On Sun, 1 Dec 1991 19:48:15 +0900 <[log in to unmask]> said: >The officiating in the game was a complete disaster. The Hockey East >referee (McBride) showed no sign of cerebral activity. etc. etc. > Sorry, Greg, can't agree with you at all. I saw ONE call which McBride missed--the shot to the head that Todd Chambers retaliated to that got Chambers a penalty and the BC player nothing. It's not always a foul when your guy gets knocked down. Sometimes it's just a sign that your guy isn't playing very well. And now, a Steve McBride story... On November 16, Cornell hosted Columbia in football. At this point in the season, the next-to-last week of the schedule, Cornell still had a mathematical chance of winning the Ivy League championship, and Columbia was, well, Columbia. So of course, the Lions gave the Big Red all they could handle. The outcome of the game turned on one play. Late in the fourth quarter, Cornell was clinging to a 28-21 lead. On fourth down from the Cornell 19, Columbia QB John Tribolet dropped back to pass. All the receivers were covered, so he started running. As Tribolet neared the line of scrimmage and Cornell defenders surrounded him, he spotted an open man and shoveled the ball to him. The receiver caught the ball and ran into the end zone untouched, apparently drawing Columbia to within a point. But while the Lions were celebrating in the end zone, the officials were huddling at the 19 yard line, and eventually a penalty flag was thrown. Illegal forward pass, they ruled, with the subsequent loss of down denying the touchdown and giving Cornell the ball. Subsequent examination of TV replays showed conclusively that Tribolet had, in fact, not crossed the line of scrimmage, and the play should have stood as a legal pass and a touchdown. The umpire on the officiating crew that day, and the man who threw the flag on the illegal pass that wasn't? Steve McBride. (Thanks to Reid Oslin, BC Sports Communication Director, for this story.)