On the eve of the NCAA Division I baseball regionals, a rant on Big East officiating
For those of you unacquainted with the situation, the University of Louisville Cardinals will start NCAA tournament play in about two hours without head coach Dan McDonnell, who drew a three-game suspension after he was tossed from the Cards' 4-3 loss to St. John's in the Big East semifinals.
McDonnell had a heated discussion with the umpiring crew after Cardinal left fielder Drew Haynes' ejection for throwing his bat after being called out on strikes on a pitch that appeared on replay to be about six inches outside. McDonnell had finished his piece and gone back into the U of L dugout when evidently the first-base umpire said something nasty, and McDonnell came barreling back onto the field to get in the ump's face. He brushed against one of the other umps and was subsequently ejected.
In my eyes, Big East officiating in a number of sports has been suspect for many years, but this baseball incident sent me over the edge.
Here's the text of an e-mail I fired off to Commissioner John Marinatto:
"Dear Commissioner:
"WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO HIRE GAME OFFICIALS IN ALL SPORTS WHO KNOW WHAT THE DEVIL THEY'RE DOING???? I am sick and tired of watching blown calls unduly influence Big East competition.
"The actions of the umpiring crew that resulted in the ejection of Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell from the U of L-St. John's Big East baseball semifinal must be addressed. In watching the video of the incident, it is crystalline clear one of the umps said something to set McDonnell off; my guess would be either an extreme insult or taking the axe to the coach's family tree. Even if these guesses are mistaken, the ump's behavior was reprehensible, and deserves some sort of public response. It is totally unjust for this crew to go unchastised while McDonnell serves a three-game suspension.
"Were I you, sir, I would publicly declare these umpires personae non gratae and see to it that none of them ever sets foot on a Big East baseball field again."
My dissatisfaction with Big East officiating goes back 25 years in football -- ever since the Howard Schnellenberger era at U of L, I have been convinced Big East refs have at best a tenuous grasp of what does and does not constitute pass interference, for one thing. Their enforcement of the applicable rule has been wildly inconsistent.
Then there was the infamous "fake fair catch" at Connecticut in 2007. I've already beaten that horse to a bloody pulp -- needless to say, even Pee Wee league officials get that call right.
Basketball officiating has been no better; the conference officially apologized to U of L twice last season over blown calls that cost the Cardinals chances to win close games.
As I've said before: officials are charged with only two principal tasks -- know the rules, and watch the game. Why in the name of all that's holy can the Big East not hire officials who can perform both those duties effectively?
For those of you unacquainted with the situation, the University of Louisville Cardinals will start NCAA tournament play in about two hours without head coach Dan McDonnell, who drew a three-game suspension after he was tossed from the Cards' 4-3 loss to St. John's in the Big East semifinals.
McDonnell had a heated discussion with the umpiring crew after Cardinal left fielder Drew Haynes' ejection for throwing his bat after being called out on strikes on a pitch that appeared on replay to be about six inches outside. McDonnell had finished his piece and gone back into the U of L dugout when evidently the first-base umpire said something nasty, and McDonnell came barreling back onto the field to get in the ump's face. He brushed against one of the other umps and was subsequently ejected.
In my eyes, Big East officiating in a number of sports has been suspect for many years, but this baseball incident sent me over the edge.
Here's the text of an e-mail I fired off to Commissioner John Marinatto:
"Dear Commissioner:
"WILL YOU PLEASE MAKE IT A PRIORITY TO HIRE GAME OFFICIALS IN ALL SPORTS WHO KNOW WHAT THE DEVIL THEY'RE DOING???? I am sick and tired of watching blown calls unduly influence Big East competition.
"The actions of the umpiring crew that resulted in the ejection of Louisville head coach Dan McDonnell from the U of L-St. John's Big East baseball semifinal must be addressed. In watching the video of the incident, it is crystalline clear one of the umps said something to set McDonnell off; my guess would be either an extreme insult or taking the axe to the coach's family tree. Even if these guesses are mistaken, the ump's behavior was reprehensible, and deserves some sort of public response. It is totally unjust for this crew to go unchastised while McDonnell serves a three-game suspension.
"Were I you, sir, I would publicly declare these umpires personae non gratae and see to it that none of them ever sets foot on a Big East baseball field again."
My dissatisfaction with Big East officiating goes back 25 years in football -- ever since the Howard Schnellenberger era at U of L, I have been convinced Big East refs have at best a tenuous grasp of what does and does not constitute pass interference, for one thing. Their enforcement of the applicable rule has been wildly inconsistent.
Then there was the infamous "fake fair catch" at Connecticut in 2007. I've already beaten that horse to a bloody pulp -- needless to say, even Pee Wee league officials get that call right.
Basketball officiating has been no better; the conference officially apologized to U of L twice last season over blown calls that cost the Cardinals chances to win close games.
As I've said before: officials are charged with only two principal tasks -- know the rules, and watch the game. Why in the name of all that's holy can the Big East not hire officials who can perform both those duties effectively?
posted by Alan at 1:08 PM
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