Quote:
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Originally Posted by zebraman
"yeah, but part of coaching is getting away with as much as you can."
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Why is anyone surprised or outraged by this? I mean, really? When was the last time Greg Maddux or Tommy Glavine ever told the umpire "No, that was actually a ball...I was just working off the plate to get the close call, but I can't really accept that strike, it's just plain wrong." If that mentality prevailed then the Florida Marlins must forfeit their 1997 NLCS game 7 win against the Braves because Livan Hernandez didn't throw a pitch in the strike zone from about the 3rd inning on. And why? Because he worked the ball further and further outside the strike zone and kept getting the call.
I don't recall the year, but in the early 70's the Cowboys beat the Vikings in a playoff game when Drew Pearson (I think) caught a late TD pass after subtly pushing the defender off with a small shove to the hip. Afterward, Vikes coach Bud Grant noted what he called a basketball rebound shove by the receiver and he said it with admiration. He got gamed, he knew it, and he wasn't angry about.
........And offensive linemen never grab pass rushers and soccer players never take dives and less talented and smaller centers never push and hold Shaquille O'Neal and tennis players always overturn every wrong line call in their favor because it is the right thing to do and Whitey Ford and Gaylord Perry were the only pitchers to ever doctor a baseball and Bill McCartney and Colorado football forfieted their win over Missouri when they realized they had snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on an inadvertantly allowed 5th down (oh that's right, they didn't...instead CU won the national championship that year) and baseball teams never steal signs and rugby locks never tape handles to their legs to facilitate the lineout lift (just trust me on that one) and golfers never play mulligans or winter rules in July and groundskeepers never doctor infields to the home team's advantage and home football teams always face the sun from their sidelines and hockey players never...well I don't know enough about hockey to know how they game situations, but I'm sure they do...and teams winning in the waning moments of a game never point out timing errors that would add time to the clock and football players have never used stickum and boxers have never kidney punched or head-butted an opponent when the referee's view was blocked and shortstops & 2nd basemen never get the front out of a double play "in the vicinity" of 2nd base and on and on and on and on and on........
Of course players and coaches try to get away with as much as possible! DUH! And I'm sure no one on this board ever tried to game a situation or get away with as much as possible when they played. Riiiiiightttttt.
Am I saying this okay? No. Am I suprised or outraged by this behavior? Again, not at all. Do I try to curtail it as an official? Of course I do. Do I get indignant when I discover a coach or player put one over on me? No, not really.