http://www.msnbc.com/news/804062.asp?0sa=sn4&cp1=1 Biggest Baby of the Week in Sports 1. Miami Hurricanes fans We would have been disappointed if Miami fans had taken their loss to Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl with grace and dignity. This is, after all, college football, a sport whose fans are known for a lot of things –- body painting, screaming, postgame violence, illegal consumption of intoxicating beverages –- but class and dignity are not generally among them. So it was no surprise that ‘Canes fans blamed the loss not on their own team’s failures, and certainly not on Ohio State’s inspired play, but on a pass interference call against their team in the first overtime. Totally aside from the fact that it looked to us at WOW like a good call, it’s also interesting to note that the fans didn’t object at all to the defensive holding call that wasn’t made earlier against their team –- the call that allowed them to go to overtime to start with.
Yes indeed, the collective masses that are the non-Ohio State fans have gone full-throttle into the baiting and trolling that has gotten them crowned 'The Grand Champions of Whining.' There is no doubt in anyone on this good earth's face that could deny their title. They (including myself) have fought hard to push on day after day throwing it back in your faces and living in denial, finding any and all excuse we can muster to not give in to what you claim as your own in the National Championship. Facts will not slow us down. Replays will not convince us. time will not heal our wounds. Your rings mean nothing to us. Newspapers will not sway us. For we are strong and tough and full of fury for what we believe is the truth. and with that belief in hand, and the National Title not in hand, we have earned what is respectfully ours. We have proven, beyond a shadow of a doubt that we are the undisputed, the greatest ever, the not-to-be bested, the godfathers, the number one -- of whining. Which, of course, is so much more than y'all can say about your alleged National Championship. Even in defeat, we win bigger than you could ever wish to in victory. Miami Hurricanes, 2002-03 National Champions, 24-17 over OSUcks.
You know that I was on the OSU/Big 10 side of this. But I just can't justifying the sticky. Sorry. but I can help with the bump!
Great game, OSU deserved the win no doubt (and I was pulling for them)...however, the pass interference call was a bad one and should not have been called. Miami should have won it, but that was not the case. They had another shot to win it, but failed.
At least they didn't resort to this: And like QPR Kevin H said: Miami has fans? They have to have the lowest fans per win average in I-A history over the past few years.
So are those pictures from Ohio St, Michigan St, Maryland, Minnesota? While rioting is inexcusable after a sporting event - its not exactly limited to Columbus. And IIRC - about 40 out of 50 had no official connection to the school (students, etc). Just idiots on campus with an excuse to light things on fire. Sorry to digress - but these things are a large scale social issue. Not just a local University matter.
Yeah, but what fun is that, fer cryin' out loud? It's so much more fun to toss out every little thing we can to rile you little simpleton OSU fans into a fury. It must suck to get so pissed off and defensive at even the slightest knock at your glorious college. I guess when you're beaten down like dogs for so long, you got no other choice than to get angry at the people you beat because they take advantage of your short fuses. It's just so damned fun to pick on you guys, really. No other team's fans are that easy a target, I tell ya. Thanks god there are people like fidlerre and Garcia and some others that have some class and can take a joke.
I wasnt defending Ohio St per say - just making a broad point. I'm from Maryland - so I've been interested in this stuff for awhile. And how original is it to make fun of a school for rioting? Its only happened about a dozen times now. If your gonna pick on a school or place - then make at least make it funny - then I'll get it.
I don't know who is worse, OSU fans who say that the pass interference call was correct or the Korean fans who thought that they deserved to beat Spain. Tough Call. Be a man and just admit that it was a bad call. Trying to justify the call just pisses off Miami fans even more. Imagine if the tables were reversed and OSU got screwed out of the national championship, I think Ohio would make the L.A. riots look like a peace demonstration.
1) It was the correct call. It not just OSU fans who are saying it was correct, but the majority of the sports media. 2) Miami had additional chances to stop OSU on that drive, and on the game winning drive (4th and 14 remember). Miami had an opportunity to score on their last possesion (first and goal on the 2, I believe) and failed. 3) The game would not have gone to overtime if not for two marginal calls in Miami's favor late in the 4th quarter. 4) Miami turned the ball over 5 times. 5) Even those who disagree with the call are saying that OSU is a deserving champion. I heard Gary Danielson on this subject the other day. He said something to the effect of "I think it should have been a no call, but it was very close. I'm not saying it was a cheap win. It was a magnificent win for Ohio State. There were other close calls in the game, but if you look at that call in a vacuum, I think it was a no call". Miami was not screwed out of anything. They were lucky to get back in the game in the first place. You want to go back and edit a close call in your favor. If you let Ohio State fans do the same, this is at least a 10 point win for them in regulation. The comparison to South Korea's World Cup run is bogus. Of the course of the tournament, South Korea got ALL of the calls. Weren't there something like 5 goals disallowed by South Korea's opponents? The appearance is that there may have been a lot of pressure on those refs by the host nation, if not overt corruption. In the Fiesta Bowl, we're talking about one call out of numerous close calls. If you look at the whole game, the calls balance out. If the refs wanted to give this game (or any football game, as it is a rule intensive game where the officials have a lot of influence) to one team over another, the score would not be close.
I would, if it actually was a bad call. I'm not afraid to admit when one of my teams gets gifted a call. Or perhaps you can explain why OSU's best football player ran a "sit" pattern, but didn't (er, couldn't) turn back to face the ball?
BTW, I just read where the Big XII never have issued letters of apology for controversial calls from Porter because... get this... he hasn't made bad calls in the past. The ESPN writer (Bruce Feldman) either made it up or made a mistake, because the Big XII says it never happened. Unfortunately, ESPN.com hasn't yet acknowledged this fact, other than to take down the link to Feldman's column.
As I said in the McGahee thread, if Miami had been justifiably called for defensive holding with 2:30 left in regulation, it wouldn't even be an issue. BUT, the fact that OSU fans here need to pile falsehoods on top of truth is embarrassing. They won the game, they deserved to win the game, but they did not deserve that particular call. I have yet to read a single non-Ohio sportswriter who says the call was absolutely correct. People are saying that it was either an out-and-out bad call or borderline. Either way, a borderline call at best should not have decided the national championship. Just take the win and be happy with it. You don't hear the Niners saying that the refs didn't err on the final play on Sunday -- take the same tack. Just play with the trophy and move along quietly. Also note that for as much wind as OSU fans are using to justify their win as the cleanest and most worthy in decades, the Miami team have not been whiners: http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/sports/colleges/university_of_miami/4877207.htm ''Officials make the calls,'' Taylor said, insisting that moment "was no turning point. We shouldn't have been in that position.''
Had it been a no-call instead, it still would have been "borderline", with Miami as the victor instead. That a borderline call decided the National Championship is a simple fact of life. It would have been equally controversial had it gone the other way. Except for Kellen Winslow Jr, you are correct. But we're not arguing with the Miami team, we're arguing with Miami fans.
With the notable exception of Kellen Winslow Jr - who if nothing else is a fine football player - I gained an immense amount of respect for Miami. These aren't the same classless punks of a decade ago. The players played hard, their defense probably had their best outing of the season, and most of 'em accept the fact that they lost. Their fans, however...