Speechless in Seattle

My foray into recorded sporting speculation has gotten off to an auspicious [Editors note: at best] start. As you all know by now (and if you don't I apologize that you mistakenly came to my site instead of your intended location) the Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks 21-10 in a Bowl that was far from Super. The game was closer then the score suggested, but all in all, quite a far cry from the 27-20 Seahawks victory that I predicted. In light of this, I suppose that I should admit that my prediction was wrong and that I overlooked some key aspect which played a large factor in the outcome of the game. But it wasn’t and I didn’t. The only thing I didn’t predict correctly about Sunday’s game was that the referees would have a bigger impact on the outcome of the football game then either team. The Seahawks outplayed the Steelers in almost every aspect of the game. The underrated Seattle defense swarmed to the ball while the announcers seldom uttered the names Polamalu or Porter. The Seattle offense moved the ball consistently with a balanced air [Editor's note: surgical strikes] and ground attack while Big Ben struggled to move the chains. In fact, aside from Seattle's punting unit, which seemed allergic to downing the ball inside the twenty, the Seahawks played exactly the type of well balanced, calculated game that I predicted they would.

Yet, in the city of Detroit, a scant four hour drive from Pittsburgh, the predominantly pro-Steelers crowd flexed their muscles and gave their team the decided hometown advantage using the indelible icon of Steeler nation: The Terrible Towel [Editor's note: Really, who thinks these things up, The Terrible Towel?!?...all that time mining coal in that dingy ass city has done some serious damage to the fans concept of intimidation]. The Steeler fans made so much noise, and twirled their towels so vigorously that the referees, in a seeming fit of jealousy, began throwing terrible towels of their own. In fact, the referees threw so many penalties at so many crucial moments of the game, that it effectively took the game out of the hands of the players and placed it into the realm of subjectivity [Editor's note: and exceptionally poor judgement]. All in all the referees reversed two almost certain Seahawk touchdowns, granted the Steelers a touchdown they never scored, , called back a 50 yard punt return on a block in the back that never happened, and gave the Steelers the ball at mid-field for a chop block that never occured thereby allowing them to score their final touchdown. Their were 5 controversial calls in the game and every single one of them was called against the Seahawks. The situation unravelled to the point of embarassment for my friend Colin, a diehard Steelers fan, who began to get sheepish about the number of calls going their way and started apologizing to the Seahawks supporters watching the game. You know it’s gotten bad when fans admit the referees helped their team win.

If it wasn’t for the “painfully obvious atrocious officiating” clause, it would violate the 5^th J-Borhood Rule of Fanaticism (a topic for a future article): "A true fan never admits their team won because of anything other then their superior play. The deluded mind of a true fan will never accept that their team didn't rightfully secure a victory solely based on merit." Therefore, when a fan tells you it's a fix, it's a fix.

I’m not saying the Steelers didn’t deserve to win the game. They executed more big plays. They tightened up their defense when needed. They kept the big mistakes to a minimum. However, what I am saying is that regardless of what you think about the game, the teams, and the way they played, no one who watched that game could dispute the fact that the referees had an overwhelming effect on the game. It was so bad that every single person who called up the local Sports Radio station (KKEA 1420 AM) on Monday morning discussed the impact of the referees on the game. [Author's Note: This trend continued on Tuesday morning as well!] Even the people who argued that the Steelers would have won without the aid of the referee’s shameless blown calls, didn’t dispute the fact that the referees completely altered the game, and that's what makes me sad.

As a sports fan, is it too much to ask for a championship game doesn’t hinge on the whim of a non-participant? Would we remember Franco Harris if the refs called holding on the immaculate reception? What if they said that Joe Carter never touched third after his walk off home run? What if they called Michael Jordan for a push-off against Bryon Russell? We remember these beautiful moments because an athlete made a spectacular play that will forever define the game. If these plays were somehow aided by the game's officials, it would take away from the pure unadulterated magic of the moment. [Editor's note: Cue the "Battle Hymn of the Republic"] We the people of this great nation will look past a push, turn a blind eye towards a hold, and somehow forget about a block in the back, but we will never, ever, forgive a referee for forever altering the course of a meaningful game. A game should ALWAYS be decided by the players on the field.

For the land of the free, and the home of the unpenalized.

[Author's Note: I would like to take this opportunity to introduce the new Editor-in-Chief' of the J-Borhood: Tricky V. This dynamic damsel will begin editing my rants and raves to correct my atrocious grammar and interject a quick note to let you know when I get carried away. (Luckily that never happens...). Welcome aboard EIC]