Worst official's call in Alabama history (or at least as far back as you remember) ?

[Tidewater]

That is a travesty. An indictment of MLB itself.
I am not saying he was on the take (I do not know enough about the man), but to allow that level of incompetence and endorse it by retaining the man's services is an indictment of the league.

Looking at that again, I think it is in the moral ballpark of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox. No, this was not a world series, but it was the NLCS and this was an official, and they are supposed to be beyond reproach, the honest brokers. Officials make a judgment call on every single play in baseball. Every single one. They must be above suspicion or the sport is lost.

 

[DzynKingRTR]

That is a travesty. An indictment of MLB itself.
I am not saying he was on the take (I do not know enough about the man), but to allow that level of incompetence and endorse it by retaining the man's services is an indictment of the league.

I don't know the man either, but he was on the take. How on earth there was never an investigation I will never know.

 

[ALA2262]

What made that particularly egregious is that the refs had hosed Nebraska (I know, I know) the previous year on the same field. Indeed, there were a lot of non-Alabama fans sounding off and basically saying, "Does a team have to beat Penn State AND the refs in Happy Valley?"

Nebraska fans, of course, will tell you that game cost THEM a national title (the logic being that if they beat Penn State then the Lions have two losses and Nebraska is the sole unbeaten big name team).

And they're probably correct unless one wishes to argue that Herschel Walker's Georgia beats Mike Rozier's Nebraska in the Sugar Bowl.

But so what? It's Nebraska and blah blah blah.

I'm sure you remember the Nebraska call involved a sideline play in which a PSU receiver caught a pass which was ruled complete when he was clearly out of bounds. What you may not remember, or even know, was the sideline was the chains sideline. Head Linesman Don Guman made that call! Same crew that worked the Bama game in '83. In fact, Paterno had that crew for just about every home game for many years.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

Did he ever call a MLB game after that? My goodness. That's malpractice. And I don't even care that much about baseball.

Tidewater,

That wasn't even the worst call of the day, it's just the one clip everyone has seen.

Livan Hernandez struck out FIFTEEN Braves that day by never throwing the ball anywhere close to the plate. The counter-argument from the anti-Braves contingent has always been, "Greg Maddux spent years getting calls for borderline pitches," but Hernandez wasn't coming close (and Maddux was the kind of guy who'd start living on the corner and then expand it).

FIVE different times in his mediocre pitching career, Hernandez gave up more hits than any other pitcher in baseball. He AVERAGED 5.6 Ks a game in a career of 474 starts, and in all those starts only 3 more times did he even reach double digits striking guys out, never topping eleven.

But the 1997 Atlanta Braves - a team with a .270 batting average (2nd in the league behind - Colorado and their Coors Field stats inflation) - this mediocrity managed to hold to 3 hits while striking out 15 batters.

Never in my life have I ever sat more dumbfounded by the strike zone than I did that unforgettable Sunday afternoon (which coincidentally was the day John Denver died). The only thing I'll hold against McGriff is that by that last at bat he KNEW he might as well swing from the heels.

Gregg was considered an awful umpire (but a good guy) long before that day.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

I'm sure you remember the Nebraska call involved a sideline play in which a PSU receiver caught a pass which was ruled complete when he was clearly out of bounds. What you may not remember, or even know, was the sideline was the chains sideline. Head Linesman Don Guman made that call! Same crew that worked the Bama game in '83. In fact, Paterno had that crew for just about every home game for many years.

Actually, I don't recall it but for a completely different reason.

That game was played the last Saturday in 1982. That was my last weekend in the US before we flew to Germany on Tuesday. My cousins (now former cousins I guess since they were stepchildren and the parents divorced a little over a year later) and I spent that day throwing a football around on the family farm in overcast heat.

I heard about it later, and I saw it in passing, but I didn't know anything about it except Nebraska whining, which is easy to ignore because it's genetic with those clowns. The first I actually heard A LOT about it was in the newspapers (TSN and Stars/Stripes) in Germany after the Alabama game, when fan after fan blasted the crew. It wasn't until Earle mentioned it here maybe 7-8 years ago I even knew about one of the guys being a relative (which was insane then - my Dad officiated HS football that year and he wound up working one particular weekend because the lead official had a kid playing for one of the teams; it was astounding to me that CFB didn't consider this obvious problem).

 

[Bidgoodman]

The Alabama/Auburn game in 1982. This was Coach Bryant's last game with the Plainest Village. Tommy Wilcox was a senior All American playing safety.

It was late in the fourth quarter with Alabama holding a 6 point lead and Auburn was driving. The Aubs threw a pass over the middle around the Bama 20 yard line. Wilcox cut in front of the Aub receiver and intercepted with the Aub crashing into him. The refs called interference. Frank Broyles said it was a good call, that Wilcox ran through the receiver. The reply clearly showed Wilcox getting to the ball first. The Barn went on to score. Broyles had shown his bias the whole game with his commentary.

So, it ended a 9 game Bama streak and Bear lost his last Barn game unjustly.

While this call may not be the worst in my mind, it's pretty close.

 

[CajunCrimson]

For what it ultimately cost us, the Auburn FG at the end of the first half was a travesty. They literally changed the rules, on the field, and no one ever got punished for it.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like it. Missing a PI, or a hold, or even a phantom offsides....happens.

This happened after the clock was stopped, and they took 5 minutes to orchestrate the whole thing.

Amazing

 

[selmaborntidefan]

For what it ultimately cost us, the Auburn FG at the end of the first half was a travesty. They literally changed the rules, on the field, and no one ever got punished for it.

I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like it. Missing a PI, or a hold, or even a phantom offsides....happens.

This happened after the clock was stopped, and they took 5 minutes to orchestrate the whole thing.

Amazing

The part about them getting to START with their field goal team lined up when they would never have been able to get them in position was absolutely unbelievable.

I'll reiterate - that call did NOT cost us the ballgame, we did it to ourselves along with Auburn's D making some plays. But no call has ever been more frustrating than that one because at least - while the call IS wrong with Gothard - it's a horrible judgment call. Same as you say with the PI calls. I may not like them, but in most cases I at least understand why the mistake was made. I even understand the horrible targeting call that cost Ohio State.

But to let a team that never could have made it on the field in one second get the equivalent of a timeout was highway robbery.

 

[Tidewater]

The Alabama/Auburn game in 1982. This was Coach Bryant's last game with the Plainest Village. Tommy Wilcox was a senior All American playing safety.

That game was in Birmingham.
Alabama back then had an appropriate level of contempt for the Barn program and refused to play those cheating scumbags in their dinky stadium.

 

[CrimsonTheory]

Yes, worst called game in any sport. I don't know how much Gregg was paid to throw that game, but it was fixed and I'll never be convinced otherwise.

The Umpire in the Braves/Twins WS with Hrbek literally lifting Ron Gant off the ground says "hi, there." Don Denkinger (Royals/Cardinals WS) says, "don't forget about me." As a Cub fan, I give Denkinger a pass because he help the Cardinals lose a WS.


-----------

The "Ar-Kanas" game in which in the WR trapped the ball and the refs did not overturn is the first call against Bama, that I can remember and still annoys to this day. And anti-Bama people say Bama gets all the calls. (rolls eye.)

 

[selmaborntidefan]

The Umpire in the Braves/Twins WS with Hrbek literally lifting Ron Gant off the ground says "hi, there."

That was totally unbelievable.
Predictable, though, was Steve Palermo and Rich Garcia insisting in the face of contrary evidence that Drew Coble's call was actually correct. Back in the day (and probably now), those umps would insist that a guy who was out by five feet and called safe was "the right call" by their fellow umpire. They're no different than doctors or cops supporting each other regardless.

Don Denkinger (Royals/Cardinals WS) says, "don't forget about me." As a Cub fan, I give Denkinger a pass because he help the Cardinals lose a WS.

Interesting trivia: Denkinger was in right field the night Coble called Gant out.

The call on Gant stifled momentum, but it was in Game 2, so anyone saying it cost the Braves the series is stretching it a tad.


As far as Denkinger - well, I mean I WANT to blame the guy incessantly, I really do. And it was an awful call, although even in this case I understand it. Denkinger's "contributing factor" (to be nice about his excuse/reason/whatever) was that the KC crowd had gotten so loud and normally umps go off the different sounds of ball hitting glove vs shoe hitting base - but he couldn't hear so his mistakes were: a) he was out of position; and b) he looked at one and then the other.

But Denkinger didn't:
a) drop the pop up
b) give up the single to Balboni
c) throw the passed ball/wild pitch
d) give up the hit that allowed a slow runner like Jim Sundberg to score from 2nd
e) hit .185 in the series


So.........

 

[alabama mike1]

Going with 1983 Alabama @ Penn State.

 

[UKTideFan1961]

Haven't read all of this so if this has been mentioned, my apologies. But in my 7 years of closely following Alabama football the worst call was vs LSU this year when the LSU WR went out of bounds and they officials ruled, after a replay, that the catch was good. LSU scored just after this and I believe this forced CNS to try to put up points prior to the half. Of course, on the ensuing possession Tua throws a pick and LSU puts up 7 more before the half.

Had the first play been called an incomplete pass as it should have been LSU would have been 2nd and 10 at our 17. They could have scored, but had we held we could have forced a FG. Whether the int would have occurred is something to debate, but with the score being 22-13 and Bama coming off a "stop" maybe we are not as aggressive trying to score. We all know how much we outplayed them in the second half. Winning that game likely would have put us in the playoffs even with the loss to Auburn.

But even without the implications, it was a horrible call.

 

[81usaf92]

The Umpire in the Braves/Twins WS with Hrbek literally lifting Ron Gant off the ground says "hi, there." Don Denkinger (Royals/Cardinals WS) says, "don't forget about me." As a Cub fan, I give Denkinger a pass because he help the Cardinals lose a WS.

As much as Cardinals fans whine about that call, in the end that never mattered. Orta never factored in the win.

The worst call in baseball is the blown call that prevented gallarraga from getting a perfect game. The reason being that anything close in the 9th in a perfect game bout that isn't particularly close has to be called an out imo. You cant rob a guy on a bang bang play at best of the 27th out.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

As much as Cardinals fans whine about that call, in the end that never mattered. Orta never factored in the win.

The worst call in baseball is the blown call that prevented gallarraga from getting a perfect game. The reason being that anything close in the 9th in a perfect game bout that isn't particularly close has to be called an out imo. You cant rob a guy on a bang bang play at best of the 27th out.

The one thing I'll give Jim Joyce credit for is his admission - because too many of them for too long insisted they were right when it was obvious they were wrong.

Denkinger refused for several days or even months to admit he botched it. Indeed, I think that was a big part of the whole thing. What stinks is the guy was a very good umpire, but guess what's going to be in his obituary?

The Cardinals argument - and I get it up to a point - is that it was a close game with every break mattering, and they got the extra out. In fact, on the play where Jack Clark misplayed the pop up, Cards fans want to forget that since he had to cover first base, he was CLOSER to getting the ball than he would have been had he been playing back off the line. And Balboni'***** was to left field, so Clark playing at first base wasn't a factor, either (as far as the base hit).

But what a lot of people forget is this: St Louis was VERY fortunate they weren't eliminated in a five-game series. In game one, KC lost a run when Buddy Biancalana missed a suicide squeeze and left Darryl Motley to get caught trying to score. In the fourth inning, KC lost another run at the plate when Jim Sundberg took off on a pop foul out to Terry Pendleton, who made a helluva throw to get him. In the 7th, KC got a triple with two outs, loaded the bases - and didn't score. So KC had two runners thrown out at the plate in a game they lost by two runs.

In game 2, the Royals led, 2-0, going into the ninth and - for reasons that still mystify analysts - Dick Howser decided to NOT replace Charlie Leibrandt with Dan Quisenberry, and the Cards scored four runs, three of them with two out. In short, if Howser puts Quiz in the game then KC probably wins game 2.

So with just a couple of breaks, KC roars out to a 3-0 lead in the series. KC got more hits than STL did in six of the seven games, and the Cardinals only scored more than one run in an inning ONCE - in the bottom of the 9th of game two when Pendleton cleared the bases with a double off a starter left in the game one inning too long.

Fact is that KC outplayed the Cards that year in every facet of the game, they held the Cards to 3 runs or less in all seven games, and they should have won the championship earlier than they did (in terms of games).

 

[selmaborntidefan]

As much as Cardinals fans whine about that call, in the end that never mattered. Orta never factored in the win.

The worst call in baseball is the blown call that prevented gallarraga from getting a perfect game. The reason being that anything close in the 9th in a perfect game bout that isn't particularly close has to be called an out imo. You cant rob a guy on a bang bang play at best of the 27th out.

And if you're Babe Pinelli, you can call a ball a strike to end Don Larsen's perfect game, too.

 

[81usaf92]

And if you're Babe Pinelli, you can call a ball a strike to end Don Larsen's perfect game, too.

My thing is that unless it is a playoff game or a close game there is really no reason to be a perfectionist in baseball as an ump during career defining moments like that. I agree that Joyce was a hell of an ump, but you just cant make that call. Hell I wouldn't make that call if he really was safe by a whole cleat. Sure if it was in the 7th or 8th inning I would, but in the 9th inning with 2 outs in a 3-0 game.... no way.

 

[81usaf92]

The one thing I'll give Jim Joyce credit for is his admission - because too many of them for too long insisted they were right when it was obvious they were wrong.

Denkinger refused for several days or even months to admit he botched it. Indeed, I think that was a big part of the whole thing. What stinks is the guy was a very good umpire, but guess what's going to be in his obituary?

The Cardinals argument - and I get it up to a point - is that it was a close game with every break mattering, and they got the extra out. In fact, on the play where Jack Clark misplayed the pop up, Cards fans want to forget that since he had to cover first base, he was CLOSER to getting the ball than he would have been had he been playing back off the line. And Balboni'***** was to left field, so Clark playing at first base wasn't a factor, either (as far as the base hit).

But what a lot of people forget is this: St Louis was VERY fortunate they weren't eliminated in a five-game series. In game one, KC lost a run when Buddy Biancalana missed a suicide squeeze and left Darryl Motley to get caught trying to score. In the fourth inning, KC lost another run at the plate when Jim Sundberg took off on a pop foul out to Terry Pendleton, who made a helluva throw to get him. In the 7th, KC got a triple with two outs, loaded the bases - and didn't score. So KC had two runners thrown out at the plate in a game they lost by two runs.

In game 2, the Royals led, 2-0, going into the ninth and - for reasons that still mystify analysts - Dick Howser decided to NOT replace Charlie Leibrandt with Dan Quisenberry, and the Cards scored four runs, three of them with two out. In short, if Howser puts Quiz in the game then KC probably wins game 2.

So with just a couple of breaks, KC roars out to a 3-0 lead in the series. KC got more hits than STL did in six of the seven games, and the Cardinals only scored more than one run in an inning ONCE - in the bottom of the 9th of game two when Pendleton cleared the bases with a double off a starter left in the game one inning too long.

Fact is that KC outplayed the Cards that year in every facet of the game, they held the Cards to 3 runs or less in all seven games, and they should have won the championship earlier than they did (in terms of games).

My problem with the Cardinals argument of it changing the complexion of the inning is the same one that I had with the Red Sox Buckner through the legs game and the Cubs Steve Bartman play. In all three of those instances they scapegoated a single play that wasn't anywhere close to ultimately deciding the game to justify their choking.

 

[AlexanderFan]

Shoving Keith Brown down at LSU for what would’ve been a sure touchdown.

 

[selmaborntidefan]

My problem with the Cardinals argument of it changing the complexion of the inning is the same one that I had with the Red Sox Buckner through the legs game and the Cubs Steve Bartman play. In all three of those instances they scapegoated a single play that wasn't anywhere close to ultimately deciding the game to justify their choking.

The fan bases are sort of the same and there's another key point that is the same: all 3 of those occurred in game six, meaning there was a 7th game to clean the slate and win. Football is one of those sports that doesn't have that, so a bad call CAN (in football) have more affect.


The Cards fans argument - and I get it - is the momentum shift. That's true, but the Cardinals were throwing a 20-game winner in game seven. What hurt them more, no doubt, was the loss of base stealer Vince Coleman to the killer tarp in the NLCS.

Red Sox fans are, of course, the biggest idiots of all. Funny how few of them even remember that the game was already tied when Buckner screwed up - and many seem to think it was in Game 7.

I think the biggest thing that did the Cubs in is the fact that Moises Alou threw that hissy fit and made it a bigger deal than it should have been. But when you give up eight runs in one inning, it's impossible to blame Bartman.