Send out the clowns

— Some of us are old enough to remember the Immaculate Reception in 1972, when Franco Harris grabbed the football just before it hit the ground, and ran down the sidelines to score the final touchdown that won the game for the Steelers. A playoff game, no less. You’re still not going to convince an Oakland Raiders fan that the play was legal. All these years later, they’ll still want to debate it. The ball touched the ground! Which figures. They’re Raiders fans. They’re always looking for a fight.

Enter the game played this Monday night. The team from Seattle “beat” the team from Green Bay on the last play of the game, a Hail Mary that (1) should’ve been ruled an interception or (2) the refs at least should have called offensive pass interference. Ah, there’s the rub: the refs. They’re replacement officials. The real refs have been locked out because of a continuing contract dispute with the NFL. Which only makes matters worse. At least if the mistake(s) had been made by the pros, the Packers wouldn’t feel so jobbed by the league.

First things first: Let’s give this play its own hallowed title: How about the Inaccurate Reception?

Next on the list, let’s get back the real referees. These amateurs are giving folks a headache.

Editorial, Pages 14 on 09/27/2012

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