Bullard literally took off his headset in the middle of the Rockets-Trail Blazers game to yell at the officials for their poor performance. He didn't even wait for a TV timeout. He didn't even wait for a break in the action. He stopped doing his job, while the ball was in play, so he could yell at a ref.

Anyone who's ever had a press pass knows that cheering is not allowed on press row. (At least, that's what I've been told by those people.) But I guess heckling is totally cool ... as long as the headphones are off! Let's try to keep things professional here!

Video: Rockets Broadcaster Removes Headset, Yells at Refs [NBA Fanhouse]

I'm not a gambling man (because that's illegal and wrong in my state), but it has been pointed out that the Texans were favored at home on Monday Night Football, yet somehow failed to win. Or maybe someone's fantasy team needed about 200 total yards and a passing touchdown? What other reasons can you think of that would make a ref feel inclined to give one up top to the winning quarterback?

Actually, I know what it is. High-fiving is just an instinct. No matter how you feel about someone, no matter impartial you're supposed to pretend to be ... you just can't leave a man hanging like that.

Hey, buddy. High five!

Honorable Mention: New York Islanders goaltender Dwayne Roloson made 58 saves last night to beat ... oh, I'm sorry, it was just the Maple Leafs. Most of their shots probably just slowly skidded to a stop before they got to him.

Want to nominate someone for Last Night's Winner? Send me an email at dashiell@deadspin.com.

Or something like that. The study, authored by Kyle Anderson of Indiana University's business school and David Pierce of Ball State's sports administration program, turned up several examples of officiating bias:

* The probability of a foul being called on the visiting team was 7 percent higher than on the home team.
* When the home team is leading, the probability of the next foul being called on them is about 6.3 percentage points higher than when the home team is trailing.
* The larger the foul differential between two teams, the greater the likelihood that the next call will be made against the team with fewer fouls. For example, when a home team has three or more fouls than the visiting team, the probability that the next foul call is made against the visiting team is more than 60 percent. When the foul differential is as high as five, then that probability rises to 69 percent. The researchers also observed this trend when they looked at neutral-court games.

The authors go on to draw some weird conclusions — namely that referee bias offers an untoward incentive for "aggressive play," which is probably true but so what? And because this is the age of Gladwell, everything, even an otherwise compelling study about referee bias, has to be reduced to an insipid management-consulting parable. "In terms of a management setting," Anderson explains, "it might be the slacker who benefits from the situation involving a manager who might not want to appear biased." (What?)

But this is valuable work anyway, if only because it further corrodes the wishful notion that referees can operate on some sort of frictionless plane where the normal human weaknesses don't apply. Tim Donaghy was saying roughly the same thing, only with fewer footnotes.

Study looks at officiating in college basketball, finds patterns that reward aggressive play [IU News Room]

I don't know sign language, but I think Steve Nash might have had a problem with Violet Palmer's officiating in last night's game against the Lakers. (The Suns got crushed, btw.) Or maybe he's just invested in a LensCrafters franchise and wants to make sure everyone in the NBA has quality, stylish eyewear. He can take care of that for you in about a hour.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul—which must explain why most NBA refs have souls that are crusted with bird poo. Hey ... THAT'S THREE SECONDS!

* * * * *

Good morning, peoples. 10-6? Can that be right? Cutler almost had more INTs than the Bears had points and they still could have won? Good thing I still don't get the NFL Network.

I thought this Friday might never come ... but what if it never leaves?

The book is the former referee's account of his time in the NBA and the events that led to his conviction, in 2007, on charges that he relayed inside information on NBA games — including several that he was working — to a professional gambler. Blowing the Whistle falls somewhere between a confessional and an indictment, both of his former colleagues and their employer. In the book, Donaghy alleges, among other things, that referee Dick Bavetta spoke unabashedly about his role as the NBA's "go-to guy." Donaghy cites Game 6 of the notorious 2002 Western Conference finals, between the Lakers and the Kings — a game that NBA conspiracy theorists still talk about as if it were basketball's grassy knoll. Donaghy, who was not assigned to the game, reports that Bavetta "openly talked about the fact that the league wanted a Game 7." We'll have excerpts later today.

Donaghy is currently in a federal detention center near Tampa, a week away from his release. About 10 months ago, he shopped the book to Triumph Books, an imprint of Random House, according to a source close to Donaghy. Triumph, the source says, "put forth a huge effort to verify every statement in that book." (Triumph's editorial director, Tom Bast, declined to comment.) Two weeks ago, Blowing the Whistle was ready for printing; 60 Minutes had plans to interview Donaghy in conjunction with the book's publication. Then the NBA came calling. "They came after Random House and threatened a lawsuit," the source says, "and Random House just rolled and decided to not go with it. It's really that simple." To his knowledge, no one at the NBA had actually read the book.

"Which is why," he goes on, "Triumph was so intrigued as to why the parent company decided to not go with it. Because there was no logical reasoning other than an open threat. It just doesn't make sense. If they had come down and said, 'There are some specific things that are flat-out lies or they're wrong and we think there are fabrications or something,' then there'd be some basis to say, 'OK, we need to back up and double-check this.' But this was just an open comment. And so we don't know what the specific basis of that potential suit might've been."

The book no longer has an Amazon page; it's cached here. Meanwhile, Donaghy is looking for another publisher. He may even self-publish. "It's dead right now," the source says. "The whole thing has fallen flat on its face. ... Obviously, the NBA has got some people running scared."

The union's 57 refs have a vote scheduled for Friday and will likely approve the deal, according to the New York Times' Howard Beck. The sticking points had been the referees' pension plan and severance package, and the two sides were reportedly only $700,000 apart before negotiations broke down. That represents just a shade over .02 percent of NBA revenue, a tiny pot over which David Stern nevertheless chose to scratch and claw, not because the league is so hard up for cash that it has to take it out of its referees' pockets, but because Stern, with NBA-NBPA collective-bargaining talks underway, wanted to make a big show of scratching and clawing.

This has long been Stern's m.o. (Remember: He came out of Proskauer Rose, a union-busting firm that now basically serves as a farm system for sports suits.) I know we're all supposed to genuflect at his feet for launching the NBA into the stratosphere, but he has now presided over three player lockouts and two referee lockouts and in the process dramatically changed the character of the league he inherited from Larry O'Brien (the guy who really did launch the NBA into the stratosphere, no matter how many tape-delay jokes Bill Simmons makes). There was labor peace before Stern, and it probably saved the league, and now there isn't, and it has cost not only half of one season but a great deal of the league's public-relations mojo (the demonization of NBA players as greedhead thugs has its roots in the labor strife of the 1990s; nobody trashed the players harder than the people who paid them). The NBA is a surly place now, and the guy who's running it has no qualms about throwing a few weaklings up against the wall, just to show everyone how tough he is.

N.B.A. Reaches a Deal With the Referees Union [The New York Times]

•The Tampa Bay Lightning got their yucks from a good-old fashioned game of "strip shootout," where if you don't score on a breakaway, you remove a piece of clothing. The players said they got really excited by the game, which gives a whole new meaning to "high-sticking."

•The Bears ink Jay Cutler to a two-year extension. While he hasn't exactly set the world on fire, he's a better option than Rex Grossman, Brian Griese, Chad Hutchinson, Jonathan Quinn, Craig Krenzell, Kordell Stewart, Chris Chandler, Henry Burris, Cade McNown, Jim Miller, Shane Matthews, Steve Stenstrom, Moses Moreno, Rick Mirer, Dave Kreig, Eric Kramer, Steve Walsh, Will Furrer, Peter Tom Willis...

•The Yankees take a 3-1 series lead on the ample back of CC Sabathia. Accusations of Sabathia throwing a Rivera-like spitball were refuted when FOX cameras picked up a hot dog vendor in his line of sight, indicating it was only drool.

•Tennessee Papa John's were offering one free topping for every Titans touchdown this weekend. Hope you like cheese pizza.

•In advance of the NFL's upcoming jaunt to London, one British tabloid attempts to bust 10 myths about the NFL. Sadly, the part about a coin toss being used to decide tie games is no myth.

•The NBA expects to have their referees back on the court in time for next week's opener, and none too soon. Did you see that Cleveland game last night? The Mavs were only getting whistled if they actually fouled LeBron!

•To cap the morning off, we've got some video of a ladies room fight at this weekend's Texas/OU game. More like Yellow River Rivalry, amirite?

After Michael Owen's game winner 5 minutes and 26 seconds into stoppage time in this weekend's Manchester derby, the Guardian decided to look into the lengths of injury time through all of United'ss home matches over the last 3+ seasons. What they found...shocks no one.

When Man U were leading after 90 minutes, referees put an average of 191 seconds on the clock — less than the average for Liverpool, Chelsea or Aresenal. But when they were tied or losing, refs put on 257. That's more than a minute in additional stoppage time when they most needed those extra seconds.

Does it matter? This year, United have led two games after regulation and played an average of 304 seconds. If that held true on Sunday, City would have secured a draw. But instead referee Martin Atkinson allowed seven minutes.

I apologize to soccer fans for any errors in terminology by me, a relative neophyte. But one concept translates perfectly across the Atlantic: that Manchester United are a spoiled, entitled team that no one likes.

Revealed: Manchester United Get More Injury Time When They Need It [Guardian]

Best of all, the union he is now (potentially) double crossing is the one group of people in the whole world who defended his terribleness. One night back in 2004, 28 referees turned their jerseys inside out and scrawled a number "62" on the back in solidarity with fellow ref Michael Henderson. Henderson had been publicly criticized by the league after botching a 24-second call that cost the Denver Nuggets a game and the union staged this not-so-silent protest on his behalf. David Stern was not amused and a year later Henderson was fired anyway.

Now the union and the media have their hands on a list of replacement officials invited to training camp and look at that ... Henderson's name is on it! (Robbie Robinson, another ref who was canned in 2007, was also invited.) Now it's the union's turn to not be amused.

"On that night, all but two referees risked their jobs — their jobs were being threatened at that very moment that they were going out to stand up for him by reversing their jerseys and putting his number on their jerseys," referees' union lead negotiator Lamell McMorris said. "They went out even though they were risking their jobs, and it's just absolutely amazing that now he is going to go and replace them."

To be fair, the NBA is where "amazing" happens. Also, Henderson has not actually been hired yet and may or may not cross the picket line. (Games start October 1 and the league has pretty much stopped negotiating.) But if he has a job next month and the rest of the union doesn't, then we'll know who the real "lead" negotiator is.

NBA referees union stunned that ex-NBA referee Michael Henderson on replacement referee list [ESPN]

The first NBA exhibition game is on October 1 and there is virtually no chance that the league will reach an labor agreement with its referees by then. That means a lockout and a lockout means scabs, but most fans are already convinced that officiating in pro basketball could not get any worse without you. So yeah, you're screwed.

Can it get worse? Hoo boy, it sure can. NBA refs may appear to be mostly incompetent, but that's because policing these fast-moving genetic freaks is not that easy. And these are the guys who have been doing it for years. You really think some D-League or WNBA or D-III or wherever the hell they're going to find these guys refs are going to do any better?

That said, no one sympathizes with you, Mr. NBA Whisteblower. Half the fans at any given game are convinced you are corrupt and the other half think you are morons and if you all got fired tomorrow, none of them would shed a tear. They will hate your replacements as much as they hate you, but no one is going to stand on the picket line to help you get your job back. Take whatever rogering David Stern is willing to provide and get back to ignoring all that traveling.

NBA Refs Face Lockout–Will We Notice the Difference! [Sports Climax]
NBA Referee Lockout: Are the Stripes Really Greener? [Bright Side Of The Sun]
Sheridan: Spokesman for NBA referees says lockout 'imminent' [ESPN]

Update: Yup. It's official. Refs are locked out.

•Don't cry, Canes fans, The U looks like it's back after a blowout win over Georgia Tech. Next up: ranked Virginia Tech, higher ranked Oklahoma, and the very highly ranked "avoiding off-the-field controversies." That last one may prove unwinnable.

•The umpires claim that they were verbally abused by Angels coaches after two abominable questionable calls Wednesday night. You know what, Angels? Nick Green's OPS is .669. He deserves five-strikes-and-you're out, to make it fair.

•Roger Federer was fined $1,500 for this little remark at the US Open: "Don't tell me to be quiet, OK? When I want to talk, I talk. I don't give a shit what he said." Thanks to Roger and Serena, we know know that "fuck" is precisely seven times more offensive than "shit" in tennis. I don't even want to know what "mecrob" would cost you.

•A lockout of NBA refs is "imminent and unavoidable" after talks with the league broke down yesterday. The refs turned down an extra million dollars in concessions, which leads me to believe they haven't looked at the poll on this page that says only 24% of fans care if they come back. Leverage indeed.

•A judge has ruled that Kobe Bryant's former housekeeper can sue him for being wrongfully fired, but can't claim emotional distress. Honey, you got off lucky. I don't know if you've heard about Kobe's last court case, but consider yourself lucky if the distress was just emotional.

•I hope Dash didn't think his Mets Season Of Failure gallery was finished. Elias says the Mets have three game-ending errors this season. That's three times as many as any other team.

•Finally, did you like the Commodore 64? Do you think it would have been better if only they put out a version of Guitar Hero for it? You're not alone:

Reports Marc Stein:

The NBA's most recent contract with its 60-plus referees expired Sept. 1 and Tuesday's bargaining session in New York was called to an abrupt halt by commissioner David Stern, according to one source with knowledge of the talks.

No further talks are scheduled between the sides with only 22 days before the league's first scheduled exhibition game Oct. 1. The likelihood that replacement refs will be needed for that game — Denver at Utah — has "increased dramatically," according to the source.

According to ESPN, Stern wants to slash the $32 million referee budget by 10 percent; the refs have reportedly offered a reduction of $2.5 million, about $700,000 shy of the NBA's benchmark. Of course, as Stein notes, the impasse may have less to do with money than with Stern's desire to appear menacing just as collective-bargaining talks with the players get underway. He's basically doing a Haka dance on top of the negotiating table.

If the league does wind up trucking in scab referees, few people will mourn. Just look at the comments appended to Stein's story, which are mostly a variation on, "Well, they couldn't be any worse." (The argument could be made that the league's incessant mommying of its referees caused some of the very problems that fans instinctively blame on the zebras. The flopping plague, for instance, has a lot to do with the NBA's crackdown on botched non-calls, which gave refs incentive to over-officiate.) In 1995, the league locked out its referees until mid-December, using officials from the CBA and other minor leagues. And, as the Orlando Sentinel found when the lockout finally ended, the scabs were, in fact, worse:

Fighting was up, calls were missed and confusion was not unusual. In November, the league assessed $202,500 in fines and 26 games were lost to suspensions. All last season, there were only 22 games lost and only $147,000 in fines were assessed.

But no one likes referees, and now, after Tim Donaghy, no one trusts them either, which is why Stern will get away with trampling them, no matter that whistle-happy scabs could very well make NBA games sound like bird sanctuaries.

Replacement refs for NBA? [ESPN]
NBA officials see themselves in no-win situations [ESPN]

Players and coaches are still allowed to use social media networks, but will not be allowed to post updates from 90 minutes before kickoff until after the traditional postgame press conferences. (Please let the media print your banalities first.) So, no "@ the coin toss. should i take tails?" or "@carsonp: I WAS OPEN!" and mercifully, no one pulling a BlackBerry out of their sock in the endzone. Of course, if the penalty is just a fine that may not stop some.

One other tidbit from the article that I was not aware of—referees are forbidden from using social media at all times. I guess it's because no one would want to have to explain to Jeff Triplette that those 5,000 Facebook "friends" only became fans so they could tell him he sucks.

Tweet delete: NFL bans social media in games [ESPN]