LPMOM
11-27-2005, 06:57 PM
Evan Ren: No-call was the right call
WACO — As a general rule of thumb, all athletic officials should follow the letter of the law.
The only way to truly be fair, is to go strictly by the book and apply it to both teams.
Nearly every official on earth would agree with that statement.
Most coaches, players and fans would agree with it.
However, most people would agree with this: There are circumstances which warrant a good "no-call."
In other words, a trivial infraction is overlooked, usually because it had no bearing on the action, or because the call was too marginal to begin with.
To make such calls at crucial times can actually be bad for the sport itself.
Case in point: A ridiculous "illegal participation" penalty in Saturday's regional seminfinal football game between Ellison and Wylie.
Trailing 21-14 with 4:35 left in the game, the Eagles blocked a Wylie field goal, after which Nigel Haley picked up a teammate's fumble raced 65 yards for an apparent touchdown.
But no!
There's a flag on the field.
"Must have been a block in the back," I thought to myself. "Maybe it's excessive celebration after the score."
Wrong.
The actual "infraction" was committed by some Ellison players who got a little overzealous when Haley was on his way to the end zone. In the process of yelling and screaming, they ended up on the field of play before Haley scored.
The score was called back, and Ellison was penalized 15 yards from where Haley was at the moment the infraction occured.
Incredibly, the officiating crew was able to determine that as the Wylie 10.
In an instant, hundreds of Ellison fans had their hearts ripped out by a triviality.
Some excited teenagers start jumping around and end up on the field of play. Big deal. Their action was on the
opposite side of the field and had no effect on the outcome of the play whatsoever.
Yet we're going to nail'em for it.
Let me tell you something: There are many officials out there who would have let that penalty go, and rightly so.
Those are the officials who realize that they aren't a part of the show, nor they don't want to be.
When a game is on the line or a championship is at stake, marginal calls go out the window with these guys. They're looking to make solid calls on things which effect the outcome of the game, and they'll remain consistent for both sides.
Those are the truly good officials — the ones you don't notice.
On the other hand, we've got those zebras who thoroughly enjoy having a say in the outcome. They wouldn't admit it if their lives depended on it, but they do.
They love throwing flags, they love blowing whistles, and when a championship is at stake, they don't hesitate to make a marginal call.
A wide receiver commits an "iffy" holding infraction 30 yards away from a game-breaking score?
Flag.
Someone commits a marginal block in the back 20 yards behind the ball during a game-winning punt return?
Flag.
Someone sticks a pinkie toe over the sideline during a game-tying fumble return in the playoffs?
Flag.
Most of you know the type I'm talking about, and I don't care how many angry calls and e-mails I get from officials on this. I'm not going to budge, so save your breath.
If you're in a huge game and the call is marginal or trivial, don't throw the hankie.
It's bad for the game, it's bad for the fans and it's bad for the players whom you might hose out of a playoff win.
Well, that's what the crew in Waco managed to do.
If it was the officials' aim to follow the letter of the law, then why was Wylie coach Mark Ball allowed to stand 10 yards deep on the playing field, screaming about an interferance call in the second quarter?
The man held the game up for nearly a minute but wasn't flagged. But with the game on the line following Haley's return, suddenly we turn into the sideline police.
Granted, the Wylie people contend that the fumble Haley recovered following the blocked field goal was actually fumbled forward by a man who was already down. And frankly, after viewing the replay, there may be some credence to their argument.
But if that is correct, it actually means the zebras screwed up three times. They missed the fact that the man was down when he fumbled it to Haley, then they missed the fact he fumbled it forward -- probably because they were too busy counting how many toes were over the sideline.
After that, they managed to destroy the most dramatic play of the game by throwing a flag on a triviality.
Marvelous.
Ellison battles its way from a 1-4 start to reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years, only to have its guts yanked out by something silly.
They deserved better.
Football, in general, deserved better.
Contact Evan Ren at eren@kdhnews.com
you made us proud EAGLES!!!!!- lpmom
WACO — As a general rule of thumb, all athletic officials should follow the letter of the law.
The only way to truly be fair, is to go strictly by the book and apply it to both teams.
Nearly every official on earth would agree with that statement.
Most coaches, players and fans would agree with it.
However, most people would agree with this: There are circumstances which warrant a good "no-call."
In other words, a trivial infraction is overlooked, usually because it had no bearing on the action, or because the call was too marginal to begin with.
To make such calls at crucial times can actually be bad for the sport itself.
Case in point: A ridiculous "illegal participation" penalty in Saturday's regional seminfinal football game between Ellison and Wylie.
Trailing 21-14 with 4:35 left in the game, the Eagles blocked a Wylie field goal, after which Nigel Haley picked up a teammate's fumble raced 65 yards for an apparent touchdown.
But no!
There's a flag on the field.
"Must have been a block in the back," I thought to myself. "Maybe it's excessive celebration after the score."
Wrong.
The actual "infraction" was committed by some Ellison players who got a little overzealous when Haley was on his way to the end zone. In the process of yelling and screaming, they ended up on the field of play before Haley scored.
The score was called back, and Ellison was penalized 15 yards from where Haley was at the moment the infraction occured.
Incredibly, the officiating crew was able to determine that as the Wylie 10.
In an instant, hundreds of Ellison fans had their hearts ripped out by a triviality.
Some excited teenagers start jumping around and end up on the field of play. Big deal. Their action was on the
opposite side of the field and had no effect on the outcome of the play whatsoever.
Yet we're going to nail'em for it.
Let me tell you something: There are many officials out there who would have let that penalty go, and rightly so.
Those are the officials who realize that they aren't a part of the show, nor they don't want to be.
When a game is on the line or a championship is at stake, marginal calls go out the window with these guys. They're looking to make solid calls on things which effect the outcome of the game, and they'll remain consistent for both sides.
Those are the truly good officials — the ones you don't notice.
On the other hand, we've got those zebras who thoroughly enjoy having a say in the outcome. They wouldn't admit it if their lives depended on it, but they do.
They love throwing flags, they love blowing whistles, and when a championship is at stake, they don't hesitate to make a marginal call.
A wide receiver commits an "iffy" holding infraction 30 yards away from a game-breaking score?
Flag.
Someone commits a marginal block in the back 20 yards behind the ball during a game-winning punt return?
Flag.
Someone sticks a pinkie toe over the sideline during a game-tying fumble return in the playoffs?
Flag.
Most of you know the type I'm talking about, and I don't care how many angry calls and e-mails I get from officials on this. I'm not going to budge, so save your breath.
If you're in a huge game and the call is marginal or trivial, don't throw the hankie.
It's bad for the game, it's bad for the fans and it's bad for the players whom you might hose out of a playoff win.
Well, that's what the crew in Waco managed to do.
If it was the officials' aim to follow the letter of the law, then why was Wylie coach Mark Ball allowed to stand 10 yards deep on the playing field, screaming about an interferance call in the second quarter?
The man held the game up for nearly a minute but wasn't flagged. But with the game on the line following Haley's return, suddenly we turn into the sideline police.
Granted, the Wylie people contend that the fumble Haley recovered following the blocked field goal was actually fumbled forward by a man who was already down. And frankly, after viewing the replay, there may be some credence to their argument.
But if that is correct, it actually means the zebras screwed up three times. They missed the fact that the man was down when he fumbled it to Haley, then they missed the fact he fumbled it forward -- probably because they were too busy counting how many toes were over the sideline.
After that, they managed to destroy the most dramatic play of the game by throwing a flag on a triviality.
Marvelous.
Ellison battles its way from a 1-4 start to reach the playoffs for the first time in seven years, only to have its guts yanked out by something silly.
They deserved better.
Football, in general, deserved better.
Contact Evan Ren at eren@kdhnews.com
you made us proud EAGLES!!!!!- lpmom