Friday, May 28, 2010

NCAA to study field officials overturning calls via instant replay

By Brian Bennett
ESPN.com

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The NCAA plans to study whether the on-field head official should be in charge of overturning calls via instant replay instead of a replay official in the press box.

The yearlong study was requested by Big East commissioner John Marinatto, whose league is in favor of following the NFL's style of replay reviews instead of the system currently in place in college. While each conference has its own set of rules regarding replay, every league leaves the decision on replay reversals to a technical adviser or official away from the field. The NFL puts the control in the referee's hands.

"Let's really take a hard look at whether it's better to have the person involved in the flow of the game, the person who made the call, the person who's on the field determine whether a play should or should not be overturned, versus a person that's in the booth upstairs," Marinatto said.

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A tutorial on arguing with umpires


By Eduardo Perez
ESPN.com


The best umpire is the umpire you didn't notice.


I'll always remember teammates and coaches saying that. Unfortunately, this was a noticeable week for a few men in blue. Bob Davidson's heated exchange with Carl Crawford and Joe Maddon made headlines on Tuesday, and Joe West followed up his second-inning ejection of Ozzie Guillen on Wednesday by tossing pitcher Mark Buehrle -- the aftermath of which generated even more bleeps for Guillen's highlight reel of tirades and now has launched an investigation from the league office. Having experienced roles as both a player and manager, I can say that there is definitely an art to arguing with umpires.
Joe Maddon
AP Photo/Mike CarlsonJoe Maddon and umpire Bob Davidson's disagreement was just one in a week full of them between umps, players and managers.

A manager has to be able to insult an umpire's decision-making ability without personally offending him. Sometimes you know that the umpire made the right call, yet your player doesn't seem to think so. In situations like that, you almost always still back your guy up because you don't want to lose his trust. Managers really have to weigh the consequences of their actions and try to strategically manipulate the results to fire up their team.

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Manager, player, ump disciplined for balk incidents

Guillen, Buehrle, West issued fines

Manager, player, ump disciplined for balk incidents
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05/28/10 7:02 PM ET

Umpire Joe West and White Sox manager Ozzie Guillen and pitcher Mark Buehrle were all fined an undisclosed amount of money by Major League Baseball for their part in an incident that involved called balks earlier this week, a person with knowledge of the situation told MLB.com.

No suspensions were levied. A spokesman for MLB declined to comment and would not confirm nor deny the financial sanctions.

Guillen and Buehrle were ejected by West during Wednesday's 5-4 White Sox victory over the Indians at Cleveland.

West, the first-base umpire in the game, ejected Buehrle during the third inning when the left-handed pitcher threw his glove to the ground after a second balk was called. West had ejected Guillen an inning earlier when the manager went out to try and calm the situation after Buehrle's first balk. Guillen said he did not go out to argue the call but to protect Buehrle.

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Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Ozzie goes on tirade against umpire Joe West

By Stephen Borelli

USA Today




By Mark Duncan, AP
The day after Rays manager Joe Maddon and outfielder Carl Crawford were ejected for getting into it with umpire Bob Davidson, the White Sox's Ozzie Guillen and Mark Buehrle had their own spat with ump Joe West during a wild White Sox win Wednesday in Cleveland.

West ejected Guillen and Buehrle following two balk calls on Buehrle. After the game, Guillen unloaded on West.

"He's (an expletive)," Guillen said, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "That's what he is. I just went out to ask him ... I'm not going out to argue about the balk because the rule, but I went out to ask him why he's embarrassing Buehrle and he give me one of this (dismissing him with his hands). When you're a professional and you have to respect the managers, the way we're supposed to respect the umpires, they are supposed to respect back."

The Sun-Times reported West denied Guillen told him he was embarrassing Buehrle.

"He didn't say that to me," West said. "I don't know what he's talking about. Ozzie came out because Buehrle was making gestures on the mound that could have got him kicked out so he was protecting Buehrle, that's all he was doing. I don't have a problem with that."

West made the first call in the second inning and exchanged words with Guillen while the manager was in the White Sox dugout. It led to Guillen's 22nd ejection of his career , according to Chicago Tribune, which also reported this was the third time West tossed him. Guillen came onto the field to argue with West and, as he left it, dropped his sunglasses and lineup card.

West called another balk on Buehrle in the third, and the pitcher threw his glove to the ground, which West said got him ejected. The left-hander had to be restrained by teammates after the umpire threw him out.

read the rest of the story here

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Man Who Puked on 11-Year-Old at Phillies game- GUILTY!

By Ryan Wilson


After Matthew Clemmens intentionally vomited on an 11-year-old girl during a Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park last month, he was promptly arrested and held on $12,000 bail.

On Tuesday Clemmens, 21, pleaded guilty to simple assault and disorderly conduct (second- and third-degree misdemeanors, respectively), as well as harassment. Shortly after the ballpark incident, Clemmens' uncle David Clemmens said that "My nephew is a good boy, not a monster. He is just a kid who ate and drank too much at the game and got sick"

As Matthew Clemmens stood before the judge Tuesday to plead guilty, he admitted that it was "just the way that everyone said what happened that I didn't agree with." But the Philadelphia Inquirer's Peter Mucha writes that that was short-lived.
Soon, though, he was formally agreeing to a prosecution account that described a series of offensive acts, including sticking fingers down his throat then vomiting toward Michael Vangelo, an off-duty police captain from Easton, and his daughters, ages 11 and 16, at the April 14 game between the Phillies and the Washington Nationals.

Clemmens and a male friend, accompanied by two female friends, were drinking, spilling beer, continually using profanities, and even heckling the Vangelos, said Assistant District Attorney Patrick Doyle, specifying the profanities at the judge's request.
When the judge asked if the account was accurate Clemmens responded, "yes, your honor."

to see video- click here

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Sucks to be a referee in Russia!

Russian referees have been bribed, beaten and even murdered... corruption is still at a very high level

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

NBA will review referee incident with Orlando fan and Ref Joe DeRosa

    • by David Whitley
    • National Columnist
Bill Kennedy, Joe DeRosa, Marc Davis

ORLANDO -- History was made Tuesday night in a Man-Bites-Dog sort of way. A basketball official "attacked" a fan for yelling at him.

Joe DeRosa (above, center, between Bill Kennedy and Marc Davis) tossed the ball at a guy named Franz Hanning, who tossed it right back. DeRosa then really blew it by tossing Hanning out of his seat at Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

It raises two immediate questions: What will the NBA do to DeRosa? And just what did Hanning yell?

In a way it doesn't matter. Short of outrageously foul language, fans are allowed to scream anything they want at officials. If DeRosa reacted the same way to everybody who questioned his work during the Magic-Celtics game, he would have thrown 17,467 basketballs into the stands.

Wouldn't you love to know what Hanning yelled?

In case you haven't seen the video, he was walking behind the scorer's table at the end of the second quarter. The officials were heading over to get their jackets, and Hanning started jawing at them.

DeRosa picked up a ball and tossed it over the scorer's table at Hanning. I used the phrase "attack" because I'm still hoping Hanning shows up at a press conference wearing a neck brace while announcing he's suing the NBA for half the value of LeBron James' next contract.

In truth, DeRosa's throw wouldn't have knocked over Perez Hilton. But it might still qualify as "assault" in some jurisdictions. In that case, Hanning was only defending himself when he tossed the ball back.

Either way, unlike Phil Jackson, Dwight Howard, et al., David Stern certainly can't fine Hanning for criticizing the officials. He'd better suspend DeRosa, or at least fine him $5,000. That's what Kevin Garnett got nicked for in 2006 when he tossed a ball at a fan in Memphis.

And Garnett's a player. He's supposed to act like a second-grader. DeRosa is an 18-year NBA official. He's supposed to be a detached arbiter of the rules, an authority figure.

Joe DeRosaNow he's a historical figure. Since the invention of the ball, there have been approximately 5.9 trillion instances of fans screaming at officials, umpires and referees. The officials may have been boiling inside, but on the outside they acted like deaf mutes being berated by mimes.

This might be the first time an official let on that he not only heard the insults, but they got to him. That's why for sheer posterity's sake, it would be nice to know what Hanning yelled. He is the Neil Armstrong of referee critiquing.

One small insult for man. One giant leap for irate fans.

Unfortunately, Hanning isn't talking. He's not just some yahoo who paints his face and screams at every questionable call. He's the CEO of Wyndham Vacation Ownership, a giant time-share condo operation. He's also a buddy of Boston coach Doc Rivers, who used to coach the Magic and whose family still lives in Orlando.

"As many people in Orlando know, I am a huge fan of NBA basketball, and especially my home team, the Orlando Magic. I think the NBA officials do a great job. I'm looking forward to the Magic going to Boston and evening up the series."

That's the statement Wyndham put out for Hanning on Wednesday. Zzzzz. It's like Rush Limbaugh congratulating Harry Reid for doing a "great job."

Maybe Hanning wants to seem more like a CEO than a fire-breathing fan. My guess is he wasn't quite so appreciative of DeRosa's work Tuesday night. It would be great to know what caused the official to crack, just to give millions of hoarse fans some words to keep them going when it seems nobody in stripes is listening to them.

They are. And now Stern has a bigger problem than Hanning wanting his money back for the second half.

DeRosa's ball toss has fired up the conspiracy theorists who insist the NBA wants TV-friendly teams to advance over Nielsen backwaters like Orlando. I think NBA officiating is good sometimes, horrible others. I don't think, however, the refs are fixing games so Kobe Bryant will be in the Finals.





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Phil Jackson knows how to work refs

Serious question: is Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson actually a Jedi?

(Alternate question for Sacramento fans: is Jackson actually an evil Sith Lord?)

Prior to the Los Angeles Lakers' 128-107 victory over the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference finals on Monday, Jackson was asked about preparing for Suns guard Steve Nash's frenetic playing style. The Lakers coach responded by making a basketball palming gesture and stating, "yeah, because you can't carry the ball like he does in practice. You can't pick up the ball and run with it."

While Nash dismissed the jab, others saw it as classic Jackson, yet another effort to influence officiating through subtle (and not-so-subtle) public lobbying. Indeed, Jackson has an oft-praised, oft-lamented habit of needling referees who don't see things his way, the better to -- ahem -- adjust their point of view. (And as someone who averaged 2.9 fouls and 17.6 minutes a game in his NBA playing career, Jackson knows hacks.)

Question is, does it work? Is Jackson, in fact, a mental master of puppets?

Or is he just whiny?

Page 2 reviewed Jackson's greatest verbal hits, as well as the on-court action surrounding them. Our conclusion? Nash wasn't whistled for carrying last night -- but if your Landspeeder is ever pulled over by Imperial Stormtroopers, it wouldn't hurt to have Jackson riding shotgun.

read the whole story here

Saturday, May 15, 2010

Hockey and TBI (traumatic brain injury)

by Chelsea Travers

CareMeridian


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Hockey is arguably one of the most physical professional sports. Hockey players are constantly getting body checked, slammed into boards, falling to the ice, slapped by a stick, hit by a dense, speeding puck or getting punched during a fight. If that isn’t bad enough, hockey players take part in one of the longest regular seasons of any sport, effectively taking on harsher pain for a longer amount of time throughout the year. Risk of injury couldn’t be clearer as you all too commonly see hockey players missing their front two teeth. With all of the injuries that can occur, one of the most dangerous is a traumatic brain injury (TBI). A TBI is a silent injury that can cause harm to the mind and body of an individual. An injury to the head or brain can alter someone’s life and can even require long-term rehabilitation and care from a skilled nursing facility. These injuries are often far too common in the sport of hockey and if not properly treated can permanently leave a hockey player's life challenging than the game they play.

TBI is an injury that Philadelphia Flyers player Ian Laperriere knows all too well. In game 5 of an NHL playoff game with the New Jersey Devils, Laperriere took a slap shot to the face that immediately caused him to bleed excessively from the wound above his eye and lose sight. Laperriere was diagnosed with a brain contusion after having a MRI a few days later. While Laperriere may have originally thought that losing sight in one of his eyes was the worst of the two injuries, in reality the bigger concern could wind up being the long-term effects of the brain injury.

A concussions have been dismissed as minor injuries because the physical nature of most sports causes them to occur regularly, but, frequently occurring or not, they are still head injuries where the brain is forced to move violently within the skull and the way it functions could change permanently. When the brain moves in such a manner, it can bruise, bleed, and even tear, which can cause irreversible damage to the victim. For a sport like hockey, this type of injury is very common and unfortunately at times ignored. Many hockey players don't take into account the possible effects of the injury and because it might not seem like a serious problem exists at first, they keep on skating as if nothing occurred. Their unawareness of the injury makes the it so much more dangerous because a mild brain injury can turn into a life threatening injury in a very short period of time without seeking immediate medical treatment.

Studies by the National Academy of Neuropsychology's Sports Concussion Symposium in New York have shown that since 1997, 759 NHL players have been diagnosed with a concussion. Broken down, that averages out to 76 players per season and 31 concussions per 1,000 games of hockey. That is far too frequent of an occurrence for such a serious injury. It's a frightening statistic that should send up a red flag to hockey officials that actions need to be taken to further prevent this type of injury from occurring.

The best, and sometimes only, treatment for TBI is prevention. For the National Hockey League new rules are being considered that preserve the game but also help protect the players. Rule changes concerning blindside hits, rink size (which effects players space from each other and their proximity to walls), and stronger helmet requirements all have been considered to help curb TBI and its effects. This demonstrates that the NHL is aware of the seriousness of the injury and is taking proactive steps to help prevent it from happening.

Hockey is one of the most popular sports in North America and has millions of people participating in it every year. Unfortunately, the sport comes with the risk of a TBI. With the right awareness of the injury and the necessary precautions in place, the game should be able to continue with players excited to lace up their skates and enjoy it.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Police Taser drunk fan who heckled Tiger Woods at golf tournament

By Mail Foreign Service

A drunken American who heckled Tiger Woods at a major golf tournament was Tasered by police when he refused to stop.

Travis Parmelee yelled abuse at the shamed golfer at the second round of the Players Championship, close to the 11th hole in Sawgrass, Florida.

The 36-year-old resisted attempts to calm down and became increasingly belligerent – which led to officers zapping him with a 50,000 volt stun gun.

Travis Parmelee is handcuffed and arrested after being Tasered by police for heckling Tiger Woods at the Players Championship in Sawgrass, Florida

Travis Parmelee is handcuffed and arrested after being Tasered by police for heckling Tiger Woods at the Players Championship in Sawgrass, Florida

Travis Parmelee
Tiger Woods

Parmelee was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest at the event, which marks one of Woods' first public forays back into golf

Parmelee was charged with disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest without violence.

Captain Dave Messenger says Parmelee had been drinking.

The arrest comes four days after a Philadelphia police officer used a stun gun on a teenager dashing through the outfield during a Phillies baseball game at Citizens Bank Park.

The use of a Taser on Parmalee comes just four days after a fan received the same treatment from police for running through the pitch during a Philadelphia baseball game

The use of a Taser on Parmalee comes just four days after a fan received the same treatment from police for running through the pitch during a Philadelphia baseball game


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1275641/Police-Taser-drunk-Tiger-Woods-fan-Players-Championship.html#ixzz0nXvTvyz5

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Has the Game Become Too Fast for Today's NHL Officials?

Has the Game Become Too Fast for Today's NHL Officials?

BUFFALO, NY - APRIL 23: Lindy Ruff , head coach of the  Buffalo Sabres talks to referee Tim Peel #20 during a tim out against  the Boston Bruins in Game Five of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals  during the 2010 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at HSBC Arena on April 23, 2010   in Buffalo, New York.  (Photo by Rick Stewart/Getty Images)
Rick Stewart/Getty Images

Lindy Ruff's face says it all.

You don't even need to know what the situation is. You don't even need to know when this took place. You don't even need to worry that this exchange of ideas will make a difference.

Has the game become too fast for today's NHL officials?

We have all had our own issues with referees. It's part of the game. Or is that something we keep telling ourselves?

The new rules are not so new anymore, various professional and junior leagues now employ the two-referee system and have similar rules in place that were originally designed and implemented by the NHL.

Time and time again we have witnessed the NHL standard of rules and how it's applied during games.

If you recall, we all went through a huge adjustment, players, coaches and certainly fans in educating ourselves on the do's and don'ts of hockey rules.

In the end we became well versed in the knowledge of these rules, likely more than ever, we now can be deemed as experts.

After my playing days were over I got involved with refereeing, more because I was always interested in their perspective of events.

In other words I wanted to see the game differently than a player. I wanted to not be so emotionally invested in the game. Was I ever wrong about that. You can't help but feel that you're going to effect the game in some shape or form.

I wanted to know how so much could be missed. I wanted to know why these people seem to care about their ego more than the game. I wanted to see if I could handle it. I really wanted to experience it. I certainly got a great view of the game without really seeing the game.

Game after game I saw things I never really paid attention too during a game before.

I was trying very hard to watch everything around the puck. The battles away from the puck and other nonsense that I would have only seen if I was on the bench as a player, now as a referee it all made my head spin around more that being in the movie "the exorcist" meets a bobble-head doll.

I realized as a player I watched what was effecting me or my team 100 percent of the time. As a referee I was trying to watch two teams and 40 players 100 percent of the time and it was all a blur.

Now I was trying to control a donnybrook, instead of trying to create them.

I was letting them play. I called penalties that created unfair advantages. I also had a few games where the referee-in-chief was present and he didn't like what he saw one bit. He said former players take a while to adjust to the pace of the action and it's hard to relate to the flow of the game.

What?

Are you kidding me?

But in the end he was right. I found myself to be too lenient and when a player rubbed me the wrong way I gave him the old 10-minute misconduct or game misconduct and that ended that. Good night to you, sir.

I played in a time without the two ref system so I don't have any benchmark to draw from. While I can say I refereed for a while in junior hockey before moving onto coaching and managing, the experience is still as vivid today as it was then. I realized I wasn't a good referee, not even close.

Before the new rules a referee would "manage" a game and sometimes dictate the outcome. I didn't have the demeanor. NHL referees work hard to make it. They train in the offseason and have built up a good resume before they work in the NHL.

So we should be seeing the best referees in the best league, correct?

I am always amazed during the playoffs, how the refereeing changes. How players, coaches and fans go through more than 1,200 regular season games with a certain level of expectation and the playoffs being so much more relaxed.

In comparison, the Stanley Cup playoffs are only a mire percentage of those 1,200 games, should every series in every round go to seven games.

The impact of refereeing is monumental.

However the referees clearly seem to let things go, make bad calls and take away the momentum of the game. I'll pick on the poor linesman here by saying that they take forever to drop the puck in the playoffs, something that wasn't an issue in the regular season.

Taking my past experience and by no way comparing it to the intense Stanley Cup playoff pressure, I ask is the game too fast for these officials?

Is it just me?

Simply it seems that there is a huge problem with the way playoff games are called. The boundaries of the regular season are removed in the postseason. Sure the games are a lot more intense and meaningful, that's the appeal of Stanley Cup action.

In the end the referees are human and as humans we are all prone to mistakes and regrets, but I ask all of you what are your feelings on the refereeing in this postseason.

How can two referees be on the ice for the entire game only one makes the majority of the calls, why are they always huddling and talking about things more, why they feel they need to make gestures to players. Is it to get it right the first time?

The gesturing to players by referees is not a new thing, but since the new rule changes came into effect, the referees would explain the calls more as a way for the players and coaches to understand and learn. Now it seems that the referees take everything personally or show a clear lack of respect.

One example of a referee gesturing occurred in Game Four between Pittsburgh and Montreal.

Brian Gionta of the Montreal Canadiens was cross checked after the whistle in the slot in front of the Pittsburgh net by Penguin Brooks Orpik. Gionta was knocked to his knees and slid forward looking at referee Paul Devorski. It seemed a late hit and a undisciplined play by Orpik.

Devorski was just a few feet away, watched the entire scenario unfold right in front of him, and then gestures to Gionta with both hands out to his sides while shaking his head.

There is no need for an NHL experienced referee to do that. Either make the call or not.

There is no room for editorializing by the referees, no opinions needed or required. That's what the NHL wanted from their referees. See an incident and make a decision and move on with the game.

Earlier in the game Sidney Crosby is slashed by Hal Gill, which breaks Crosby's stick. Sidney stops, spits out his mouth guard and holds his hands at his side outward towards the referee with his classic "come on ref!" gesture.

Is Crosby frustrated, you bet he is and that's his emotion showing. It's a player's right, but is a referee allowed to show his emotion so blatantly?

A few minutes after referee Devorski gestures to Gionta, Gionta lines up Orpik a few feet from the corner boards, hits him in the shoulder and pushes with his arms, sending Orpik hard into the boards.

Referee Devorski calls Gionta for boarding. Clear as day boarding, the result of possible frustration from Gionta.

Devorski's attitude comes through the Bell Centre P.A. system as he announces the penalty. His mannerisms and dirty looks towards Gionta are unprofessional as Gionta makes his way toward the penalty box right in front of Devorski. I'm sure Gionta had words of encouragement for him.

I can tell you that being a referee is not easy, but if the NHL has the best referees in the world working for them then how come we have these issues.

Should the NHL go back to a one referee system? I don't know. I agree with the notion of letting the boys play, but maybe with the intensity of these playoffs and the upsets that have occurred the referees are in over their heads.

I thought two heads were supposed to better than one.

Officiating so bad, it couldn't be a conspiracy