referee Page 31 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
The Book The NBA Doesn't Want You To Read
We've obtained a copy of Tim Donaghy's book, Blowing the Whistle, which purports to expose the NBA's "culture of fraud" and which Random House was set to publish next month — until, a source says, the league threatened to sue....
Your Late Games Open Thread
Citing a rise in player/referee collisions, the NFL plans to address the issue next season, including the possibility of officials wearing helmets. Now put on your padded commenter helmet and make fun of the late games. [ESPN]...
David Stern Peels His Scabs
The referees you've always hated will probably be back for Tuesday's NBA opener, replacing the replacement referees you were going to hate even more. And so ends a monthlong referee lockout that really had nothing to do with the referees....
Hockey, Wearing Not So Much As A Stanley Cup
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day....
Scab Refs Won't Blow So Hard During The Regular Season, Statheads Assure Us
Basketball Prospectus' Kevin Pelton takes a look at the 1995 ref lockout and finds that replacements "increased the foul rate by .005—one call, that is, per 200 possessions, which is a little more than one game." [Basketball Prospectus]...
Does This Look Foul To You?
Good thing that Major League Baseball adds two extra umpires to cover those close plays down the line in the playoffs. That way no one will have any grounds to complain that a bad call completely ruined their season....
So, How Are Those Replacement Refs Working Out?
Scab refs called 75 fouls during last night's Celtics-Rockets preseason game. The teams combined to shoot 102 free throws. The NBA: Where play stoppage happens. [Chron.com, via TrueHoop]...
Finally, Objective Proof That Referees Favor Manchester United
Imagine if every time the Yankees lost, the umps decided to play a 10th inning. That's what's happening in England, with (obviously) Man U being the beneficiary of some super-shady timekeeping....
Fired NBA Refs At Head Of Line To Join The Scabs
The NBA needs replacements for their locked out referees so they're putting together a list of guys who own whistles—one of whom just happens to have been fired for being terrible at refereeing NBA games....
Anyone Want To Ref Some NBA Games?
"The NBA formally declared a lockout of its referees Friday, virtually guaranteeing that the league will open the preseason with replacement officials in two weeks." [NYT]...
NBA Players Will Have To Call Their Own From Now On (UPDATE)
Here's a tip for the NBA referee's union. When negotiating for better benefits and more job security, try to avoid bargaining from the position of being the most hated and least respected workforce in America....
It's Bizarro Phillies Dad!
Because no one reads the newspaper, and SportsCenter's anchors are too perky for this early in the morning, Deadspin combs the best of the broadsheets and the blogosphere to bring you everything you need to know to start your day...
Sympathy For The Refs
More and more it's looking as if the NBA will lock out its referees and turn to scabs instead, and no one will much protest because NBA refs aren't exactly coalminers in Matewan. But this is nevertheless a bad development....
NFL Preemptively Stops First Twitter Touchdown Celebration
As expected, the NFL has laid down a formal law banning the use of Twitter during games, providing fans with at least one safe haven in the ongoing war to see who can be the league's most obnoxious player....
Tim Donaghy Has Not Been Enjoying Prison (UPDATED)
Disgraced referee Tim Donaghy will be released from prison next week and not a moment too soon. A press release says that while in the slammer he nearly had his legs broken by a New York mobster. (Update below.)...
Economists Confirm That NBA Referees Are Biased
An academic study concludes that NBA zebras "tend to favor home teams, teams trailing in a game and teams trailing in a playoff series." Also, the team getting 10 points when Tim Donaghy is involved. [Oregonian]...
Ed Hochuli Curls The Pain Away
Speaking of terrible referees, what's Ed Hochuli been up to this winter—besides sculpting those beautiful 14-inch guns? [ESPN]...
Kill The Referee! (Starting With These Guys)
Here's a list you don't want to be on: The most notable referees who have been threatened with death for being bad at their jobs. It's not a very select group, either. [Off The Post]...
Here's Why Killing A Referee Is a Poor Idea
It's never too early for a bizarre story involving murder, cover-up, the Philadelphia Flyers, and the age old dilemma of players and referees not seeing eye to eye....
Brazilian Soccer Coach Pulls A Woody Hayes
Santilli's team was losing 1-0 on Sunday when he ran out on to the field to retrieve a loose ball, but as he returned to the sideline he decided to lower his shoulder into a player for the opposing team for no reason whatsoever. (Because he was brushed on the shoulder by a 60-year-old man, the playe...