From Dodd's blog.
Notice how Joe Castiglione, the Oklahoma AD, was with Missouri during the Colorado 5-down game in 1990, and the 'flea-kicker' game with Nebraska in 1997. What did he do in a previous life to earn such bad karma?
sportsline.blogs
Sooners' Stoops has much to say
It hasn't been a good year for Oklahoma. Quarterback Rhett Bomar pooped all over the program in early August when it was revealed he was taking money for work he didn't perform at a car dealership.
The team's national championship hopes were essentially ended right there. When the Sooners did get on the field, it was obvious quarterback wasn't their biggest concern. The defense allowed Alabama-Birmingham and Washington to stay closer than they should have in the first two games.
Then came Saturday's fiasco in Eugene, Ore., which might have been the biggest officiating blunder since the notorious Fifth Down game between Missouri and Colorado 16 years ago.
At 6:05 p.m. ET, 48 hours after Oregon's tainted 34-33 victory, we finally heard from the Pac-10 on the subject.
The officiating crew and replay official were suspended one game and the Pac-10 apologized to Oklahoma for botched calls (and non-calls) at the end of the game.
On Monday night after practice, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops immediately gathered reporters around him in an obvious I'm-only-going-to-say-it once rant.
It's already been a long season and Stoops didn't hold back.
"At least they have reacted to it and tried," Stoops said of the Pac-10. "Truly, there can be no amends to it and it can't be corrected. I think (the media) are fair to discern whether the actions taken against (the officials) or the individuals who had an opportunity to get it right are acceptable or enough ... compared to how our season has changed.
"If you're going to write any of this, you need to say it all. I've made a million mistakes; I'll make a million more. In each game and in that game included ... there are things I could have done differently or changed. Unlike officials, players and coaches don't have that opportunity. They had an opportunity to get it right and they chose not to.
"So I find it still absolutely inexcusable and unacceptable. In particular (the) people who had an opportunity to review it all and look at it and get it right. They chose not to.
"You discern whether a one-game suspension is appropriate for those individuals. I'm not talking about people in the heat of the moment out there in the middle of the chaos. I'm talking about people who, like every viewer at home, had an opportunity to see it. It's not for me to decide what is appropriate, but I think it's fair to say that a one-game suspension compared to the way our season now is altered, I don't know if that fits the situation.
"Like I said, I've made a million mistakes. In a game I'd love to have a chance to replay it and do it over. They get that opportunity, we don't. To me, again, it's just unacceptable and inexcusable. ...
"All parties involved should have to explain their actions to some degree you
would think. There are a lot of dynamics to it.
"We all make mistakes in the heat of the moment. Every coach in the country and every kid would love to replay it and say, 'Let me do that over.' (The officials) have that opportunity, so how can it be excusable and acceptable? It's just not.
"The people who were in those positions, I don't know if that's enough compared to what they've done to our season when they had an opportunity to get it right. And it isn't like there's 10 minutes to go. We're taking a knee, game's over. I'm not saying we didn't have our fault in it that we could be better. But that's the end of the game and there is no refuting that."
It's good to see Bob isn't bitter or anything like that.
Several thoughts: Was anyone else bothered that it took the Pac-10 two days to say
anything?
In contrast, the SEC supervisor of officials, Rogers Redding, was quoted Saturday regarding the ending at LSU-Auburn.
The Pac-10 looks like it is: a) slow; b) didn't care; or c) both. What's the use of having replay if you don't use it correctly? If you haven't seen replays of the missed calls in the Oklahoma-Oregon game, do yourself favor. You will be appalled.
This practice of having local retired officials closely affiliated with the home team has to stop. Gordon Riese, the replay official responsible for the (lack of) calls, is a retired Pac-10 official from Portland, Ore., with 28 years experience.
Ironically, Pac-10 officials supervisor Verle Sorgen was given an outstanding official award last year by the National Football Foundation. Sorgen retired as an official in 1994 and has been the league's supervisor for the past 21 years.
This is not the first time Oklahoma had a problem with Pac-10 officials. Stoops asked the Big 12 to pass on his concerns about several calls in the game. Even after all that, Oklahoma gave up the game-winning touchdown to an incredibly open receiver. Then it ran back the kickoff into Oregon territory and had a chance to kick the game-winning field goal. It was blocked.
This wasn't a last-play-of-the-game type thing. Oklahoma had two chances to recover after the heinous officiating and did not make a play.
Still, instant replay was created so these types of things wouldn't happen. Oklahoma goes to Washington in 2008. Don't be surprised if Oklahoma demands a Big 12 or neutral officiating crew. It is Pac-10 policy for a conference crew to officiate all home non-conference games.
You can bet that practice will be terminated when future opponents start demanding otherwise. ...
Here's how I, as a commissioner, would have handled it:
1. I would have called Sorgen immediately after the game and told him to contact the officials involved. Sometimes that's impossible because officiating crews typically head directly to the airport after games. But at least that first phone call would have the wheels in motion.
2. Before they did anything else, I would have ordered the referee and involved officials to write detailed reports of the plays in question (onside kick, pass interference). Those reports would be faxed or e-mailed ASAP.
3. I would have gotten a tape of the game myself as soon as possible to review.
4. I would have contacted both coaches and both athletic directors for their perspective.
5. The first comment from the league office would have been Sunday, instead of dinnertime on Monday.
Instead, you've got Oklahoma president David Boren dropping an A-bomb Monday afternoon. Boren wrote Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg insisting that the Pac-10 forfeit the game and the officials be suspended.
Because the issue wasn't handled promptly the fallout was even more embarrassing for the Big 12, Pac-10 and Boren.
Finally, Oklahoma AD Joe Castiglione has unfortunate history in these
things. He was in the Missouri athletic department in 1990 when Colorado was given five downs in defeating the Tigers and eventually winning a national championship that year.
He was Missouri's AD in 1997 for the infamous "Flea-Kicker" game against Nebraska. An intentionally kicked ball in the end zone by Nebraska's Shevin Wiggins allowed freshman Matt Davison to catch the game-tying touchdown pass. Nebraska won in overtime.
Now this. Joe, you're a great guy but you need to visit Psychic Friends to see if you're cursed. ...
) displaying that kind of incompetence would be fired. These dipshits shouldn't have jobs.
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