” No one never did.
The hand of God England vs. Argentina June 1986
The English soccer team was rolling along until it came up against Argentina in the World Cup quarterfinals in Mexico. A 0–0 thriller was broken up in the 51st minute, when a ball was lofted toward diminutive Argentinean superstar Diego Maradona on the edge of the English penalty area. The pint-size striker flagrantly punched the ball over the head of England’s goalkeeper and into the net. Incredibly, the ref allowed the goal to stand; five minutes later, Maradona waltzed through a still-stunned English backline to score again. After the match, with video evidence of the hand ball staring him in the face, the Argie said that “the hand of God” was responsible for the blatantly illegal goal.
The God complex Celtics vs. Suns June 1976
In the final seconds of Game 5, the Celtics screamed for a time-out they didn’t have. Instead of slapping Boston with a mandatory technical and handing Phoenix the free throw that might have given them a 3–2 series lead, referee Richie “Just Call Me God” Powers ignored the call. “I just couldn’t see the Celtics losing that way, especially on their home court,” Powers allegedly explained. Boston won a 128–126 victory three OTs later and the championship in Game 6.
The fifth down:
Colorado vs. Missouri Oct. 1990 Trailing 31–27 with 31 seconds to go, Colorado QB Charles Johnson spiked the ball on the Mizzou three-yard line to stop the clock. The Buffs got stuffed on the next three downs and should have turned over the ball. But wait! The refs lost count of the plays and gave Johnson a fifth down. As the QB tried to sneak through the confused defense, he was again stopped short of the goal line. Still, the officials didn’t care. They gave Colorado the TD that was never scored on a down that should never have been played. The conference suspended the officials but upheld the score, sending a conscience-free Colorado to a national title. In 1940, when film proved that Cornell had similarly been awarded a fifth down against Dartmouth, they forfeited the game and the title. But ethical bragging rights don’t win sneaker contracts.
The deranged Denkinger:
Cardinals vs. Royals Oct. 1985 The Royals were three outs away from elimination in Game 6 of the World Series when an abominable call by umpire Don Denkinger at first base allowed them to beat the Cardinals. Game 7 was an 11–0 shellacking of the Cards, thanks to—you guessed it—Don Denkinger’s (now behind the plate) incredibly shrinking strike zone. The primary victim, pitcher Joaquin Andujar (the fifth of seven wronged St. Louis pitchers), first hurled a blue string of curses at the ump, then charged the plate, his 9.00 Series ERA in tow. Luckily for Denkinger, Andujar only managed to bump the ump before the Cards hauled him, kicking and screaming, off the field. The Royals ran away with the game and the title, while Andujar was left to lay waste to a clubhouse toilet seat with his bat. Ah, memories.
The shortest yard
Jets vs. Seahawks Dec. 1998 Vinny Testaverde became the first player in NFL history to run four yards for a five-yard touchdown. On fourth down and trailing 31–26, the Jets crashed when a flock of Seahawks tackled Vinny a yard shy of pay dirt. Still, the Jets were awarded the game-winning TD by head linesman Earnie “Where’s My Dog and Cane?” Frantz, who explained that he’d mistaken Vinny’s helmet for the ball. (Note: The Jets’ helmets are a particularly blinding white.) The call became Exhibit A in the NFL’s case to restore instant replay.
The great snow con:
Dolphins vs. Patriots Dec. 1982 With five minutes to play, the Pats called time-out to set up for a 23-yard field-goal attempt. But with the field covered in muck, this was no chip shot. Enter Mark Henderson, a convicted felon on a work-release program. (He was serving 15 years for robbery, an irony about to become apparent.) Patriot coach Ron Meyer told him to drive his snowplow onto the field and illegally clear a spot for kicker John Smith to tee up. With the officials’ heads apparently buried in the snow, Smith spanked the pig through the uprights for a 3–0 win. New England papers hailed Henderson’s plowing skills as “the sweep of the day.”
The fans decide:
England vs. West Germany July 1966 It was 2–2 and overtime in the World Cup finals when officials handed England the trophy on a silver platter. English striker Geoff Hurst launched a shot that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced straight down to the goal line and back into play. A massive worldwide TV audience saw the ball fail to cross the goal line, but the English team—and the crazed British fans packed into London’s Wembley stadium—persuaded petrified linesman Tofik Bakhramov that it was close enough. The demoralized Germans later allowed another goal by Hurst, and the Limeys sewed up their only World Cup championship 4–2.
The longest count Dempsey vs. Tunney Sept. 1927
Jack Dempsey pounded Gene Tunney (the man who had taken his title away) to the canvas in the seventh round and lingered to gloat over his battered foe. Referee Dave Barry, enforcing a brand-new neutral-corner rule, ordered Dempsey to his corner several different times and took an estimated 17 seconds to reach a nine-count on Tunney, who, by that time, had read a few good books and was back on his feet. A revived Tunney floored Dempsey in the next round and successfully defended his heavyweight title, winning on points.
article is from 2000, so there are probably a couple new officiating brain farts that would fit...
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Mississippi | 260.00 |
4 |
65.00 |
106 |
2.45 |
50.00 |
4 |
Thanks for donating to Free Republic!
Move your locale up the leaderboard!
People who know Collins personally have told me the Americans never picked up the silver medals and that they supposedly remain in a bank vault in Munich. Don't know if its true, but it makes a decent story.
I remember that #(*$in' game. Luckett is a joke. Haven't seen him reffing any games lately.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.