The 2006 Outback bowl crew just called and said they are embarrassed by that call.
BIG baseball tourney: Iowa screwed again . . . It was NOT interference (And it was NOT a fair catch)
- Thread starter Beattheohiostate
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Naw, they probably said nice start...but you can do better (worse). That game was the single biggest officiating travesty I've seen in any sport.
Iowa baseball interference call explanation
Here's the explanation of the Iowa baseball interference call, according to a pool report response from umpire coordinator Mark Uhl:"There are three elements to what's called the force play slide rule and it's rule 8-4, it's on pages 77 and 78 of the NCAA Rule Book," Uhl told On3's Kyle Huesmann, the on-site pool reporter. "The two requirements which were applicable to this play, as the rule says it's a force play, the runner must slide in a direct line between the two bases. The rule then goes on to define directly into a base means the runner's entire body, feet, legs, trunk and arms must stay in a straight line between the bases. His legs, trunk and arms were not in a straight line between the bases, so the original call was interference.
"This is a reviewable play under NCAA rules. The umpiring crew went to video review. Once in a review room they confirmed the call because the video showed one, the runner did not slide in a direct line between the two bases and the runner's entire body was not in a straight line between the two bases."
Color me baffled. Based on the video, this is an egregious application of the force play slide rule. They should have corrected it on replay. It was a textbook slide.
REPLAY ****ed Iowa in the Minnie game. The replay official made a call after the fact. I still don't understand how they could make up a call that was never called on the field and was not EVEN reviewable. The only thing they should have reviewed was if Cooper stepped out. Even with that horrible call I was even more pissed at our horrible excuse of an offense that couldn't manage to pick up 20 yards to get in FG range.
I am sure this will get swept under the rug…my top 3 screw jobs…
1. Cooper fair catch
2. Offsides call on kick off vs Florida in Bowl Game
3. This call
This broad tries to explain it a bit better:
I can understand that if you're following the rule exactly by the book, and there's no allowance for anything in the "gray" zone, then it's probably interference.
However, I think there's a gray area around the gray zone, and you don't make that call in that situation. Maybe if the first baseman catches the ball, and they threw the runner out at first.
But the runner was safe at first because he a) beat the throw and b) even if he hadn't, the first baseman dropped it.
They should have overruled the call during the review.
I can understand that if you're following the rule exactly by the book, and there's no allowance for anything in the "gray" zone, then it's probably interference.
However, I think there's a gray area around the gray zone, and you don't make that call in that situation. Maybe if the first baseman catches the ball, and they threw the runner out at first.
But the runner was safe at first because he a) beat the throw and b) even if he hadn't, the first baseman dropped it.
They should have overruled the call during the review.
The Big Ten has responded. You can read that upside down explanation here: https://www.hawkcentral.com/story/s...s-explanation-big-ten-tournament/73826608007/
The BIG cites the rule book that says, on a force play, the runner must slide directly into the base with all body parts . . . arms, legs, feet, trunk . . . LOL That's what it says. But, of course, that's exactly what the runner did, to the extent it's physically possible. And so the upside down logic is that it was interference because the slide wasn't directly into the base with all body parts--except that it was. And the video proves it.
So, again, yah, just like the bogus illegal fair catch signal.
I'm sure the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation has already launched an investigation into the umpires to see what bets they had on that game. And I'm sure they're checking links between the umps and the BIG itself because Illinois is about the only BIG team that has a chance to make the regionals. Maybe stick those same quality investigators on this case that were so effective in ruining the college career of Noah Shannon and others.
This whole thing is big-time bullshit, and I would appreciate it if Beth Goetz would call out the conference publicly and support her team and her coach. This should not be allowed to stand as if it were, in any way, acceptable. Welcome to the BIG time, Beth.
Ive splained this a number of times. Teams trying to hang on against a better foe need a lot of good breaks. When a bad one comes it seems worse The Big doesnt have it in for Iowa. Iowa teams oft have 80 percent plus of an outstanding team whicj can bebcompetitive with the 99 percenters. Winning or losing oft comes down to 1 play or bad call. The talent gap cant cover that the 99ers can recover more than the 80 percenter.
So bad plays and calls get overblown.
Iowa was done once Mich won.
I would think that 50% of baseball players are around or above 200 lbs. So if most college kids slide into second base then some part will be outside one side or the other. So every play like this should be called interference no mater what. I truthfully think the other one or two refs just agreed with the one that made the call because they stick together like politicians....BS
At NO point was that interference, and at NO point did it "look like" interference.
Going forward, Heller should begin challenging any unsuccessful attempt of Iowa to turn a double play, because if that slide wasn't clean enough to meet the standard by which the rule is applied, then almost no slide ever meets the standard.
