I posted this on another thread (Karan Higdon holding call) late last night and it fell off the front page quickly. So I'll put here since I was miraculously gifted enough points to post. And I have edited it and added a few things.

Somebody in a previous post suggested that perhaps the NCAA and referees have too much to lose by letting AI replace them. That there may even be a connection to gambling and organized crime. That got me thinking. I had not attempted to make that link before. But is it that far-fetched?

Just for fun, below are a handful of refs (not all-encompassing) with Italian sounding last names that you may have heard of. Do their names sound familiar to you? Should referees be memorable figures in sporting contests? Is there a disproportionate number of referees (vs. players) with Italian ancestry?

Alas, as far as our beloved Wolverines are concerned, it seems to be guys without Italian last names, like Bill LeMonnier and John O'Neill, that have been the cruelest to us.

Conclusion: None. Except maybe fuck John O'Neill hard. This was the most stupid and subjective research I have ever done in my life. And though I love Italians, I'm sure somebody will tell me this was racist too. Oh well.

NCAA

Bill Carollo (Lawyer) – Head of Big10 officials since 2008. Famous for this infamous call at the NFL level that lead to a rule change the next year. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m24r9JiKV14

Dan Capron (Lawyer) – head official for the UM-OSU game in 2016. Also called the NCAA title game between Alabama and Georgia this year.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5mhG1Pp6SJM

https://www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/college-football/2018/1/8/1686651…

Gene Steratore (full-time ref) – regularly screws Michigan in basketball games. IMO, screwed Brady and the Pats in this year’s Superbowl with two or three TD catches that should not have been permitted (i.e. Alshon Jeffrey trapped first TD catch, Corey Clement was out in back of end zone, Zach Ertz did not complete the catch, Illegal formation on Nick Foles trick play TD, Hail Mary PI against Chris Hogan).

Jim Lapetina (retired) – head ref in the UM-MSU clock game of 2001. Screwed us all the time.

NFL Officials

Tony Corrente (Teacher)

Pete Morelli (full-time ref)

Carl Paganelli (full-time ref)

Perry Paganelli (full-time ref)

Mike Pereira (full-time ref)

Jeff Triplette (full-time ref)

Tony Veteri Jr. (full-time ref)

Rob Vernatchi (full-time ref)

Ed Hochuli (Lawyer, maybe not Italian last name)

Refs that loved to screw Michigan with last names that aren’t Italian

Bill LeMonnier – called the #1 vs. #2 Michigan vs. Ohio State game in 2006.

Dave Witvoet – retired after 2014. Oversaw 3 of our losses in Rich Rod’s first (pivotal) year in 2008 (MSU, NW and IL)

John O’Neill – Starting ref’ing UM games in 2007 beginning with the App State debacle. UM is 8-8 in games he has ref’d. However, that doesn’t tell the story. Our 8 wins came against UCF, Oregon St, Indiana, Illinois (2), Purdue, Minnesota and a lowly Nebraska team this year. Our 8 losses came against Ohio State (3), MSU (2), Notre Dame (1), Nebraska (1) and Iowa (1). In other words, he features in high stakes Michigan games and they have lost every single one of those games. (Maybe his mother was Italian? I kid. I kid.)

2018

(1-0): win vs. Nebraska at Michigan Stadium

2017

(0-1): loss to MSU at Michigan Stadium

2016

(1-1): loss to Iowa at Kinnick; Win vs. UCF at Michigan Stadium

2015

(1-1): loss to MSU at Michigan Stadium; Win vs. Oregon St at Michigan Stadium

2014

(1-2): losses to ND in South Bend; OSU at the Shoe; Win vs. Indiana at Michigan Stadium

2013

(0-1): loss to Nebraska at Michigan Stadium

2012

(1-1): loss to OSU at the Shoe; Win vs. Illinois at Michigan Stadium

2011

(1-0): Win vs. Illinois in Champaign

2010

(1-0): Win vs. Purdue in West Lafayette

2009

(0-1): Loss vs. Penn State at Michigan Stadium

2008

(1-0): Win vs. Minnesota in Minneapolis

2007

(0-2): Losses to App State and OSU at Michigan Stadium

Other ramblings: I have NOT been on the fence for a long time about whether Michigan is getting shafted by referees in the major sports. I have seen way too many contests shifted by the influence of referees. While I do not believe that Michigan is specifically targeted by seedy elements of organized crime with connections to the Italian mafia (that was meant to be a joke) I do think people genuinely despise Michigan. Perhaps for the same reason I do not like to watch games with Michigan fans. They can be smug, snarky, arrogant, know-it-all's. And I am a UM grad (so too were Drew Sharp and Michael Rosenberg FWIW) Take for example, the guy, Mike Dolce, who threw the flag on Karan Higdon for holding. He's a GVSU grad who owns a real estate company in GR. GVSU's grads do not by and large love Michigan. If anything, MSU is their second team.

Point is, there should be no need for root cause analysis. Emotions should play no role. But humans are still very jealous creatures. Hence, why Facebook is so popular.

Also, I think I first hit my breaking point when John Gravelllese disallowed a Michigan goal vs. Miami during the NCAA hockey playoffs back in 2010. This would have advanced us in the tourney. We had a good team that was on a great run. That game should been over. Just like the MSU-UM clock game in 2001. Game should have been over.

Refs have the ability to affect games. You are not a conspiracy theorist for accepting that. Even one or two plays each game can have a profound impact. Many will not agree with this take, but I thought Ohio-native Terry Wymer greatly affected our momentum at the end of the first half of the NCAA basketball final this year. We were playing great, and with a lead, when a series of ticky-tacky fouls put some of our guys in trouble and took the wind out of our sails. We never recovered. Of course, we all remember the Trey Burke block in the 2013 title game.

I think collectively, we as fans just need to turn up the volume on this issue, whatever that takes, and not be dissuaded by the "you're a nutty conspiracy theorist, take your tinfoil hat off, stop whining, wah-wah, it's a bad look for us..." blah blah blah. Let's keep a microscope on it. Michigan has been getting screwed for a really fucking long time and after a certain point, the collective human consciousness of our fanbase can sense it is more than just bad luck or happenstance.

The next time they appoint John O'Neill to ref a huge game Michigan is playing in Ann Arbor, sound the alarm, collectively groan out loud, and then boo the hell out of him after his first bullshit call and every one thereafter.