Good Call, Bad Call: What MLB Could Learn from the NBA

Last week, the NBA took a victory away from the Atlanta Hawks, sending them and the Miami Heat back onto the floor to replay the final 51 seconds of a December 19th contest.

The reason was that the official scorer erroneously ruled that Miami center Shaquille O’Neal had fouled out.

The Hawks’ record fell to 15-16 minus the victory, putting them in eighth place in the East. Of course, if they go on to lose the do-over—scheduled for March 8th—and miss the playoffs by one game, it would be their own fault.

See, when O’Neal was called for a foul in overtime with Atlanta leading 112-111, the scoring table personnel, employed by the hometown Hawks, ruled it was Shaq’s sixth foul when it was actually only his fifth.

We’ll find out how badly the blunder will cost Atlanta later in the season.

Which brings me to the New York Yankees. Yes, baseball.

Who could forget the infamous Royals-Yankees “Pine Tar” game from July 24th, 1983?

With two outs in the top of the ninth and Kansas City down by a run, George Brett homered off Goose Gossage with a man aboard for an apparent 5-4 KC lead.

However, after Yankees skipper Billy Martin protested that Brett’s bat had too much pine tar on it, umpire Tim McClelland called Brett out, and the game ended.

The Royals filed a protest and the AL ruled in their favor, meaning the two teams would have to finish the game on August 18th with KC up 5-4. The ruling took a win away from the Yankees, who were in contention in the AL East at the time.

While the Yankees lost out in that game, they certainly gained 13 years later, in the 1996 ALCS.

On October 9th, 1996, the Bombers trailed Baltimore 4-3 in the opener of the League Championship Series. In the bottom of the eighth, rookie Derek Jeter’s fly ball to deep right appeared at least playable, if not catchable, by Orioles right fielder Tony Tarasco. However, 12-year-old fan Jeffrey Maier reached over the fence and stole the ball away from Tarasco.

Right field ump Rich Garcia immediately ruled it a home run, meaning the game was tied 4-4. Tarasco and O’s manager Davey Johnson protested, to no avail.

The Yanks then went on to win in the 11th on Bernie Williams’ home run.

The Orioles and owner Peter Angelos filed a protest, but it was no use. The AL denied the protest because under the rules, judgment calls cannot be protested.

The Yankees lost Game Two before rallying to sweep three straight at Camden Yards to knock off the O’s.

The Garcia ruling was one of the worst in professional sports history. And the Orioles couldn't even protest it.

Give NBA Commissioner David Stern credit for righting the wrong committed against Miami. It won't help the woeful Heat make the playoffs, but at least it gives the league some measure of credibility in the wake of the Tim Donaghy scandal.

Yes, yes—different sport, different rules. But in this case, the NBA did the right thing. Baseball, for years, hasn't.

Anyone else out there want to share their thoughts on the worst calls or controversial non-calls ever in pro sports?