2008 Woodie Awards
Whose foul is it, anyway?
Off the foul Pohl
Bart Pohlman
Issue date: 3/7/08 Section: Sports
Whenever I watch Remember the Titans - one of my all-time favorites - the same scene always gets me.
It's the scene when the T.C. Williams Titans are playing in the state semi-finals, and the referees are intentionally throwing the game. Titans' assistant coach Bill Yoast calls out the ref -costing him a spot in the state football hall of fame - and then gives his intense, goosebump-inducing "make them remember forever the night the played the Titans" speech.
And every time I watch that scene, I wonder how a group of officials could intentionally throw a game.
Judging by what has happened in the past year in the world of hoops, however, I'm beginning to think those movie refs might be better than the real thing.
It all started last season in the NBA.
Joey Crawford, long recognized as one of the most volatile and quick-whistled refs in the business, ejected Tim Duncan from a game for apparently laughing with his teammates while on the bench (You can check out the ridiculous ejection on YouTube). Duncan later claimed Crawford had a personal vendetta against the Spurs forward.
Crawford, fortunately for basketball fans everywhere, was suspended by the league for the rest of the season. However, unfortunately for the players and fans alike, he was reinstated this season. Luckily, there have been no more "Crawfordisms."
Now, fast forward to this season of college basketball and referee John Cahill.
When Cahill is part of the officiating crew for Georgetown games, the Hoyas are 6-0 this season. That's not necessarily unusual, but something else is.
Some of those Georgetown games Cahill has officiated have been quite controversial.
Take, for example, the Feb. 11 game between the Hoyas and Villanova.
Cahill called a nonexistent foul with 0.1 seconds left in the game, allowing Georgetown to hit two free throws and win the game 55-53. You can check out this terrible call on YouTube, as well.
With 0.1 seconds left, shouldn't the ref swallow his whistle, unless something completely egregious happens? And by something egregious, I mean some one flat-out slugging someone in the face.
It's the scene when the T.C. Williams Titans are playing in the state semi-finals, and the referees are intentionally throwing the game. Titans' assistant coach Bill Yoast calls out the ref -costing him a spot in the state football hall of fame - and then gives his intense, goosebump-inducing "make them remember forever the night the played the Titans" speech.
And every time I watch that scene, I wonder how a group of officials could intentionally throw a game.
Judging by what has happened in the past year in the world of hoops, however, I'm beginning to think those movie refs might be better than the real thing.
It all started last season in the NBA.
Joey Crawford, long recognized as one of the most volatile and quick-whistled refs in the business, ejected Tim Duncan from a game for apparently laughing with his teammates while on the bench (You can check out the ridiculous ejection on YouTube). Duncan later claimed Crawford had a personal vendetta against the Spurs forward.
Crawford, fortunately for basketball fans everywhere, was suspended by the league for the rest of the season. However, unfortunately for the players and fans alike, he was reinstated this season. Luckily, there have been no more "Crawfordisms."
Now, fast forward to this season of college basketball and referee John Cahill.
When Cahill is part of the officiating crew for Georgetown games, the Hoyas are 6-0 this season. That's not necessarily unusual, but something else is.
Some of those Georgetown games Cahill has officiated have been quite controversial.
Take, for example, the Feb. 11 game between the Hoyas and Villanova.
Cahill called a nonexistent foul with 0.1 seconds left in the game, allowing Georgetown to hit two free throws and win the game 55-53. You can check out this terrible call on YouTube, as well.
With 0.1 seconds left, shouldn't the ref swallow his whistle, unless something completely egregious happens? And by something egregious, I mean some one flat-out slugging someone in the face.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Jim Gatto
posted 3/07/08 @ 7:29 AM CST
Nice story except for the fact that it was Bob Donato that made the call against Villanova with 0.01 left in the game.
matt
posted 3/07/08 @ 8:42 AM CST
nice work, and maybe that's why we don't have 'Ref hall of Fame' in the first place.
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