Condolences to you VT vans

[Sir reel]

I don't have any particular sympathies or allegiance to VT... but they were ROBBED LAST NIGHT! Sure felt bad for the young man who CAUGHT the overtime touchdown pass. I understand (what should be) the intent regarding the "ground assisting in a catch" but when a receiver has a hand or arm under the ball and falls to the ground... sure, hitting the ground will "tighten" the catch but it doesn't result in the catch ! He really laid it out and made an absolutely great athletic effort in making the catch. (just my opinion ) indisputable evidence to the contrary… my fanny!

[big bend gyrene]

Amen, Sir Reel, and I'm ABSOLUTELY NOT a huge hokie's fan, more often pulling against them versus for them. That out of the way, the call just seemed criminal to me and really seemed to break the "need for overwhelming proof" to overturn a call on the field. They showed close footage from multiple angles over and over with the announcers agreeing prior to the reversal that it was a catch, and I'll be darned if I ever could see any "overwhelming proof" that the call merited reversal. Feel so sorry for the kid who MADE the catch. That call is going to haunt him and his teammates for years.

[reelbad]

Replay?, REPLAY?, dont need no stinkin replay. Call it on the field and let em play till the clock runs out.

[SHOWBOAT]

sheessh....

Refs make bad calls, and this is one of many that should be scrutinized during this year's bowls. How about the Oregon kick returner that crossed the goal line before knealing? Maybe the Florida pass that was reversed and called a fumble giving OSU the ball? Or the Florida touchdown that was dropped but wasn't reviewed? Bad calls go both ways and they happen.

If VT could have converted one of 4-5 redzone posessions into a touchdown it wouldn't be an issue. Win on the field and don't leave it up to a referee in overtime. Get it for yourself and don't wait on someone else to award it to you.....

If ya'll belly-achers were on my team we'd be focused on conditioning today and taking matters into our own hands next game.

If bowl season was 10 games for the 20 best teams and referees then we might not have to endure such injustices....

[Sir reel]

I'm not going to bring a bunch of other "stuff" into the discussion (I hope). But, I really fail to see that there has been much "belly aching" until now... and I'd really like to see where additional physical or mental conditioning could have placed the receiver in a better position to make a "non reviewable " catch. Also, as bad as I felt for him, there was no jumping up and down, screaming at the officals, throwing his helment, etc. He took the decision with a lot more class than most players in similar situations. He did "get it for himself and the team" but had it taken away.

[big bend gyrene]

sheessh....If ya'll belly-achers were on my team we'd be focused on conditioning today and taking matters into our own hands next game. .

Showboat, again NO big Va Tech fan here... not in the LEAST.

And agree with you on winning decisively wholeheartedly, but since I'm not on the team, I'm just offering a pretty impartial .02 that it's sad the kid and team got robbed.

Not to mention that the Michigan kicker really should have drawn a false start with the winning kick. Just as I don't love Va Tech, I actually usually pull FOR Michigan in their games (especially the Ohio State game )... but take a look at the kicker's stutter step before the ball was snapped and a false start appeared to be warranted. Again, not commenting as a big fan of either team, just an impartial observer who felt the officiating was pretty nasty at the end, made the game less enjoyable to watch, and is going to leave some kids hurt.

By the way, ALL FOR THE PLAYOFFS. Went to Furman, home of the PURPLE PALADINS, who regularly played Division 1-AA playoff games while graduating some decent football scholars so have never understood / bought the arguement that div 1 teams don't have the time. And lest any smart-azz locals make fun of my Paladins, back in the 80s when I went to Furman we gave ACC teams heck, with two wins over N.C. State, a tie against Ga Tech, and had Florida State tied up through halftime in 87, a year where Florida State finished 4th with a lone loss against Miami. Oh and Furman's the same team that put up a ton more offense against the gayturds this year than did the seminoles!

[big bend gyrene]

Oh and Furman's the same team that put up a ton more offense against the gayturds this year than did the seminoles!

Darn spell check changed my "gators" to "gayturds". Weird huh? Sorry UF fans.

[big bend gyrene]

On second thought after seeing this clip, think maybe the Michigan kicker deserves a break for the stutter-step starts. Wait one ... on THIRD THOUGHT, do y'all think the brunette joke is a way of hiding a budding bro-mance? The kicker and the dude next to him sure made some googly eyes at one another -- kind I've seen when Bman and Wofleman have been in the same room together...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkPiOJdYSkM[/video]

[SHOWBOAT]

I certainly don't support Michigan at anything, but I do like to give Bud a hard time. Hopefully he ran a couple laps around his house for sucumming to the belief that a referee will effect how a young athlete views his remarkable effort. It shouldn't, that was one hell of an attempt.

I do find post game review of referees frustrating though; I guess it goes back to the Miami fans who never accepted their loss in the NC. Everytime I meet a new one, which I try not to do, they're still complaining. Bad calls happen, even when the best referees/umpires are selected. Be dominate on the field and don't allow officiating to effect the outcome was the way I was always coached.

[Sir reel]

( pant..pant...heave... reach for oxygen bottle...wife wants to know if I'm OK and was I chasing something around the house) OK I'm ready to reply!

Brian, I as much as most folks and probably more than some appreciate the fact that ref's are human and as a result prone to make a mistake or see something different than the majority who don't have their prespective. I know bad calls happen and then there's no going back. In the age of the replay, that is suppose to reduce, eliminate, or provide a chance to make it right. In this case (VT versus M OT review ) I believe they took a step backwards when nothing was indisputable to warrent it.

[Ron Wilson]

[ By the way, ALL FOR THE PLAYOFFS. Went to Furman, home of the PURPLE PALADINS

What years were you at Furman BBG?

[big bend gyrene]

Ron, I started in '85 and graduated in '89.

Semi-related note (appreciating our shared Corps service) I was a very late comer to the Corps, enlisting & attending boot camp at the ripe old age of 28 in '96. Didn't want active commitment while wife was in med-school (and didn't want to leave manufacturing supervisor position) so instead opted for reserve assignment with local Eastover, SC Abrams tank unit.