Ranger Mom
02-14-2003, 02:33 PM
There have been rumors flying around the past couple of weeks regarding the outcome of the Greenwood/Bandera game. I was at the game and have watched it on tape also, I CAN'T tell if the ref made a bad call or not, but...rumor has it that Dawson Wilber DID make the field goal in the 2nd overtime. Here is the article that was in Greenwood's paper this morning. Please don't shoot the messenger as she tries to type all of this since the paper doesn't have a website to link to.
I watched it 20 times. I watched it normal speed, slow motion and stop frame motion. The VHS copy I received from KMID Big 2, along with the DVC Pro showed the ball was clearly inside the left upright.
My first reaction was disbelief, followed closely by an introspective search for an explanation..an understanding. Having not reached a logical or rational conclusion, my next feeling was that of anger and a sense of betrayal. How could the ref had missed such an obvious call?
A while back I attended a Greenwood basketball game and found myself sitting next to the parents of a Greenwood Ranger football player. We discussed many things, including the heartbreak of coming so close to the championship only to be denied by a missed field goal. True...the field goal only assured each of the teams another possession and would not have guaranteed a championship.
But if you know this year's team..a very special team, you know they did not give up and, as they have in their remarkable run this past football season, would always find a way to win. This was destiny's team.
However, it turns out the field goal was NOT missed. Let me explain. The story about the field goal had been circulating in recent weeks and several folks had mentioned it, but not having a son on the team, I still recognized the need for closure to such a disappointment for team members, coaches, parents and fans who supported this dream team and figured they were doing and saying whatever was needed to find closure.
When I was invited to watch the video of the kick, I first though, "Well..okay. Sure..Uh huh.." fully expecting to see the ball pass above the upright on what surely had to be a difficult call. Referees are only human, despite what we sometimes think. However, considering the person who invited me to see for myself, I knew something interesting was there.
This person is as down to earth and practical a person I've ever know...even considering their devotion, if not fanaticism for the game, they would likely want to get on down the road and not dwell on the lost opportunity.
Well folks.....I watched the ball pass "INSIDE" the upright so many times I can tell you which way the points of the ball were pointing when it slid past the pole.
The key word here is "INSIDE"! On KMID Big 2's sophisticated equipment, and on AV Production's Video equipment, you could even see the ball hit the ribbon attached to the top of the upright as it was blowing toward the middle of the goalpost.
After watching it several times I started to notice several other interesting things. For example, the shadow of the ball passed cleanly inside the shadow of the goal post. The referee, whose job it was to make the call on that particular side of the goalpost was nearly 4 yards behind the upright and came running up “after” the ball cleared the crossbar.
All the NFL and college referees I’ve ever watched call a field goal or extra points, they did so from a position directly under the upright and followed the ball until it passed the goal post before running a few steps to signal the result by raising both arms skyward to indicate it was good…or waving their arms in a lower crossing motion to indicate it was missed, followed closely by a signal indicating the missed kick was wide or short. In this case they just waived it missed, and didn’t indicate whether it was wide or short.
I also noticed the away ref, the ref who stood under the other upright, followed the ball until it was about 15 yards from the goalpost and then suddenly looked away and down. It took me several minutes to realize the ball passed directly between the sun and ref’s field of vision. He was protecting his eyes.
After the kick cleared, he then turned to the other ref and waited for his call…he himself did not, could not, see the final few yards of the ball’s flight.
I’d like for the ref who missed the call to watch the tape I watched. I’d like to hear him say, “I blew the call.” I doubt very seriously the ref would even agree to watch, even in order to explain what it was I saw. I don’t think he would…but he might. I’d certainly like to ask. They asked the ref’s who blew the call on the New York Giant’s 3rd field goal attempt against San Francisco… and that bad call kept them out of the Super Bowl hunt….and he admitted a mistake had been made.
This, you might think, won’t change the outcome of the game…refs make mistakes all the time…during the course of any given season in any given sport there will be teams who either win or lose on a missed call…and you are right. It won’t change anything.
Then why, you might ask, am I bringing it up now? Because I can’t now know for sure if Greenwood actually lost….or at the very least if Bandera won…I feel like it is still in overtime and Greenwood isn’t going to get it’s turn…and the frustrating thing about this particular missed call is we’ll ask ourselves for the rest of our lives, “What if…..?”
You are probably asking yourself why can’t I let it go? Life goes on….the sun comes up tomorrow, etc.
Well…..I’ve talked with a few members of the football team. I bumped into some of them in the mall…at restaurants…around town. Each of them told me in their own way in their own words, “…It’s just the way things worked out….we did our best….we gave it all we had…and even a few “we’ll get ‘em next year”…etc.”
Their eyes and hearts, however, told me something else. They each felt personally responsible….”If I had only made that tackle, made that blocked, intercepted that pass, not slipped down on my cut…"missed that last field goal”.
Well……it turns out you didn’t. And the one indisputable fact about life is…..Life Ain’t Always Fair.
You’ve been robbed. I can’t tell you what value comes out of that particular experience, but it’s in there somewhere.
Just keep doing the one thing you always did best….Never Give Up, in spite of the calls you get…..and know that WE know you did your job, even if the ref didn’t do his!!
Whew....my fingers are tired. Anyway, the newspaper article also had 4 still shots of the field goal. Like I said, I have only watched my video and can't tell anything one way or another. But I can understand the author's point on....what if?? But...my momma always told me, "IF is a big word" :D :D :D
I watched it 20 times. I watched it normal speed, slow motion and stop frame motion. The VHS copy I received from KMID Big 2, along with the DVC Pro showed the ball was clearly inside the left upright.
My first reaction was disbelief, followed closely by an introspective search for an explanation..an understanding. Having not reached a logical or rational conclusion, my next feeling was that of anger and a sense of betrayal. How could the ref had missed such an obvious call?
A while back I attended a Greenwood basketball game and found myself sitting next to the parents of a Greenwood Ranger football player. We discussed many things, including the heartbreak of coming so close to the championship only to be denied by a missed field goal. True...the field goal only assured each of the teams another possession and would not have guaranteed a championship.
But if you know this year's team..a very special team, you know they did not give up and, as they have in their remarkable run this past football season, would always find a way to win. This was destiny's team.
However, it turns out the field goal was NOT missed. Let me explain. The story about the field goal had been circulating in recent weeks and several folks had mentioned it, but not having a son on the team, I still recognized the need for closure to such a disappointment for team members, coaches, parents and fans who supported this dream team and figured they were doing and saying whatever was needed to find closure.
When I was invited to watch the video of the kick, I first though, "Well..okay. Sure..Uh huh.." fully expecting to see the ball pass above the upright on what surely had to be a difficult call. Referees are only human, despite what we sometimes think. However, considering the person who invited me to see for myself, I knew something interesting was there.
This person is as down to earth and practical a person I've ever know...even considering their devotion, if not fanaticism for the game, they would likely want to get on down the road and not dwell on the lost opportunity.
Well folks.....I watched the ball pass "INSIDE" the upright so many times I can tell you which way the points of the ball were pointing when it slid past the pole.
The key word here is "INSIDE"! On KMID Big 2's sophisticated equipment, and on AV Production's Video equipment, you could even see the ball hit the ribbon attached to the top of the upright as it was blowing toward the middle of the goalpost.
After watching it several times I started to notice several other interesting things. For example, the shadow of the ball passed cleanly inside the shadow of the goal post. The referee, whose job it was to make the call on that particular side of the goalpost was nearly 4 yards behind the upright and came running up “after” the ball cleared the crossbar.
All the NFL and college referees I’ve ever watched call a field goal or extra points, they did so from a position directly under the upright and followed the ball until it passed the goal post before running a few steps to signal the result by raising both arms skyward to indicate it was good…or waving their arms in a lower crossing motion to indicate it was missed, followed closely by a signal indicating the missed kick was wide or short. In this case they just waived it missed, and didn’t indicate whether it was wide or short.
I also noticed the away ref, the ref who stood under the other upright, followed the ball until it was about 15 yards from the goalpost and then suddenly looked away and down. It took me several minutes to realize the ball passed directly between the sun and ref’s field of vision. He was protecting his eyes.
After the kick cleared, he then turned to the other ref and waited for his call…he himself did not, could not, see the final few yards of the ball’s flight.
I’d like for the ref who missed the call to watch the tape I watched. I’d like to hear him say, “I blew the call.” I doubt very seriously the ref would even agree to watch, even in order to explain what it was I saw. I don’t think he would…but he might. I’d certainly like to ask. They asked the ref’s who blew the call on the New York Giant’s 3rd field goal attempt against San Francisco… and that bad call kept them out of the Super Bowl hunt….and he admitted a mistake had been made.
This, you might think, won’t change the outcome of the game…refs make mistakes all the time…during the course of any given season in any given sport there will be teams who either win or lose on a missed call…and you are right. It won’t change anything.
Then why, you might ask, am I bringing it up now? Because I can’t now know for sure if Greenwood actually lost….or at the very least if Bandera won…I feel like it is still in overtime and Greenwood isn’t going to get it’s turn…and the frustrating thing about this particular missed call is we’ll ask ourselves for the rest of our lives, “What if…..?”
You are probably asking yourself why can’t I let it go? Life goes on….the sun comes up tomorrow, etc.
Well…..I’ve talked with a few members of the football team. I bumped into some of them in the mall…at restaurants…around town. Each of them told me in their own way in their own words, “…It’s just the way things worked out….we did our best….we gave it all we had…and even a few “we’ll get ‘em next year”…etc.”
Their eyes and hearts, however, told me something else. They each felt personally responsible….”If I had only made that tackle, made that blocked, intercepted that pass, not slipped down on my cut…"missed that last field goal”.
Well……it turns out you didn’t. And the one indisputable fact about life is…..Life Ain’t Always Fair.
You’ve been robbed. I can’t tell you what value comes out of that particular experience, but it’s in there somewhere.
Just keep doing the one thing you always did best….Never Give Up, in spite of the calls you get…..and know that WE know you did your job, even if the ref didn’t do his!!
Whew....my fingers are tired. Anyway, the newspaper article also had 4 still shots of the field goal. Like I said, I have only watched my video and can't tell anything one way or another. But I can understand the author's point on....what if?? But...my momma always told me, "IF is a big word" :D :D :D