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Saturday, January 19, 2013

NBA Ejections: D Crawford, Bavetta & Dalen; TFFL Day 79

Referees Dan Crawford (crew chief), Dick Bavetta (R) and Eric Dalen (umpire) ejected Bucks center Larry Sanders for a second technical foul during the 3rd quarter of the Bucks-Trail Blazers game. With 3:08 remaining in the third period, Bucks forward Ersan Ilyasova was called for a shooting foul, his fourth, Sanders receiving two technical fouls in succession for conduct in violation of the NBA's Respect for the Game guidelines by continued complaining regarding a non-call on a missed shot attempt by Sanders. At the time of the ejection, the Bucks were leading, 80-65. The Bucks ultimately won the contest, 110-104.

This is Dan Crawford's third ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.
This is Dick Bavetta's second involvement with an ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.
This is Eric Dalen's first involvement with an ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Wrap: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Portland Trail Blazers, 1/19/13 [Video: N/A]

2012-13 TFFL: Day 79 (8 Games, 9 Technicals, 1 Ejection).
514: 8 Marc Davis, 30 John Goble, 79 Kevin Scott. Timberwolves' Ridnour; 3rd, 12:00.
515: 8 Marc Davis, 30 John Goble, 79 Kevin Scott. Rockets' Beverly; 3rd, 9:05.
The Minnesota Timberwolves ultimately won the contest, defeating the Houston Rockets, 92-79.

516: 43 Dan Crawford, 27 Dick Bavetta, 75 Eric Dalen. Bucks' Sanders; 3rd, 3:08 (consec-517).
517: 43 Dan Crawford, 27 Dick Bavetta, 75 Eric Dalen. Bucks' Sanders; 3rd, 3:08 (consec-516).
Bucks C Larry Sanders ejected for second technical foul.
518: 43 Dan Crawford, 27 Dick Bavetta, 75 Eric Dalen. Trail Blazers' Matthews; 3rd, 1:21.
The Milwaukee Bucks ultimately won the contest, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 110-104.

519: 17 Joe Crawford, 56 Mark Ayotte, 42 Eric Lewis. Clippers' Crawford; 2nd, 7:50.
520: 17 Joe Crawford, 56 Mark Ayotte, 42 Eric Lewis. Wizards' Wittman; 3rd, 6:52.
521: 17 Joe Crawford, 56 Mark Ayotte, 42 Eric Lewis. Clippers' Odom; 3rd, 1:25 (double-521).
522: 17 Joe Crawford, 56 Mark Ayotte, 42 Eric Lewis. Wizards' Booker; 3rd, 1:25 (double-521).
The Los Angeles Clippers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Washington Wizards, 94-87.

1. (113 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (111 pts) Bino.
3. (105 pts) Drjjulius.
4. (100 pts) flap0703.
5. (93 pts) Eagle_12.

2012-13 TFFL: Day 78, Technical Fouls 507 - 513

2012-13 TFFL: Day 78 (9 Games, 2 Technicals).
507: 8 Marc Davis, 33 Sean Corbin, 44 Eli Roe. Bulls' Noah; 4th, 2:20 (double-508).
508: 8 Marc Davis, 33 Sean Corbin, 44 Eli Roe. Celtics' Garnett; 4th, 2:20 (double-507).
^The Chicago Bulls ultimately won the contest, defeating the Boston Celtics in 1OT, 100-99.

509: 19 James Capers, 29 Mark Lindsay, 71 Rodney Mott. Magic's Afflalo; 4th, 0:51.1.
The Charlotte Bobcats ultimately won the contest, defeating the Orlando Magic, 106-100.

510: 48 Scott Foster, 18 Matt Boland, 11 Derrick Collins. Hawks' Johnson; 1st, 3:22.
The Brooklyn Nets ultimately won the contest, defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 94-89.

511: 13 Monty McCutchen, 26 Pat Fraher, 63 Derek Richardson. Spurs' Jackson; 3rd, 5:23.
The San Antonio Spurs ultimately won the contest, defeating the Golden State Warriors, 95-88.

512: 25 Tony Brothers, 16 David Guthrie, 77 Karl Lane. Mavericks' Nowitzki; 2nd, 8:25.
513: 25 Tony Brothers, 16 David Guthrie, 77 Karl Lane. Thunder's Perkins; 2nd, 1:15.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately won the contest, defeating the Dallas Mavericks, 117-114.

1. (113 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (107 pts) Bino.
3. (100 pts) flap0703.
4. (99 pts) Drjjulius.
5. (90 pts) cyclone14.

Friday, January 18, 2013

National TV's Basketball Rules Ignorance & TFFL Day 77

It's not just baseball and the Chicago White Sox's Ken "Hawk" Harrelson. As officials across nearly all sports have long known, ignorance of the rules is universally pervasive.

For a more confined case study, consider Thursday evening's NBA contest between the Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers during which TNT broadcasters Marv Albert, Steve Kerr and Reggie Miller discussed several rules intricacies: traveling as relates to a loose ball/falling on the ground, the eight-second rule and the clear path foul. The Qualities of Broadcasting Accuracy for each instance below is "incorrect":

Traveling: After a loose ball struggle, Kerr lamented that in college and high school basketball, players would routinely be called for a traveling violation upon diving on the floor for a loose ball. Later in the contest, Albert referenced a sequence in which Miami's LeBron James recovered a loose ball on the ground and stood up without being whistled for a violation.

Explanation: NBA Rule 10-II-a is fairly straightforward: "A player shall not run with the ball without dribbling it." For this discussion (player on floor), Rule 10-XIII-e is relevant:
e) A player who falls to the floor while holding the ball or stopping may not gain an advantage by sliding.

In NCAA college, Rule 4-70-6 states "it is traveling when a player falls to the playing court while holding the ball without maintaining a pivot foot." In NFHS high school, Rule 4-44-5 states that a player holding the ball "may not touch the floor with a knee" or if gaining control on the floor, "may not attempt to get up or stand." At these levels, a player is permitted to dive for a loose ball and possess it, but may not voluntarily violate a rule as specified above.

All codes agree—despite their differences, all levels require a player to hold the ball while committing a second act. During the play in question, James did not hold the ball while moving from the ground to standing. Replays indicate the ball maintained contact with the ground until James' feet were the only parts of his body in contact with the ground. Only then did James pick the ball up or "hold" it. This is legal at all levels.

Eight-Second Rule: Hastled in the backcourt, Miami's Dwyane Wade carried the ball over the midcourt line with 16 seconds visible on the shot clock. Albert and Kerr immediately stated they believed an eight-second violation had occurred while Miller proposed this apparently "new rule" had caused confusion resulting in what the broadcasters deemed was a missed call.

Explanation: When the eight-second rule was adopted in 2001 (prior to that, it was 10 seconds, a rule introduced in 1933), the math was simple: taking a shot clock of 24 seconds, officials were to rule a violation if a team was in continuous possession of the ball in its backcourt for more than 8 seconds, or at the 16-second mark (24-8=16). However, as I have previously stated, shot clock timing became more complex when the NBA converted to a tenths-of-a-second timer prior to the 2011-12 season.

Before 2011-12, shot clocks ran from 24-to-0, which in tenths-of-seconds, was 24.9-to-0.9, the violation occuring at 0.9 seconds (technically, 0.999999...). The reason for this is previous-model shot clocks only displayed full seconds, so instead of seeing 0.9 seconds, viewers would see 0 seconds, or, a violation. Accordingly, eight full seconds lapsed at 16.9 seconds on the shot clock, or as soon as the clock read 16.

After the conversion, shot clocks effectively lost nine-tenths of a second, running from 24.0 to 0.0, the shot clock violation this time occuring at 0.0 seconds (which, logically is really 0.09 seconds, meaning 24.0 seconds is really 24.09 seconds). Accordingly, eight full seconds lapse at 16.0 seconds, or a full nine-tenths of a second after the clock reads 16.

Because the clock does not operate in tenths-of-a-second above the five-second mark (sig digs!), officials have no full-proof way of knowing when the clock is equal to 16.0 versus 16.9 sec. Therefore, the common axiom is to whistle the violation at 15.9 (visible = 15) seconds, a 0.1-second margin of error.

Nonetheless, replays confirm the Heat advanced the ball into the frontcourt prior to 16.0.

Clear Path Foul: During a steal and pass from James intended for Wade, Los Angeles' Metta World Peace committed a foul on Wade. Albert, Kerr and Miller considered the possibility a clear path foul had occurred and were surprised when, after review, officials Joey Crawford, Mark Ayotte and Zach Zarba ruled the foul common and not of the clear path variety.

Explanation: Rule 12-B-I-Penalties-6 clarifies this exact situation: "If a defender is ahead of the player being fouled and has the opportunity to position himself between the ball and the basket, there is no clear path foul." Though the rule further specifies the requirements of (1) team possession, (2) backcourt origin, and (3) deprivation of opportunity to score, the aforementioned and explicitly referred to information clearly deliniates that the clear path foul call does not apply in this situation because World Peace was clearly ahead of Wade and between the ball and the basket during the foul.

2012-13 TFFL: Day 77 (4 Games, 2 Technicals).
505: 24 Mike Callahan, 6 Tony Brown, 74 Curtis Blair. Knicks' Chandler; 3rd, 10:59.
The New York Knicks ultimately won the contest, defeating the Detroit Pistons, 102-87.
This game was played at the O2 Arena in London, England.

506: 22 Bill Spooner, 42 Eric Lewis, 73 Tre Maddox. Bucks' Boylan; 3rd, 3:17.
The Milwaukee Bucks ultimately won the contest, defeating the Phoenix Suns, 98-94.

1. (111 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (107 pts) Bino.
3. (99 pts) Drjjulius.
4. (98 pts) flap0703.
5. (89 pts) Eagle_12, cyclone14

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

2012-13 TFFL: Day 76, Technical Fouls 496 - 504

2012-13 TFFL: Day 76 (10 Games, 9 Technicals).
496: 48 Scott Foster, 35 Kane Fitzgerald, 50 Olandis Poole. Raptors' Casey; 3rd, 1:20.
^The Chicago Bulls ultimately won the contest, defeating the Toronto Raptors in 1OT, 107-105.

497: 13 Monty McCutchen, 66 Haywoode Workman, 65 Sean Wright. Pacers' T. Hansbrough; 4th, 2:46.
498: 13 Monty McCutchen, 66 Haywoode Workman, 65 Sean Wright. Magic's Vucevic; 4th, 2:46.
The Orlando Magic ultimately won the contest, defeating the Indiana Pacers, 97-86.

499: 55 Bill Kennedy, 26 Pat Fraher, 31 Scott Wall. Nuggets' Faried; 2nd, 10:26.
500: 55 Bill Kennedy, 26 Pat Fraher, 31 Scott Wall. Thunder's Durant; 2nd, 3:05.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately won the contest, defeating the Denver Nuggets, 117-97.

501: 71 Rodney Mott, 30 John Goble, 58 Josh Tiven. Spurs' Duncan; 2nd, 2:01.
The San Antonio Spurs ultimately won the contest, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies, 103-82.

502: 14 Ed Malloy, 36 David Jones, 39 Brenda Pantoja. Trail Blazers' Triano; 2nd, 5:53.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 93-88.

503: 43 Dan Crawford, 45 Brian Forte, 38 Michael Smith. Warriors' Green; 2nd, 3:04.
504: 43 Dan Crawford, 45 Brian Forte, 38 Michael Smith. Heat's Chalmers; 3rd, 9:11.
The Miami Heat ultimately won the contest, defeating the Golden State Warriors, 92-75.

^Points associated with technical foul(s) equals or exceeds margin-of-victory (all else equal, affects result)

1. (111 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (107 pts) Bino.
3. (99 pts) Drjjulius.
4. (98 pts) flap0703.
5. (89 pts) Eagle_12.

2012-13 TFFL: Day 75, Technical Fouls 491 - 495

2012-13 TFFL: Day 75 (6 Games, 5 Technicals).
491: 10 Ron Garretson, 18 Matt Boland, 30 John Goble. Pacers' George; 1st, 6:29.
The Indiana Pacers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Charlotte Bobcats, 103-76.

492: 28 Zach Zarba, 33 Sean Corbin, 73 Tre Maddox. Clippers' Del Negro; 2nd, 7:54.
493: 28 Zach Zarba, 33 Sean Corbin, 73 Tre Maddox. Clippers' Odom; 2nd, 7:54.
494: 28 Zach Zarba, 33 Sean Corbin, 73 Tre Maddox. Clippers' Griffin; 3rd, 0:55.9.
The Los Angeles Clippers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Houston Rockets, 117-109.

495: 15 Bennett Salvatore, 45 Brian Forte, 20 Leroy Richardon. Bucks' Ellis; 1st, 5:38.
The Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Milwaukee Bucks, 104-88.

1. (111 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (105 pts) Bino.
3. (98 pts) flap0703.
4. (96 pts) Drjjulius.
5. (87 pts) cyclone14.

Monday, January 14, 2013

2012-13 TFFL: Day 74, Technical Fouls 483 - 490

2012-13 TFFL: Day 74 (8 Games, 8 Technicals).
483: 49 Tom Washington, 47 Bennie Adams, 52 Scott Twardoski. Bobcats' Walker; 2nd, 4:31.
484: 49 Tom Washington, 47 Bennie Adams, 52 Scott Twardoski. Bobcats' Gordon; 4th, 3:04.
The Boston Celtics ultimately won the contest, defeating the Charlotte Bobcats, 100-89.

485: 41 Ken Mauer, 71 Rodney Mott, 76 Steven Anderson. Hawks' Teague; 3rd, 7:38.
486: 41 Ken Mauer, 71 Rodney Mott, 76 Steven Anderson. Hawks' Smith; 3rd, 5:48.
The Chicago Bulls ultimately won the contest, defeating the Atlanta Hawks, 97-58.

487: 22 Bill Spooner, 65 Sean Wright, 58 Josh Tiven. Timberwolves' Rubio; 3rd, 4:43.
488: 22 Bill Spooner, 65 Sean Wright, 58 Josh Tiven. Mavericks' Collison; 4th, 0:30.8.
The Dallas Mavericks ultimately won the contest, defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-98.

489: 14 Ed Malloy, 61 Courtney Kirkland, 75 Eric Dalen. Jazz's Millsap; 3rd, 9:54.
The Utah Jazz ultimately won the contest, defeating the Miami Heat, 104-97.

490: 25 Tony Brothers, 63 Derek Richardson, 38 Michael Smith. Kings' Cousins; 3rd, 7:50.
The Sacramento Kings ultimately won the contest, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 124-118.

1. (105 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (102 pts) Bino.
3. (95 pts) flap0703, Drjjulius.
5. (87 pts) cyclone14.

Sunday, January 13, 2013

NBA Ejection: Davis, Brown & Maddox; TFFL Day 73

NBA Referees Marc Davis (crew chief), Tony Brown (R) and Tre Maddox (umpire) ejected Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich for a second technical foul during the 4th quarter of the Timberwolves-Spurs game. With 7:22 remaining in the 4th period, Popovich received two consecutive conduct technical fouls following a shooting foul called against Spurs forward-center Tiago Splitter. At the time of the ejection, the Spurs were leading, 90-77. The Spurs ultimately won the contest, 106-88.

This is Marc Davis (8)'s second ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.
This is Tony Brown (6)'s first involvement with an ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.
This is Tre Maddox (73)'s third involvement with ejection of the 2012-13 NBA season.

Wrap: Minnesota Timberwolves vs. San Antonio Spurs, 1/13/13 [Video N/A]

2012-13 TFFL: Day 73 (7 Games, 10 Technicals, 1 Ejection).
473: 36 David Jones, 16 David Guthrie, 77 Karl Lane. Knicks' Chandler; 3rd, 12:00.
474: 36 David Jones, 16 David Guthrie, 77 Karl Lane. Knicks' Smith; 3rd, 1:37.
The New York Knicks ultimately won the contest, defeating the New Orleans Hornets, 100-87.

475: 23 Jason Phillips, 35 Kane Fitzgerald, 79 Kevin Scott. Pacers' Hill; 4th, 8:28.
476: 23 Jason Phillips, 35 Kane Fitzgerald, 79 Kevin Scott. Pacers' Vogel; 4th, 7:29.
The Brooklyn Nets ultimately won the contest, defeating the Indiana Pacers, 97-86.

477: 8 Marc Davis, 6 Tony Brown, 73 Tre Maddox. Spurs' Parker; 2nd, 2:04.
478: 8 Marc Davis, 6 Tony Brown, 73 Tre Maddox. Spurs' Popovich; 4th, 7:22 (consec-479).
479: 8 Marc Davis, 6 Tony Brown, 73 Tre Maddox. Spurs' Popovich; 4th, 7:22 (consec-478).
Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich ejected for second technical foul.
The San Antonio Spurs ultimately won the contest, 106-88.

480: 15 Bennett Salvatore, 45 Brian Forte, 20 Leroy Richardson. Trail Blazers' Stotts; 3rd, 4:11.
481: 15 Bennett Salvatore, 45 Brian Forte, 20 Leroy Richardson. Thunder's Westbrook; 3rd, 2:56.
The Oklahoma City Thunder ultimately won the contest, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers, 87-83.

482: 43 Dan Crawford, 61 Courtney Kirkland, 72 J.T. Orr. Lakers' Howard; 1st, 6:35.
The Los Angeles Lakers ultimately won the contest, defeating the Cleveland Cavaliers, 113-93.

1. (103 pts) Boredcravens.
2. (100 pts) Bino.
3. (95 pts) flap0703, Drjjulius.
5. (85 pts) cyclone14.

Winter Ejections: Clint Fagan (1) & Roberto Moreno (2, 3)

Cabrera engages Moreno following his strikeout & ejection.
HP Umpire Roberto Moreno ejected Leones del Caracas shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera & Manager Frank Kremblas for arguing a strike call in the bottom of the 10th inning of the Navegantes-Leones [Lions-Navigators] Venezuelan Winter League playoff game. With none out and none on, Cabrera took a 0-1 pitch from Navegantes pitcher Juan Rincon for a called second strike before striking out swinging on the next pitch. Replays are unavailable; the call is irrecusable. At the time of the Cabrera/Kremblas ejections, los Navegantes were leading, 4-3. Los Navegantes ultimately won the contest, 4-3, in 10 innings.

Prior to these ejections, 1B Umpire Clint Fagan ejected Navegantes del Magallanes second baseman Reegie Corona for arguing an out call in the top of the 5th inning. With one on and one out, R1 Corona was picked off by Leones pitcher Guillermo Moscoso (put out by first baseman Jesus Aguilar). Replays for this ejection are unavailable; the call is irrecusable. At the time of the Corona ejection, the contest was tied, 2-2.

During his 10th inning ejection, Cabrera, a member of the Cleveland Indians organization, appeared to contact Moreno's chest in an action reminiscent of a plate umpire bump.

In December of 2011, Texas Rangers catcher Yorvit Torrealba, who like Cabrera also was playing as a member of the Leones del Caracas, threw an open hand slap and made contact with HP Umpire Dario Rivero, Jr.'s face mask. MLB did not discipline Torrealba in advance of the 2012 season, though the Venezuelan League suspended Torrealba a total of 66 games, which included the both the balance of the 2011-12 and entire 2012-13 Venezuelan Winter League seasons.

Wrap: Navegantes del Magallanes vs. Leones del Caracas, Venezuelan Winter League Playoffs, 1/12/13
Video: Cabrera throws equipment as he and Manager Kremblas are ejected in Magallanes' final at bat