THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

And if calls that appear to have been made consistent with someone on the take is not enough to cast doubt on the credibility of soccer/football, then what would it take exactly?

Confessions and betting slips?  That’s what we need?

No, credibility is something that is earned and conferred by the viewer.  It is not a right that FIFA is granted, and therefore it is up to us to prove otherwise.

He speaks like a King.  His entire mindset is as a monarch.  And we paupers are undeserving of an explanation.  We’re the same little people who are not full human beings according to BP execs, but you need our money to make your ventures a success.

FIFA and their officials have never bothered to explain their calls before, so why would we expect them to start doing so now? They’ve survived worse controversies (Maradona’s hand of god?) and stalled on France-Ireland before effectively deciding that accountability just isn’t a word in their vocabulary. I mean, I understand why there’s outrage - I’m outraged - but you can only slam your head against the wall so many times before you need to admit that you’re only hurting yourself.

Of course, the simplest solution would be the one that baseball is now (ostensibly) entertaining - an instant replay option. It’ll never happen because a) FIFA officials have never been held accountable for on-field calls, and b) it’s the one game where the 45 minutes of non-stop action (except for fouls and dives-- i mean, ‘injuries’ is fundamental to its nature.

That wink after ‘injuries’ was unintentional - but it really works, doesn’t it?

Ref’s been benched: http://g.sports.yahoo.com/soccer/world-cup/news/fifa-drops-referee-after-dropped-call--fbintl_ro-fifaref062110.html

They bench half the referees after the first round, so, it’s not a big deal that he was one of them.

is mouses more insulting than mice?  thats a new one.

agreed that thee explanation is pathetic though.  that someone would prepare that statement thinking its in anyway acceptable tells you a lot about the FIFA attitude.

To me, the funny/horrible thing about the whole play are the 4 other infractions where the D is grabbing (and in 2 cases, bear-hugging) the O ... and the one guy that wasn’t being *cough* contested *cough* scored the goal.

So, it’s not just that the goal was disallowed, but that the other numerous infractions on the play were not called. Hell, take your pick.

If it were not a real-life event, it would make great satire. Really, just put some makeup on Leslie Nielson and let him have at it. Given everything in photographs/vidoe, what could the ref have been watching/seeing?

I remember during the MLB playoffs last year, someone added “is legally blind” to CB Bucknor’s wikipedia page (Classic). I can just imagine what kind of stuff is going on with this ref.

But, even if the ref wanted to say something, or admit a mistake, or give an explanation ... he probably has been ordered to stay quiet.

I didn’t catch the play in question. I’m not a big soccer fan, but I can usually watch it without getting upset.

Yesterday, I did witness the dive that got Brazil’s Kaka red carded. For those that missed it, a Cote d’Iviore player ran into Kaka and fell down clutching his face. It was pathetic. Even the announcers said so. And obviously the ref wasn’t watching the play since he pulled the yellow card (#2 for Kaka).

Soccer would be a better sport (albeit more dangerous) if they treated diving the way hockey does. Personally, I’d like to see a soccer league with legalized hip checking...I stopped playing the sport when I started getting fouls for that.

is mouses more insulting than mice?  thats a new one.

“Are you a man or a mouse” is an insult.

“Are you men or mice” is… well, not as much of an insult, right?  A single mouse makes a cowardly decision.  A group of mice make a group decision, which seems less cowardly on an individual level.

FIFA is made up of a bunch of individual mouses.

"a Cote d’Iviore player ran into Kaka and fell down clutching his face.”

How ‘bout it. Same thing happened in another match where a team had to play essentially all 90 minutes a man short, due to a dive on some very week arm-to-face contact.

But, the incident you were talking about was intentional. The player wealked directly into an opponent and then jumped back, fell on the ground, and clutched his face, kicking and screaming, as if he’s been left-hooked by Pacquiao.

To me that’s just embarrassing for the sport ... but it works in the favor of the nations that are know to doit.

I don’t see why yellow/red cards could not be handed out after the games, once footage is reviewed. The divers could be penalized then. Granted it does not change the outcome of that particular game, buyt having to sit out the next game might be deterrant ... or having your team play the whole game a man short, definately would be a deterrant to the diving.

The diving to me, is just one of those things, that makes the sport unbearable at times. It’s one of those things that makes you say “Geez, that’s a grown man acting like that.” It’s embarrassing.

Hockey has had its share of diving, but NHL actually has diving penalties.  That’s the deterrant for that (plus you don’t want to look like a mouse).  And the coach doesn’t support you if you dive.

In soccer, has a player ever been given a yellow card for diving?  Without an appropriate downside, they have no choice but to be unsportsman about it.

There was a famous play where noted diver Claude Lemieux took a dive, and stayed on the ice, waiting for the whistle and the trainer to come out.

His own coach yelled at him to get up because he wasn’t putting up with that sh!t.

In a playoff game.

Players are often given yellow cards for diving.  Unfortunately, not nearly often enough.  There was a yellow to a Chilean player just today for a dive.  The player accepted it without complaint, as he knew he was guilty.

I also believe that punishment in the form of cards or suspensions for “simulation” (diving) should be assigned by video review after every game.

They bench half the referees in the first round, and it is meaningful that he was one of them.

See how that argument works both ways?

Also, first round’s not over yet, Tom.

And if you read the article, FIFA was not silent on his lack of officiating skill. I agree with your general understanding of the fiefdom that is FIFA, but there has been some communication. Obviously not as much as you like, or as much as there should be.

Confessions and betting slips?  That’s what we need?

The NBA has managed to mostly sidestep fallout from the Tim Donaghy scandal, so even that isn’t enough. Hell, the official position is still that Donaghy was only using inside information and not fixing games, even if there’s been a very persuasive case put forward at the blog I linked that Donaghy was fixing games, and quite obviously at that. When people want to believe that their games are always fair and have always been fair, it’s easy enough to maintain that illusion.

Flopping is the one thing that really highlighted why I hate flopping was the red card against the South Africa goalie.  The goalie appeared to be making a really effort to play the ball, stretching out and but not going for the player.  Their feet came into contact, and the offensive player proceeded to roll across the ground like he was shot out of a cannon.

The USA non goal bothered me less, as I thought watching live that the penalty that was called that awarded the kick was light and looked like a flop.

That second yellow for Kaka was atrocious.  The player who fell in “pain” should be suspended, his actions almost caused what looked like a brawl about to break out.

I do not know why they do not have more refs on the field, so they can discuss these flops after the whistle is blown.  Either that or the refs need to swallow their whistles every now and then and only call what they actually see, and not the performance when someone falls. 

That alone might be enough to curb the acting.  It seems sometimes like I am watching a bunch of 1 year olds learning to walk with all the falling down.

re: mice vs mouses; i would use a different word altogether, but i see what your getting at i think.

anyone else think soccer would be improved if they changed the whole yellow/red card stuff?  whats wrong with a penalty box?  it works for hockey, both indoor and outdoors. and lacrosse.  i think the MLS should try that for a couple years.

Seeing all the suggestions, I’m liking the post-game review, where another official can determine whether a player has clearly taken a dive and should be assessed a card for doing so. And I would add that they should also erase a card given to a player that received one for a foul he didn’t commit. That should be adequate, right?

(Except, I guess, in something like a final, where the penalty of being assessed a yellow card after the fact probably won’t dissuade anyone from diving when everything’s on the line. Still, in most instances...)

Even though I suggested it, the “after-the-fact” video review of diving/flopping doesn’t prevent it or treat it in the game that matters the most ... the final.

So, there’s still TONS of incentive to dive anytime, anywhere ... especially near the box.

I like the idea of having more refs. I also like other ideas such as (paraphrasing in non-professional terms) “If you go down like you’ve been shot by a sniper, you are required to sit out for 20 minutes”.

Interesting that the Spanish defender was spiked in the head, creating a gash ... spiked in the mouth, drawing a decent amount of blood ... and yet played through it without rolling around as if he was hit by an F-150.

Wouldn’t it just be enough to have refs in a video booth watching all fouls to see if it was a dive, and presenting cards for diving during the next stoppage in the game (throw in, penalty kick, etc.)?

It would be delayed by a couple minutes, but it would match what the fans on TV are seeing, and it would be a very strong disincentive to take a dive for the players (because they know whatever they do will be reviewed).

The only people who would suffer are the fans at the stadium (unless they played the dives on the soccer equivalent of a jumbotron).

Games are reviewed later and officials have the ability to levy some penalties, but sofar it has been used only to delete red cards when it is absolutely obvious that ref was wrong (and I mean absolutely obvious that there was no foul or reason for the card, they let red card for Cahill (Australia, vs. Germany) stand even though it was type of contact that was barely for yellow card, if they always gave red for such contact, most games would end because of too few players), and to punish people who ref hasn’t seen. So, players who kicked or spit on somebody when ref wasn’t looking were suspended for several games. But if ref decided to give yellow card when it was absolutely obvious that it should be red, the rule is that ref decided on disciplinary action and no commission can change that.
At one point players who scored goals that were allowed to stand with their arms got suspended for several games. Either they stopped that, of it is only for scoring goal with an arm, and not playing with it previously, otherwise Henry and Fabiano would have been suspended.

Another thing. Last year in Champions League semifinals (run by UEFA, not FIFA, but it’s almost the same) ref didn’t see at least 5 possible penalties for Chelsea vs Barcelona (Chelsea was playing at home). If I remember correctly, two of them were no-brainers, one was correctly seen as attacker’s foul, and two other situations are usually 50-50, sometimes penalty is given, sometimes not. Nothing happened to that ref.
This year in Championship League final clear penalty wasn’t given to Bayern near the start of the game. Bayern lost 2-0. Nobody even mentioned it and nobody criticized the ref.