Bleep you, ESPN Classic.

So, after a long morning/early afternoon of running errands, I flipped on the TV. Got Astros-Cubs on Fox, and despite Roy Oswalt on the mound, it ain't enough to keep me interested. Nothing on the other channels I normally watch. I begin flipping around.

And come upon ESPN Classic, where it's ESPY Award Winners Weekend. Okay, cool. They air great games. And it might be fun to watch a classic game.

Except they aired a promo for the ESPY Award Winners Weekend: Football, baseball, hoops, weight lifting, poker, ice skating. Where's the hockey? I know ESPN has hockey footage; the network aired games for a decade. Surely, there were great hockey games the network could air instead of steroid-inhanced idiots bench pressing 800 pounds.

Nah, not one image of Gretzky or Messier or Steve Yzerman or Joe Sakic. Thanks, Worldwide Leader.

And then, the game comes back from commercial.

The Miami-Ohio State Fiesta Bowl game.

Are you fucking kidding me? One of the dirtiest programs of the last 15 years wins the National Championship on the worst call I've seen in my 30 years of watching sports. That's the game you air? Great. Please, praise Maurice Clarett; he's an upstanding human being. Jim Tressel? He runs a clean program. Not a hit of impropriety in Columbus. And Terry Porter, you incompetent jerk, just because Chris Gamble could not haul in a Craig Krenzel pass on fourth down, does not make it pass interference on Glenn Sharpe. Especially when Gamble could have made the catch. And waiting five minutes to throw the flag? Brilliant.

In summary, from the hockey and University of Miami fan, I humbly suggest that ESPN Classic screw itself in the pooper.

That is all.

 

A Miami fan calling another program "dirty." Interesting.

 

I thought it was a good call. It took WAY too long to come, but I think it was the right one.

 

Which doesn't make it untrue. Or are you suggesting Grampa Sweater-vest runs a clean program?

 

It was the wrong call.

This photo was taken after the ball deflected off of Gamble's fingers:



He had a chance to catch the ball and win the game. He didn't. The game was over and UM should have been repeat champions. Instead, Porter waited, made the wrong call and upstanding citizen Maurice Clarrett scored the National Championship winning score.

 

It is possible to be interfered with but still have a chance to make the catch.
If I hold one of your arms down, you have a chance to catch it one-handed. That doesn't mean it's not pass interference.
I'm trying to find the video to see if I still agree with what I thought at the time. So far, I can only find really long vids on YouTube.
I'll find one and then tell you again that I'm right.

 

As an average American who'd like to see (somewhat) clean programs win, my only regret is that a comet didn't hit the stadium that night, wiping out two of college football's biggest problems.

 

Man, welcome back, H_Beat. We missed you.

 

Rewatching, I still think it's a good call.
You can argue that you don't let the officials decide something so big, but I argue that you don't let the players cheat to decide it either. Pass interference is pass interference whether it happens at the beginning of the game or the end; whether it's in the season opener or the national championship game.

 

They're both filthy programs.

 

When's Junction Boys on?
(SportsJournalists.com Classic Rocks!)

 

Yes they are. Go Gators.