I'm in a big hurry today. So, hang on. We're going to get scatalogical.
My son threw four innings on Saturday in Houston. Struck out six. He allowed no one to score. Ordinarily, this would be the big story. I would normarlly flesh out the details: pitch selection, strike percentage, etc.. I would offer descriptions of his knuckle ball and comparisons between his fast ball and various jet planes. But, I just can't let the weekend expire without throwing a flag on Big TV, Big NFL, Las Vegas Oddsmakers, The Sopranos and anyone else who was involved in the miscarriage of justice that was a Size XL slap in the face to equity and fairness.
Yes. Jerome Bettis became the NFL audiences big huggable teddy bear as his career wound down. It was his last game. And, didn't it make good television when he and Bill Cowher and Dan Rooney could share the big stage, wet kisses and a group hug? It would have made a very compelling reason for folks to tune in. But, did the NFL and Big TV have to script it?
Exhibit A.) That was the mother of all ticky-tacky penalties when Darrell Jackson's Seahawk TD was wiped off the board because of a dubious push-off in the 1st Quarter.
(If the poor officiating would have stopped here, I could have let it ride.)
Exhibit B.) Roethlisberger didn't get the ball over the plane of the goal line at any time during the twelve replays that I studied with my Bill-Nye-Spy-Glass. That was a bad call. (Is there a trend developing here?)
Exhibit C.) In the Fourth Quarter, Ike Taylor picks off Hasselbeck. Why? Because the Seahawks had completed a 20+ yard pass to the goal line two plays prior that was called back by a phantom holding penalty which replays exposed as another unforgiveable bad call. (At this point, the officials all traded in their black and white jerseys for Black and Gold before restarting the clock. But, in the interests of impartiality and propriety, Bill Leavy resisted Cowher's entreaties to don the Steeler Super Bowl Champs caps until the conclusion of the quarter.)
Exhibit D.) Despite all the quizzical officiating, the Seahawks were not the beneficiary of even one poor call. Hmmmmmm. (I'm crossing my arms and rubbing my chin.)
Side note: The Stones proved a very unfortunate choice for the Half-Time Show. Although Ron Wood was proficient with the slide guitar, Keith Richards was only aware enough to make his own song selections, independent of the band. Richards is a walking anti-drug advertisement. While Mick bellowed "I Can't Get No Satisfaction", Keith was 2,000 Light Years From Home. Wood looks like a slimmed-down Mrs. Doubtfire. Bill Wyman, who gave up his Stonemanship in the late-90's never looked so smart.
At times, pro sports makes a person feel dirty, in need of a shower. Last night was one of those times. I felt like ABC must have been laughing greedily, when the credits rolled; like used-car salesmen, who had just sold the country a big lemon.
