More Reasons to Love the Sounders, Soccer
John Oliver Makes No Apologies
Isabella Rossellini Brings Green Porno to Benaroya
Hugo House Presents Visiting Hours
We Pronounce Blogsgiving 2009 a Success
Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren today bellyached about officiating during the Seahawks' loss in the Super Bowl. Which happened two months ago.
According to Mike Sando of the TNT, Holmgren said:
We lost the game and it hurts. It still hurts. But to have the story of the Super Bowl be the officials, that's crazy. I mean, that absolutely should never happen.
An article by the AP reveals that Commissioner Tagliabue's staff wanted to fine Holmgren for his Qwest Field rally "didn't know we'd have to play the refs" remark. But Tagliabue overruled them.
Also annoyed at the striped-shirted men is University of Washington athletic director Todd Turner, who thinks the Huskies got jobbed in their loss to Connecticut.
Sure, the refs missed an obvious goaltend of a Brandon Roy shot. Cost us two points. But they also gave UConn coach Jim Calhoun a completely unwarranted technical foul. Gave us two points. And the technical foul on Brandon Roy was silly. But none of those calls were as egregiously stupid as Mike Jensen's last-second foul on a UConn layup that turned it into a one-possession game.
Bad calls are a part of sports. It stinks when they cost you a game, but, as the old bromide goes, you shouldn't let the score get close enough for the refs to decide it.
There will be a lot less referee-related stress this summer, since the Mariners won't be in many close games.
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebook
The first four paragraphs of Jeff Jacobs' article made me cry at my desk.
I think you're being harsh. Holmgren's entire career revolves around the goal of winning the Superbowl. To be so close to that and then have it seemingly stripped away because of shitty officiating would be a very tough thing to get over. It's easier for fans (I'm assuming you're one) to get over it because we have other things to occupy us. But Holmgren doesn't. This is his life. And if he wasn't still pissed off only two months afterward then I'd be worried that he's lost his desire to coach. Thus, I'm happy he's still mad. He should be.
It's been two months, Seth. I mean, damn, I'm still disappointed over a potentially great round of golf that slipped away from me 2 years ago. It's human nature. If you care. Or is it still uncool to care?
Good point, Ryan--though I think Holmgren might focus a little less on the officials and a little more on the fact that he, as usual, gave up on the running attack too early in the game. If the refs hadn't been the story, that would've been. If Holmgren lets Alexander keep running (he averaged nearly 5 yds./rush for the game), the Steelers defense would've tired out and the Hawks would have come back. Instead, Hasselbeck threw 49 passes and we lost by 11 points. Blaming the refs is a good way to avoid turning the glare on yourself.
Not to mention his AWFUL clock management.
Fair enough. I guess there's plenty of blame to go around.
I just remembered--don't know if you've ever read "You're Missing a Great Game" by former Cards manager Whitey Herzog--came out in 2001 or something. Anyway, he was still pissed about the Denkinger call, which pretty much cost the Cards the 1987 World Series.
He says that, if he had to do it over again, he'd PULL HIS TEAM OFF THE FIELD and demand some sort of reivew. I wonder if any coach/manager will ever have the guts to do that. At some point, there's got to be a point at which a call is SO BAD and at such a critical juncture, that it justifies such drastic action. Then again, maybe not.
As we are learning in painful ways bad calls are as much a part of the game as last second shots, or walk off home runs. You just have to take them, it's all a part of being a sports fan. A shitty, shitty part.