I Accidentally Caught a the End of the Rockets - Heat Game Yesterday

[Limey]

...and was instantly reminded why I don't watch basketball any more.

The Heat had lost 5 of 6, including their last 2 at home.  Playing in Miami, late in the 4th quarter, the Rockets were up by 6.  The Heat came down, scored a 2, somehow got a freethrow - I'm assuming some kind of technical foul because it didn't appear to be of the "and one" variety - scored that, got to inbounds the ball and scored another bucket.  McHale was going apeshit.

Later, LeBron drove into the lane, planted his palm squarely on Lin's solar plexus, pushed him backwards into Howard (I think) and completely cleaned out the space under the basket before flipping the ball to Ray Allen (I think), who drained an easy, uncontested, jumper.  The Heat won, going away.

Bravo, referees, bravo.  I hope Stern at least gives you replica rings for your part in the Heat's championship repeat.

[Ebby Calvin]

...and was instantly reminded why I don't watch basketball any more.

The Heat had lost 5 of 6, including their last 2 at home.  Playing in Miami, late in the 4th quarter, the Rockets were up by 6.  The Heat came down, scored a 2, somehow got a freethrow - I'm assuming some kind of technical foul because it didn't appear to be of the "and one" variety - scored that, got to inbounds the ball and scored another bucket.  McHale was going apeshit.

Later, LeBron drove into the lane, planted his palm squarely on Lin's solar plexus, pushed him backwards into Howard (I think) and completely cleaned out the space under the basket before flipping the ball to Ray Allen (I think), who drained an easy, uncontested, jumper.  The Heat won, going away.

Bravo, referees, bravo.  I hope Silver at least gives you replica rings for your part in the Heat's championship repeat.

Fixed for accuracy.  Everything else is spot on.

[Limey]

Fixed for accuracy.  Everything else is spot on.

Thanks!

Meanwhile, the refs aren't saying why they called the Rockets for that technical late in the game.  Other than to give the Heat a free throw and the ball back, obviously.  What a fucking joke that league is.

[sporadic]

...and was instantly reminded why I don't watch basketball any more.

The Heat had lost 5 of 6, including their last 2 at home.  Playing in Miami, late in the 4th quarter, the Rockets were up by 6.  The Heat came down, scored a 2, somehow got a freethrow - I'm assuming some kind of technical foul because it didn't appear to be of the "and one" variety - scored that, got to inbounds the ball and scored another bucket.  McHale was going apeshit.

Later, LeBron drove into the lane, planted his palm squarely on Lin's solar plexus, pushed him backwards into Howard (I think) and completely cleaned out the space under the basket before flipping the ball to Ray Allen (I think), who drained an easy, uncontested, jumper.  The Heat won, going away.

Bravo, referees, bravo.  I hope Stern at least gives you replica rings for your part in the Heat's championship repeat.

I completely understand.  I spoke to Carroll Dawson about a month ago...he raved about Dwight Howard as a pupil (and person).  After the conversation I felt awful about being such a bandwagon Rockets fan, so I started watching every game that was televised.  Then, I realized why I stopped watching.  The game is a farce, I am happier when not paying any attention to it (although I will probably watch playoff games, in true bandwagon fashion).

[Limey]

I completely understand.  I spoke to Carroll Dawson about a month ago...he raved about Dwight Howard as a pupil (and person).  After the conversation I felt awful about being such a bandwagon Rockets fan, so I started watching every game that was televised.  Then, I realized why I stopped watching.  The game is a farce, I am happier when not paying any attention to it (although I will probably watch playoff games, in true bandwagon fashion).

I was watching it casually, across a bar, with the sound turned down.  I was getting angry.  It's not healthy for me to watch, so I don't.

[chuck]

I predict that this year major league umpiring is going to be worse than ever, partly because the umpires largely tend to be stupid fuck-ups and partly because they're going to be pissed at the league's audacity in questioning their infallibility with this new review process (which is sure to be a clusterfuck).

I present as evidence my casual observation of two games this past weekend between the Yankees and the Marlins. They took place here in Panama as best I can tell in order to honor Mariano Rivera. (Happily in the first game the Yankees were no-hit Astros-style by four Marlin pitchers. I can't remember ever seeing a no-hitter in spring training.) The umpiring was ridiculously terrible. Every other inning or so someone would make a call that was stunningly terrible. Often it was so bad the local guys calling the game would be laughing about it for the next couple of minutes. Managers actually got up out of their chairs to enter the field to argue calls. This just doesn't happen in the spring.

So either the umpires are getting even worse (a statistical improbability) or they are deliberately fucking up.

[Limey]

So either the umpires are getting even worse (a statistical improbability) or they are deliberately fucking up.

...or they're going to take retribution on those managers who dare to impugn their authority, by squeezing them somewhere else.  "Throw a red flag on me, will ya?  OK, let's see how small your pitcher's strike zone now is..."