If you’re anything like us you were royally pissed off at the end of the Super Bowl this year. The pure astonishment that they didn’t stop the game to ensure that they got the call right (I’m still not sold, no matter how many people confer) was enough to leave a sour flavor in our mouths after a very delicious day of football. Then again, if you’re like us, someone had to remind you of all that because you were too drunk to remember on your own. But now that the Absinthe haze has worn off, we’re able to actually remember things, and these are some of the officiating blunders that make us the most pissed off. Enjoy!
2001-Kings-Lakers NBA Playoffs, Game 6
If you ever even say Game 6 in front of a Kings’ fan, prepare for an earful about how they got screwed at the Staples Center. After acquiring Mike Bibby that season, this was probably the best Sacramento team ever. In fact, they were up 3-2 in the series over the defending champion Lakers until the referees intervened. The Lakers shot 27 free throws in the 4th Quarter, an extremely high number for any game, especially compared to the Kings’ 9.
2002-The “Tuck Rule” Game
This one really stings because it gave way to the Patriots Dynasty and brought the Massholes out of retirement. I mean, imagine if the refs had seen Brady pulling the ball back to his body (like the rest of us saw) and the Raiders go on to the Super Bowl. Maybe the Patriots, disappointed by not making the big game, don’t bring back some of those players (including Brady). Then they go back to the middle of the pack in the NFL and the rest of us are much much happier. Thanks, ref dicks. PS – the Raiders never recovered from this, wallowing in craptitude ever since.
2006-Mavs-Heat Game 6
Don’t get me wrong I don’t expect great things from NBA refs and the Mavs certainly deserved to lose the series but…As the clock ran out on the game Jason Terry rose up for a tying 3 point shot and his jersey didn’t rise up with the rest of him. He missed the shot and Dewayne Wade was crowned the new Jordan. Add Wade’s elbowing Dirk just a play before and the foul being called on Dirk and It obvious that David “Troll-man” Stern was looking to send a message to Mark Cuban.
1996-Jeffrey Maier “Home Run”
MLB’s official rules states: if “a spectator reaches out of the stands, or goes on the playing field, and touches a live ball” spectator interference is to be called. How much more obvious can you get than a kid reaching over and taking a ball out of Tony Tarasco’s glove. Later, the ump that made the terrible call agreed that the kid reached over but said the ball wasn’t catch-able. BS. Take a look at the videoand tell me Tarasco wasn’t about the put Captain Clutch and the rest of the Bombers out of the game. PS – The Orioles also were never the same after this bad call.
1999-NHL Stanley Cup Finals, Brett Hull’s “no goal”
Since I grew up in Dallas and my father was always a huge hockey fan the 99 Stanley Cup Finals was one of the happier sports moments I have. But it’s tainted. Brett Hull’s triple overtime series winner was probably not a goal. Here’s the deal. At the time, players could enter the goalie’s crease after the puck. Hull’s shot careened off Dominik Hasek and out of the crease, Hull’s skate slides into the crease as he takes a second shot. But with it being triple overtime, the officials seemed to be ready to call it. The offseason brought a rule change that would make the play legal if it ever happened again…if the league has to change the rules because of a screw up by the officials, it was a bad call….but I’ll take it.
1972-Olympic Gold Medal Basketball Game (USA v. USSR)
Possibly the biggest screw-job ever, considering it was on the World’s Largest Stage: The Olympics. Essentially the Soviets got several chances at hitting a last second buzzer beater. After the expiration of the clock and an obvious USA victory, the refs put time back on the clock to give the Russians another chance. If this weren’t ridiculous enough, the guy running the clock was probably possessed with the ghost of Stalin, as he stopped and started it as he saw fit. Thankfully the Americans have refused to accept the silver medal to this day and refuse to legitimize the most bias officiating captured on film.
2002-Giants@49ers Wildcard Game
This game is remembered in the annuals of NFL history as the second largest comeback in the playoffs. The Giants led by 24 late in the third quarter. But pre-TO Terrell Owens and Jeff Garcia brought the 49ers back to lead by one point when the Giants set up for a last minute field goal. The snap was botched and the holder jumps up to attempt a pass to some random lineman. The 49ers tackle the lineman while the ball is in the air and no penalty is assessed…conventional wisdom says, he’s a lineman so he’s illegally downfield anyway right? He had reported as an eligible receiver, and in any case a PI and Ineligible Receiver penalty would have offset and the down would have to be replayed…instead the clock ran out with no flags to force another play the Giants went home defeated.
2000-NBA Finals, Trailblazers v. Lakers
In retrospect, it looks like the Lakers had a lot of help in establishing themselves as a dynasty. This travesty in officiating occurred on the way to their 1st title in a highly contested series against the Blazers. It appeared Portland was on their way to the Finals with a 13 point lead heading into the 4th Quarter of Game 7, until Dick Bavetta intervened. LA shot roughly 200 free throws in that 4th Quarter (21 more than Portland for the game) to rally back and stun the Blazers.
2006-NBA Slam Dunk Contest
Not all bad officiating comes in pivotal moments in monumental games. Sometimes they interrupt play time as well. Two years ago, Nate Robinson (all 5’9″ of him) won the dunk contest in laughable fashion. The contest should have been over when Iguodala did this. Just stop it all right there. But no, they let Robinson try dunk after dunk after dunk until they were so bored they just handed it to the smallest guy. Such a travesty.
Honorable Mentions:
Roy Jones, Jr at the Olympics
Michigan-Nebraska Alamo Bowl
Seattle-Pittsburgh Super Bowl
Joey Crawford tossing Tim Duncun for laughing on the bench
Got any we forgot? Of course you do. Remind us of how stupid we are in the comments!
You forgot Green Bay vs. the 49ers.
i agree with u about the tuck rule call, however, do ur research. the raiders went to the superbowl the following year. they got crushed by the buccaneers. it was this game that they never recovered from.
Game Six, 1985 World Series, Cardinals vs. Royals. Don Denkinger misses the call at 1st base. Cards don’t recover.
Don Denkinger’s call at 1st base, game 6, ’85 World series.
Drew Pearson pushing off on Nate Wright (not called) on Roger Staubach’s hail mary pass against the Vikings in the 1975 playoffs. One of the worst non calls ever.
Homerun Throwback…..perhaps?
Bills v. Titans, 1999 Wild Card
Forward lateral – game stolen from the Bills by a terrible call. The Titans tried a bunch of laterals at the end as an act of desperation. One of those went forward (against the rules), and somehow the refs missed it. Terrible.
The Fifth Down! The most egregious bad call ever! 1990, Columbia, Missouri: Colorado beats Missouri 33-31 when the Buffs accidentally get an extra play.
1st down: CU spikes the ball
2nd down: CU run. Timeout CU. Refs get confused
2nd 2nd down: CU run
3rd down (should have been 4th): CU spikes the ball.
4th down (should have been 5th): QB sneak. Whether he crossed the goal line is still subject to heated debate
Colorado goes on to a split national title. A Mizzou team that might have been able to turn the corner on several bad years instead continues to wallow in mediocrity.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQJT8q0MMwQ
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fifth_Down_Game_(1990)
Actually, after the O’s lost to the Yanks that year, they went on to win the AL East the following year again (1997), even reaching the ALCS against the Indians. Then they started to suck a little, but for the rest of the 90′s the O’s kept pace with the Sox and Yanks in the East. It wasn’t until Moose left and Cal retired that the O’s started to fall off the planet.
Luke,
I would tend to disagree with you…and agree with the list here. Had the Raiders moved on I think Davis would have been even more reluctant to let Gruden go in the offseason. Gruden being sold to the Bucs brought about the Callihan experiment and put the Bucs in position to win the SB that year…so the funk the Raiders have been in really traces back to the Tuck game more than the Super Bowl loss since it led to Gruden’s departure.
Gotta be the phantom PI on Benny Barnes against Lynn Swann in SB XIII. Barnes (running ahead of Swann) falls down, Swann stumbles over him, and the official not nearest the play throws the hanky (the ref closest to it made no call). NFL changes the rule to next year to allow such “incidental contact” knowing they had screwed the Cowboys over.
re: Tuck Rule.
I mean, imagine if the refs had seen Brady pulling the ball back to his body (like the rest of us saw)
Umm, they did see that, and explained it as such. However, per the rule on the books at the time (and still on the books to this day), a quarterback must ‘complete’ the pulling of the ball back into his body. Brady clearly did not and the referee stated as such.
The rule may be stupid and it probably should be changed. However, by NFL regulations, the correct call was made.
What about St. Louis – KC in the 1985 World Series. 9th inning grounder for the 1st out and the runner was called safe. Cardinals went on to lose that game and game 7.
what about the phantom call on scottie pippen in the 1994 easter conference semis v. the knicks? his hand was about 3 feet away from the 3-pt shooter’s when they called a shooting foul … BULL
1990 Colorado-Missouri NCAA football game. Colorado wins on a 5th-down field goal at the end of the game. Many bad calls are at least judgment calls, but this one was so monumental because it’s indisputably wrong.
Colorado, on its way to a tainted national championship, beating Missouri because they were given 5 downs near the goal line.
I also remember a Braves playoff game where the late Eric Gregg was consistently giving Greg Maddux strikes on balls about a foot outside.
Maybe the worst of all time in college football, Oregon beating Oklahoma when the replay official missed not one but two clearly bad calls on separate plays at the end of the game.
The no-call on Doug Gilmour in the 1993 Campbell Conference finals is the worst ever. Wayne Gretzky high sticks Gilmour in Game 6, Kerry Fraser doesn’t call it, even though Gilmour is BLEEDING FROM THE NECK, and the Kings go on to win that game and game 7. Cost the Leafs a shot at the Cup and cost the NHL the chance to have a Toronto/Montreal Stanley Cup Final. I hate Kerry Fraser.
Suns-Spurs 2006, when Amar’e was tossed after Nash was fouled pretty hard.
The ’85 World Series and Colorado’s 5th Down definitely belong on the list.
CU @ Mizzou 1990
The Tuck rule wasn’t a bad call, it was the correct call – read the rule book. Is it a dumb rule? Probably, but the rule was called as written in the rulebook. Walt Coleman called it correctly. Also, if you want to talk about a missed call on that play, watch Woodson hit Brady’s head before the ball ever comes losse, should have been 15 yards and an automatic 1st down.
2002 Western Conference Finals Lakers – Kings – Game 6? How about going back one game to the closing seconds of Game 5, where Chris Webber got bailed out from another choke job when he was the one who knocked the ball out of bounds? He was even face down pounding the floor like he knew he screwed it up again. But no, the refs bailed him out, and Kings get the ball and Bibby nails the game winner.
Your anti-Laker sentiment that still harps on Game 6 and seem to forget that food poisoning Kobe gave you Game 2, the Lakers came back from 24 points in Game 4, the Webber bailout in game 5 and nice knuckleballs from Christie and Stojakovic in Game 7 were other factors in the series.
but go ahead and dwell on game 6, shows how myopic you are.
and Game 7 of 2000 WCF? You gotta be kidding me. No bad calls there. Try that Portland choked.
The 2002 Women’s hockey gold medal game between Canada and the US. The American referee calls 8 straight penalties against Canada in an effort to let the US tie up the score. Didn’t work.
Well, I tend to agree that the tuck rule was pretty bogus, but it was called correctly (I’m a Pats fan just to get that out of the way). Also, it was a bit of karmic retribution for Patriots fans considering the 1976 AFC divisional game between Pats & Raiders was decided by a bogus roughing the passer call which gave Oakland the ball inside 10 yards. Oakland went on to win that game and their first super bowl. Patriots descended into mediocrity until the mid-90′s. And all the Raiders fans seem to forget that they lost the SUPER BOWL the following year to the Buccaneers, who were not nearly the juggernaut the Rams were in 2001-2002. Dear Oakland fans -GET OVER IT.
1998 NBA Finals Chicago vs Utah, with Jordan pushing Bryon Russell to the floor then buring the “J” to win the Series.
Many of these have been published in a book by some sportswriters.
Super Bowl 40 should be higher on the list.
The roughing the passer from SB 43.
I think the 1972 US / Russia game should be pretty high on the list.
Jordan pushing off Byron Russell for the Bulls’ 6th championship.
Dwayne Wade in the NBA finals is a good one. Like the Lakers’ entries, and Super Bowl 40, it wasn’t just one particular incident, but a string of horrible officiating.
The San Diego – Denver game from this past season.
Pittsburgh / Detriot NFL – ref messes up coin toss.
There was a college football game (I think involving Oregon and a Big 12 team) in which an onside kick recovery call was botched. I don’t remember the details, but I believe it led to an apology.
Andrew,
The Titans did not try “a bunch of laterals”. Lorenzo Neal handed it off to Wychek and Wychek performed a legal lateral pass to Dyson.
game 6 85 series 1994 orange bowl…bennett phantom touchdown leads FSU to victory over nebraska
No Don Dekinger from 1985? This list is not complete without it.
How about Kent Hrbeck pulling Ron Gant off of 1st base in the 91 World Series
in response to phil, the year following the tuck rule game, the raiders had a phenomenal year on their way to a super bowl. sure davis let gruden go, a move i hated then,and lament still to this day. however, the article said that the raiders never recovered from the loss to the pats. that is a ridiculous statement to make when the team went to the super bowl the following year. a year in which their running back flirted with being only the third rb ever to have 1000 yards rushing and receiving, and, their quarterback, rich gannon, posted probably one of the top five years ever by a quarterback. i would say that they actually bounced back from that loss to the pats rather well, especially with a new(and thoroughly incompetent) coach.
Pass interference on Miami vs Ohio Taint in the BCS game. Ridiculous attempt of the BCS to ensure the best ‘story’ won and not the best team.
and inresponse to 1976 afc championship game guy. sounds like it is you who needs to get over something guy. almost everyone everywhere agrees that the tuck rule game was called WRONG. only u and other pats fans agree with the call. bringing up the afc championship from 1976 that no one knows anything about and saying karma was involved in the tuck rule game because of it, seems to me like u have been harboring some salty feelings for over thirty years. GET OVER IT. oh and by the way, 18-1. GET OVER IT.
Excellent list but how about Ben Rothlisberger’s “TD?” against Seattle. It was called on the field but was so obscure you could not see the ball cross the line in video and under NFL rules there was not enough for this questionable call to be overturned.
CalgaryFames robbed in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final
You got the Brett Hull goal that wasn’t but missed the Flames “No goal” that was. With the Flames up 3 games to 2 over the Tampa Bay Lightning, game 6 was in Calgary. In the third period with the score tied 2-2, the Flames Martin Gelinas scored to make it 3-2. The replay clearly shows the puck crossing the goal line before, Khabibulan, the Tampa Bay goaltender, used his pad to drag it back out. However, the referees, Bill McCreary and Kerry Fraser always want to influence games the Flames play in and favour the opposition to the extreme, said no goal. That was actually the Stanley Cup winning goal but with the call, regulation time ended in a 2-2 tie and the Lighning went on to win in overtime and then again with a 2-1 result in Game 7. After the series ended, the NHL admitted that the referees goofed big time and the goal should have counted. Now we have instant replay due to that call but a lot of good it does the Flames and their fans.
Anyone who tries to defend the tuck rule is clearly delusional or an blathering acolyte of Bill Simmons, though those two aren’t necessarily mutually exclusive. The tuck rule only applies when ‘the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body’. If you watch the replay, which is readily available on the internet, Tom Brady has BOTH HANDS on the football and was clutching it to his chest when he’s tackled by Charles Woodson. He can’t be ‘tucking’ the ball because he already has possession of it. It’s indefensible that the refs, or anyone else for that matter, could look at the replay at determine the tuck rule applied. It’s a fumble and the Raiders got screwed. That doesn’t excuse their subsequent death sprial, but it’s a clear, unambigous case of officals altering the outcome of the game through a bad call.
1965 playoff the Packers kick a field goal to tie and eventually win over Baltimore in OT. Leads to the first of 3 straight and the Packer/Lombardi dynasty. Most people will tell you the field goal was no good (and I’m a HUGE Packer fan!). NFL lengthened the goalposts the next year.
How about the Jerry Rice funble in the first round playoff game against the Packers in 1997. Trailing 27-23 with under a minute remaining in their first round playoff game, 49er receiver Jerry Rice caught a 6 yard pass at the Packer 41 yard line, but Packers linebacker Bernardo Harris and nickel back Scott McGarrahan stripped the ball and Harris pounced on it. The Packers began celebrating their fourth straight playoff victory over the 49ers and a trip to face the Falcons in the second-round. Unfortunately for Green Bay, line judge Jeff Bergman said Rice never fumbled, and although field judge Kevin Mack had a better view, he didn’t overrule his colleague. Four plays later, Steve Young hit receiver Terrell Owens with the game winning touchdown. CNN/SI’s Dr. Z put it best…”The Rice thing was a flat-out blown call. He fumbled. Period.” Replay indeed confirmed that Rice had fumbled; however, instant replay was not re-instated for another year.
That official waiting until the middle of the U of Miami’s championship parade to throw that PI flag.
UW QB Jake Locker’s 15 yard penalty for excessive celebration against BYU, 2008. He just threw the ball in the air after he scored the tying touchdown. They had to kick the extra point 15 yds back and the PAT was blocked.
Definetly has to be the Miami/OSU Fiesta Bowl. The ref “closed my eyes and replayed it in my head.” Also, the coin flip in Detroit was horrible, but couldn’t have happened to a better bunch. Super Bowl XL was the NFL ensuring that the Steelers get another trophy. Also, They should have at least reviewed the “fumble” by Warner, if it had been Big Ben, that is exactly what would have happened
No one will remember this, but in a Penn State/Indiana basketball game in 1993, Penn State was on the verge of a huge upset. Penn State was terrible that year, while Indiana was a top 10 rated team that later won the Big 10. Penn State was leading the game by two, but IU had the ball in the final seconds. Penn State forced a turnover and a Penn State player took off uncontested with the ball. It would have been an easy layup, except that an IU player grabbed the Penn State player’s jersey from behind. The Penn State player slapped the IU player’s hand away and a foul was called. Rather than it being an intentional foul on IU (meaning two free throws for PSU, possession of the ball and, in this circumstance, a victory for PSU), the ref somehow called the foul on the Penn State player. IU made both free throws and then won the game in overtime. An absolute officiating travesty if there ever was one.
Roy Jones in the Olympics is top 5. The Korean’s eye was barely staying in the socket and Jones wasn’t touched. How the h-ll anyone can give the Korean the win is beyond me.
The Music City Fiasco (aka “miracle” in some southern backwoods hick towns where cousins marry, men are men, and sheep are scared).
That was a forward pass. Period.
Granted, the Bills should have defended better, but it was a forward pass.
Period.
Regarding the “tuck rule” game:
While I certainly don’t recall the play (I’m might not have actually watched the game), and have generally been a Patriots hater due to being a Fins fan, I am not bitter about this one. There is only one time I hate worse than the ‘Boys and thats the Raiders. If this is the play that has condemned them to crapdom, and started the Patriots “dynasty”, I’ll take it.
By the way, I’ve always thought that the “immaculate reception” was a blown call…
World Series 1991, Kent Hrbeck picks Ron Gant up off first base so he can tag him out!
the immaculate reception WAS a bum call. watch the replay and consult the rule book.
Luke:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Ben-Dreith
Here’s the money quote: “During a 1976 playoff game between the Oakland Raiders and the New England Patriots, Dreith called a roughing the passer penalty on Patriots tackle Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton, nullifying a third down incompletion and giving the Raiders an automatic first down deep in New England territory. Replays would clearly show that there was no illegal contact, but the call setup Oakland’s game-winning touchdown less than a minute left.”
Oh and in regards to 18-1, I can smile at the fact that the Patriots won 1 less game in 2007 than the raiders did in the four year period 2003-2007.
But hey, you can keep blaming the Patriots for the Raiders upper management being totally incompetent and completely miscalculating by awarding huge contracts to Deangelo Hall/Javon Walker among others.
Oh, and I wasn’t alive in 1976. Just pointing out that stuff has a way of coming around, as everybody does who yells “18-1″ any time I mention I’m a Patriots fan. I’ll just say that 18-1 in 2007 looks a lot better than 5-11. I’m sure the Patriots will eventually fall back to the pack, but I’m going to keep enjoying this time. Anyway, hopefully the Raiders can come back, but they won’t if they keep hanging onto a game that happened 7 years ago.
I’ll have to agree with the Hrbeck/Gant debacle
No doubt the biggest blunder was Don Denkinger game six 1985 World Series. The sesries was over if he calls it right, and he wasn’t even close to being right!
1998 NBA Finals, Game 6. Yeah, yeah, Jordan pushed Russell, but that call was never going to go that way. Worse were the two shot clock calls missed by Dick Bavetta, both of which went against the Jazz. I don’t blame Bavetta too much, though. The danger was simply too great with Pippen likely out for a potential Game 7. The Bulls lose that series, and the wrath of David Stern and NBC would have been unquenchable.
One more thing, here’s the official wording of the tuck rule:
“When a Team A player is holding the ball to pass it forward, any intentional forward movement of his hand starts a forward pass, even if the player loses possession of the ball as he is attempting to tuck it back toward his body. Also, if the player has tucked the ball into his body and then loses possession, it is a fumble.”
Hell, even I don’t understand that thing. But it seems to me that if you get rid of this rule then replays become about intent, and how can anybody be comfortable with a replay official making his own decision about what the quarterback was trying to do, in about three minutes? Bottom line, it’s not the greatest rule, but if anything getting rid of it would just cause greater problems.
Basically what I’m gathering from all of this is that at one point or another, pretty much every single professional American sports team has had an important call go against them. But Raiders fans have nothing to complain about. I’d rather be a Raiders fan than a Cincinatti Bengals fan at this point. At least your team has won a Super Bowl.
afc, when have i appeared to be a disgruntled fan? the tuck rule call was a botched call. they have said it on every major sports channel. id like to ask u though when i have appeared to be a disgruntled fan? i have merely stated things the way they are. i believe that it was me who actually pointed out that the raiders bounced back the following year. i believe i also calmly conceded that the raiders made a mistake letting go of gruden. yet you felt the need to tell raider fans to “get over it” with no real provocation. nowhere in this column did an “admitted” raiders fan cry about this call. just merely agreed that it was the wrong call. in all fairness though, its ridiculous for u to bring up a call from a game that you werent alive for and make a case for its validity against the one in question. if you want to get technical, i guess u could tell the author of this and anyone else contributing to “get over it” but you would just be being a d!ck, wouldnt u.
Uhh, I didn’t call you a disgruntled fan anywhere in my previous comments. And by saying “Get Over it” what I meant was, Oakland had their chance the following year and couldn’t do it. I’m sure their troubles recently can also be attributed to them playing in the same division as the Broncos/Chargers, who have been pretty good teams this decade. Maybe we can commiserate with each other in our mutual hatred of the Broncos. I don’t see why it’s that ridiculous, that was a blown call that was known to be a blown call (they even banned the official who made it from ever officiating a Patriots game again) that led to a championship for your team. I’ve been watching the replays on youtube, and I still can’t tell what the call should be, although poor video quality and the fact that the game was played in a blizzard lend itself to that. But I’ll call it what you called it, a blown call which led to the Patriots first of several super bowls. Stuff has a funny way of coming around, was my point.
Only one mention of the “no-goal” call in 2004 that would have given the Flames the Stanley Cup? Shame on you all.
Luke, probably short for Leukemia, is clearly a disgruntled fan. Why else would he bring up 18-1 (and btw, 18-1 isn’t an insult, 0-16 is) as a pejorative?
BTW, it’s not as if the Raiders win the SB just because they beat the Pats. The Raiders still would’ve had to play in Pittsburgh then against the Greatest Show on Turf and without a coach of Belichick’s caliber. So all the Pats did was to speed up the inevitable Raiders loss.
As for the Jaided (Raider) fans, you got yours in 1976, Pats fans got theres in 2002. It’s even. Stop your incessant whining about the Tuck Rule.
Superbowl 40 phantum holding call on a play that would have put Seattle on the one yard line for the go ahead touchdown in the 4th quarter and ended up robbing the Nation of a down to the wire game. One of the many “questionable” calls all favoring the Steelers that day.
Followed closely a couple of plays later by the “made up on the spot” penalty of tackling an intercepting player below the knees giving the Steelers the ball at mid field.
1998 NBA Finals, Game 6. Jordan’s push off on Russell. Simply said.
Bills vs. Titans, 1999 playoffs. The forward pass.
How about Super Bowl 42, Eli Manning in the grasp, I heard tghe whistle blow yet he completes the pass and goes on to throw for a touchdown and the win!
OU/Oregon
That horrible set of calls/non-calls againest OU when the refs couldn’t see an onsides kick being touched too soon, a Sooner players with the ball OR a replay that plainly showed both. HORRIBLE
your lack of denkinger in 85 completely illegitimizes this list.
You forgot the entire 2008 NBA Finals. But if you just want one game, then Game 2 would do. The Celtics got 38 free throws to the Lakers 10. And Leon Powe shot more free throws than the entire Lakers team.
The ’92 World Series where the Jays actually completed a triple play thanks to Devon White’s defensive gem of a catch. The runner was clearly tagged out. Didn’t amount to much though, since Toronto did win it all.
Joey is channeling Phil “The Ultimate Whiner” Jackson. Game 2 of the 2008 Finals was LEGIT!
BTW, Laker fans are the LAST people who should complain about bad calls.
But since you brought it up, 1988 Game 7 NBA Finals, Pistons only down 3 and Isiah is held by Magic with time left as he’s shooting and the fans run on the court. Isiah should’ve had two free throws and the Pistons should’ve had the chance to steal the ball from the Laker inbound.
BTW, Joey is right about one thing, the refs did give Games 3 and 5 to the Lakers in the 2008 Finals.
Notre Dame v.s USC (The Push) Reggie Bush never made it over that endzone.
NBA is the worst when it comes to calls/non-calls. Can’t have the star players foul out early….
2006 both AFC Divisional Games Patriots-Broncos, Steelers-Colts.
Refs in first game called a ridiculous PI call against Samuel and Bailey’s TAINT should’ve been a Patriots touchback because of Ben Watson.
Refs in 2nd game called an obvious Polomalu INT as a drop.
2008 Celtics-Blazers reg. season game.
The refs allowed the Blazers to play with SIX guys.
Why only mention Kings-Lakers games six? Every kings lakers game for years was f*cked up, including regular season games. samaki walkers half court shot 3 seconds after the buzzer??? bibby getting called for a foul when kobe elbowed him in the face?? shaq committing a lane violation on all of his 400 frickin free throws a game?? the Peja 3 point brick where he was CLEARLY fouled??? i was at the game for the last one it was the biggest BS ive ever seen
05 Whitesox angels Alcs did it bounce?
Worst Call – OJ found not guilty
Mid- 196os and the Giants and Dodgers are (as usual) battling for a pennant. In a tight game, the Giants get the bases loaded and then Don Drysdale (working on a streak of scoreless innings) HITS Dick Dietz with a fastball. Trouble is, the ump, I think it was Wendlestadt, says Dietz “didn’t make enough effort to get out of the way” , so no run comes home. Didn’t get out of the way of a Drysdale fastball???? The Giants screamed protests, Don rested and then retired the side without a run. SF loses the game and the pennant. Worst call I have ever witnessed, really motivated by the fact the LA was at home and Don was on a streak, since, thankfully, broken.
Seattle-Pittsgurgh: End of a turnover play, Seattle gets the ball, Seattle called for an illegal tackle. How does an illegal tackle happen when you’re on the offense?
what about the Swindle in the Swamp. 6 fumbles that all went the way of FSU over Florida. replays showed multiple incorrect calls. then the next season UT-UF where UF was flagged for a personal foul late in the game allowing UT to get good field position and ultimately win the game. The SEC acknowledged the bad call the next week. sorry zook.
The Tuck Rule was payback for a really bad call in 1978. Raiders – Patriots There is a roughing the passer call on Ray “Sugar Bear” Hamilton against Kenny Stabler. He barely touched him. The result … the Raiders win and go on to win the Super Bowl. The Patriots start losing players left and right such as Russ “All World” Francis. Had the Patriots won that game, the team would have remained intact and they may have won a Super Bowl or 2 in the late 70′s – early 80′s …
“Pittsburgh / Detriot NFL – ref messes up coin toss”.
Nope, there was no error on the coin toss. Bettis’ first call was heads then he changed it to tails. I watched the game and and I heard him call heads first then claim he didn’t. Later he changed his story and said he changed his call when the coin was in the air.
http://www.referee.com/sampleArticles/2001/SampleArticle0101/headsortails/headstailstext.html
Christian Laettner not getting ejected for stomping Aminu Timberlake in the greatest college basketball game ever…that shot should never have happened.
1988 NBA Finals Game 6 Pistons vs. Lakers
The foul call on Bill Laimbeer with 15 seconds remaining in the game. Kareem hits both free throws and win the game forcing a game 7.
Even as a Rockies fan, I wonder whether Matt Holliday definitely touched home plate in the ’07 playoff. No doubt the Rox would have won given the situation that would have remained had he been called out, but the uncertainty sure adds a small amount of taint.
I guess the Lakers-Kings series is a big controversy so lets add one more to that. Robert Horry’s three that was definetly after the buzzer. That was a rip-off for the Kings. And yes the Kings were definitely better then the Lakers.
This list was invalidated as soon as Denkinger was left off. Try again.
He can’t.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/fashion/08halfmill.html?_r=1&em
Notre Dame vs USC 2005
The ball should of been placed at the 2 yard line, not the 1 foot line. There should of been 3 seconds on the clock, not 7 and the assistant coach should of been flagged for being out of the coaches box and not having any timeouts remaining. Also tuck rule
Jets vs Seattle, mid 90′s when instant replay was temporarily on hiatus.
Seahawks are contending for a playoff spot and are leading late. The Jets with Vinnie Testaverde are driving and on 4th down Vinnie makes a mad scramble towards the end zone but is tackled a yard short. As Vinnie is lying flat on the ground a full yard from the goal line with a defender wrapped around his legs he reaches out with the ball and puts it over the goal line. The refs call it a TD and because there is no replay it stands. The Jets go on to win and this loss keeps the Seahawks out of the playoffs. Dennis Erickson, the coach of the Hawks, is subsequently fired.
Agreed Rik! Although I am a Jets fan…Late ’90′s…late in the game Jets v. Seahawks, ‘Hawks are leading….Jets are on the Seahawks 5 yard line…Vinny Testaverde runs, bashes through the line for 4, may 4.5 yards at the MOST…officials call it a TD! Jets win! Dennis Ericson was not a terrible coach for the Seahawks but counting that game, they have a losing season, and he’s fired. Raw deal! Jimmie Johnson is coaching the Dolphins that year…seeing how poorly head coaches are treated in the NFL, even when the officials cost them their jobs, retires for good. Great coach, who could still contibute a lot to the game, lost to the TV studios as an analyst.
1984 Elite 8 game, Kentucky vs. Illinois. Played at Rupp Arena, and the homer officiating Kentucky got (including some very questionable calls at the very end to seal UK’s narrow victory) was so egregious that the NCAA changed the rules and stopped allowing team’s the play in the tourny on their home court.
All of this is nothing but a bunch of sour grapes…get over it. Human error is all a part of the game.
Shoulda,coulda, woulda. All of these so-called bad calls would be inconsequential if your team had played just a little bit better and made them a moot point.
To all the Seahawks fans still complaining about SB40 4 years later:
1) Your franchise is a joke
2) Hasselbeck was not called for an “illegal tackle” after his untimely INT. He was called for diving at the knees of a player attempting to block him. The fact that he made a nice play to tackle the ballcarrier is irrelevant.
3) A hold is a hold. They could be called on nearly every pass play in today’s NFL. Maybe the Seahawk lineman should not have done it while getting beaten around the edge right in front of the officials.
I feel I must address two things:
1) I totally forgot the Raiders went to the SB the next year. You are right, I was wrong. Very wrong. Mea culpa.
2) Denkinger is not on the list because I was 2 when that happened so it doesn’t hold as much weight with me as the more recent blunders.
If you were 2 in ’85, how friggin old were you when the US got ripped off in Olympic basketball? Negative 11?
that is no excuse. you say it is the worst of the worst and as mike said, you werent even born when the olympic basketball incident occurred. if you want to do it that way, call the list the worst calls since i started caring about sports just within the past 20 years even though all of the leagues i am using for this have had 100 plus years of history plus one random call that i feel like adding. it holds more weight than the recent blunders. it cost a team a championship. it happened in a situation that the cards were in a great spot to clinch the series. that holds more weight than an alamo bowl. and a slam dunk contest? that holds a lot of weight. sheesh
what the ed hochili call in week 2 of denver vs san diego