theytookourjobs

January 4th, 2018 at 9:19 AM ^

Ted Washington was the first referee of the United States of America.  He once chopped down a cherry tree, ate with wooden teeth, and coined the phrase, "I can not tell a lie..... unless you ask me what a charge is"

redwhiteandMGOBLUE

January 4th, 2018 at 10:33 AM ^

But you know what? Behind every good man there's a woman, and that woman was Martha Washington, man, and every day, Ted would come home, she'd have a big fat bowl waiting for him, man, when he'd come in the door. She was a hip, a hip, hip lady, man....and she was real cool too. She'd harvest the crops, man. That's what I'm talkin' about. She'd put it in the bushels and stuff, and sell it, you know, because they had to make ends meet and stuff. I mean, did you ever look at a dollar bill, man? There's some spooky stuff goin' on on a dollar bill, man. And it's green too.

Amaizing Blue

January 4th, 2018 at 12:52 PM ^

For any Michigan fan over 50, the answer is clearly Jim Bain!  My friend and I were listening to a game 30+ years ago with Tom Hemingway on the call, and a foul was called.  Tom strongly disagreed with the call, and uttered the famous line:  "Well, Michigan fans, I don't have to tell you who made THAT call!"

I believe this was a second career for "The Bainer", after commanding troops on the French side during the French and Indian war.  

 

Edit:  I just checked to see when Jim Bain passed away, and the answer is, he hasn't.  He is 85 years old, his nickname is "Boomer"...and he's in the basketball officials hall of fame.  My world is upside down right now...

BoCanHam15

January 4th, 2018 at 9:22 AM ^

He gave North Carolina three calls in a row, that weren’t even close! I️’d really hate to use the word hate! However, I hate when I see him in stripes, when we take the court!

MGoGrendel

January 4th, 2018 at 9:34 AM ^

should not be noticed during a game.  Just do your job right.

Not TV Ted.  He thinks the game is just something that goes on while the cameras are on him.  He tries to give the fans at home a show.

Sorry, not as creative as the above explanations...

Boner Stabone

January 4th, 2018 at 9:37 AM ^

As an official myself, I cannot stand TV Teddy.  He always makes himself part of the game and that is why everyone "knows" him, because he makes such egregious calls all the time.  The good refs are the ones you never here of.  

Too bad in the B1G we know all the officials on a first name basis, because they are so bad, especially in football.

lilpenny1316

January 4th, 2018 at 9:57 AM ^

When I worked in Intramurals, I went on a 5 minute rant about how biased Ed Hightower was.  The problem was that (1) I was in the supervisor of Intramurals office, (2) he was a referee himself, and (3) he had an autographed Ed Hightower basketball.  Needless to say, I lost the argument.  

I still think Michigan would have a few extra wins, even a conference title during the Fab Five years, if Hightower never officiated a Michigan game.

Jangalang

January 4th, 2018 at 11:06 AM ^

"The issue is Valentine. Valentine is lucky he didn't get punched. You walk up on somebody like that, you better know the person you're walking on. Valentine has always been antagonistic, he's always talked trash to players, he's always acted like the game is above him."

"He's not even close to a great official. A great official doesn't do that. And all these guys hire him. I don't understand it."

Link:  https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2014/03/03/indysportsday-dakich-says-referee-valentine-lucky-he-didnt-get-punched/5969783/

Steve in PA

January 4th, 2018 at 11:12 AM ^

TV Ted learned from watching WWE matches.  The villian will be winning the match and the hero is so beat down they can barely get off the mat.  Then some even happens and the hero rises up to win.

With TV Ted, Team A will get calls early at the expense of Team B.  Later in the game Team B will get the calls.  It is very predictable and possibly in his mind he is calling an even game.  You just never want to be the beneficiary of early calls from TV Ted.

 

*I thought he was retiring a few years ago?

UM Fan from Sydney

January 4th, 2018 at 12:30 PM ^

This asshole is a perfect example of a refereee who tries to bring attention to himself and not, oh I don't know, the actual game that people came to see. His over-the-top antics are over-the-top.

AC1997

January 4th, 2018 at 2:12 PM ^

I was in the basketball band back in the mid-90s (which tells you both how old I am and how old Teddy must now be).  In that era the band wasn't in the stands as they are now, we sat on the floor under the hoop opposite the tunnel.  

Well, TV Teddy is having a classic game where he's calling everything wrong and being part of the action.  The entire crowd is now going nuts on the guy because of this classic performance, including us in the band.  He calls another brutal foul on Michigan and before the free throw comes over to the band and shouts to us "one more word out of any of you and I'm throwing the entire band out of here."  

Good times....I can't believe he's stayed not only employed but in a major role all of these years.