If You Could Reverse One Call In Sports History, What Would It Be?

My friend Ryan's blog (http://www.bilski2000.blogspot.com) has been so intriguing with questions regarding sports and reflecting on favorite teams, accomplishments, and many other things. I really enjoy his thoughts and ideas, and I'd be just as curious, Ryan, to get your thoughts and feelings on this sports-related question, as I would to those of you that stop by to see this posting.

The question is this:

If you could reverse any one call in sports history, which would it be?

I suspect that a lot of this question has to do with where you live. That's a natural reaction. For instance, fans in Missouri probably do not enjoy reliving the infamous "1990 Fifth Down Game" in which the crew officiating the game permitted the extra down to occur in error. That play enabled the Colorado Buffaloes to defeat the Missouri Tigers by scoring a touchdown on the last play of their game. The ensuing controversy cast doubt on Colorado's claim to Division I-A's 1990 national championship. It has been called one of the top memorable moments and blunders in college football history.



Fans in Kansas City would like a re-do of Game 6 of the 1985 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals, in which an umpire's mistaken calls influenced the outcome of Game 6. In the 4th inning of the scoreless game, Frank White seemed to have stolen second base but was called out by the umpire. Replays later showed that White had been safe, and the following batter, Pat Sheridan, hit a harmless single into the outfield. Jorge Orta's Royals were trailing 3 games to 2 in the Series and 1-0 on the scoreboard when he led off the bottom of the ninth with a ground ball to Cardinal first baseman Jack Clark, who flipped the ball to Cardinal pitcher Todd Worrell covering first. Denk called Jorge Orta safe, but television replays later showed that pitcher Todd Worrell had beaten him to the base. The call shifted momentum of the Series to the Royals, who won the game 2-1, and the Series the next night on Bret Saberhagen's 11-0 shutout.

And I doubt that A's fans (like myself) enjoy watching Jeremy Giambi punched out instead of safe by Jorge Posada in the 2001 Playoffs. OF course, he probably should have slid. Still...

And the "Immaculate Reception"? Well, we know how Raiders fans feel about Franco Harris. Not to mention the "Tuck Rule" that Raiders fans were hit with decades later. What other blown calls exist that, if reversed, might have changed the course of history for your favorite franchise?



Which sport would you go with? And remember, we're talking in some cases about a call being blown because of bad judgment. And in other cases, we're talking about a misinterpretation of the rules which led to the blown call. In my opinion, the latter example is unforgivable in terms of sports. Bad judgment is one thing: you got the best call from the angle that the official had at the time. For better or for worse. Remember, half the crowd thinks he got the call right! But simply not getting the rules right? Ouch. Think: Oregon vs. Oklahoma and the onside kick debacle



What about that kid in Yankee Stadium who interfered with the fly ball in right field that cost the Orioles a playoff loss? Or how about Stanford fans who feel as if video proof exists of a CAL player's knee hitting the turf during their famous "Play" with the band on the field? Maybe you don't remember this, but when the Olympics were held in Seoul, South Korea, do you remember a judge being paid off right before American, Roy Jones, Jr, lost a match to a South Korean boxer after beating the guy from pillar to post? I forget the details, but I remember the dazed, confused, black-and-blue Korean boxer who was being propped up by his corner man mid-ring having his hand raised. And the Jones was like, 'Yo, can I see the scorecard, please?'

You be the judge:



I'm just thinking right off the top of my head. I wish I had more names and faces and places. But you might get the picture. Does Bart Giamatti's decision to ban Pete Rose from the Cooperstown bother you? Should Rose be honored for his on-field accomplishments, single to none? Or banned because of how he later tarnished the game and denied it for 14 years before admitting he lied?

Where do our "blown calls" rank in order of their importance? All I do know is that there are lots of layers of blown calls and moments we wish we could have back. But we move on. We live our lives. We realize that for the 99% of us that were not personally involved, just emotionally, life simply has to go on.

But for argument's sake, and for the purpose of this question, I've given it thought and I have come up with what I think you would also agree, HAS to go down as probably the greatest injustice in any sport at any time in the history of organized sports:

the gold medal men's basketball game at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Allow me me set the scene:



It was perhaps the most controversial result in Olympic history. The United States basketball team had been unbeaten in 62 Olympic competitions. Then they met the Soviets in the 1972 gold medal game.

USA guard Doug Collins sank two foul shots late in the game, giving the Americans a 50-49 lead with three seconds remaining and what looked like the gold medal.
The Soviets inbounded the ball right away but the referee, Renato Righetto of Brazil, blew the whistle with one second on the clock.

Following a conference with the officials, it was determined that the Soviet head coach Vladimir Kondrashin had called a time out. The Soviets were given a second opportunity to inbound the ball with three seconds left. After a Soviet player heaved a desperation miss from half court, the U.S. began their celebration, which proved to be grossly premature. The Soviet coach, Kondrashin, protested that the clock had been reset incorrectly and demanded a third chance. FIBA Secretary-General Renato William Jones of Italy--who, by FIBA rules had no authority over in-game officiating decisions--ordered that the game clock be reset to 0:03 to give the Soviet team a third chance to score the winning points. Referee Righetto and his Bulgarian officiating partner complied with Jones' improper order.

The Soviet team received the ball, and this time got the ball to their star player Aleksandr Belov, who sank the winning basket at the buzzer. The U.S. team, convinced they were robbed of the gold, flatly refused the silver and did not attend the victory ceremony, filing an official protest. The official scorekeeper of the game did not sign the scorebook following the game in protest. On appeal, the five-man panel ruled the result fair despite testimony from the referee and the timekeeper pointing to the contrary; the 3-2 vote was split along Cold War.