All That and a Bag of Mail: Tim Higgins Blows a Call Edition

In a key SEC basketball game Thursday night, referee Tim Higgins blew a call against Alabama's JaMychal Green. I went back and watched the entire play in super slo-motion HD and there was no doubt that Green stayed in bounds. I even snapped a screen shot of the sideline tight-roping and posted it on Twitter. You can see that picture here, which shows that the closest Green came to the baseline still left him well inbounds. You can also see Higgins has a perfect angle on the call and still blows it, which, for anyone who regularly watches college basketball, is an all too common occurrence.

No sport in America is more impacted by officiating, not even the corrupt NBA, as much as college basketball. The referees call too many games, are too influenced by road crowds -- as a recent Sports Illustrated study confirmed -- and calls are often arbitrary and inconsistent. As someone who loves college basketball and has seen many games from courtside, refereeing is simply atrocious. Tim Higgins is one of the worst. As evidenced by the picture above, even when he's in perfect position he's incapable of making the right call. This wasn't a block/charge, this wasn't a foul of discretion or interpretation, it was a simple play, in or out, and Higgins bungled it.

Completely.

Anyway, for Vanderbilt fans who thought John Jenkins was fouled at the end of the Florida game, you got your wish, blown calls have now evened out in your favor. Our beaver pelt trader of the week is UConn backup quarterback, Johnny McEntee with his trick shot quarterbacking video.

You'll love it.

And without further ado, on to All That and a Bag of Mail.

Chris K. writes:

"Clay, what penalties is Tennessee looking at for a failure to monitor charge in football? Lane Kiffin at USC? Also, what do you think happens to Bruce Pearl?"

For those who didn't read it, I broke the story 10 days ago that the Vols and Lane Kiffin were going to be hit with a failure to monitor charge in football. Assuming that lack of institutional control isn't found, the worst the Vols would face would be loss of scholarships, likely six or less, and some potential restrictions of off-campus recruiting. So the penalty wouldn't be crippling, but it will be more severe than Tennessee officials have let on for the past year.

Lane Kiffin is a more interesting proposition because there aren't a lot of easy precedents to consider. His penalties wouldn't directly implicate USC -- that is, USC wouldn't face a direct penalty -- but Kiffin would be likely to see his recruiting privileges restricted. For instance, he may not be able to recruit off campus for a period of time, or might have his in-home visits lessened. More importantly, Pat Haden, USC's new athletic director who was brought in to clean up the Trojan house, will really have to consider what his response to the latest Kiffin impropriety would be.

As for Bruce Pearl, I think the NCAA is going to exact their pound of flesh. My prediction, and this is entirely from me, not from sources, is that he's suspended for half of a season, perhaps the entirety of the out-of-conference season. Given that the Vols have already penalized him monetarily and in terms of recruiting and that the SEC has already docked him eight games in conference, I think the NCAA will hit him with something else, a half-season suspension for the out-of-conference games.

Official word should be coming down very soon.

Jimmy D. writes:

Okay, Einstin, if you add A&M and Oklahoma to the SEC, what do the SEC divisions look like?

Oy, misspelling Einstein?

Not good.

But the question isn't a bad a one. You assume that each division would move to seven teams. Clearly, Texas A&M and Oklahoma would join the SEC west. That makes eight teams in the present SEC west. So who do you bump back to the SEC east? Keeping in mind that the goal of the divisions all along has been to even out the traditional football powers.

In the SEC east your traditional football powers would remain: Georgia, Florida, Tennessee

But in the SEC west your traditional powers would now become: Auburn, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma

So clearly, one of those five schools from the West would have to come east to balance the football powers. It's reasonable to assume that Texas A&M and Oklahoma wouldn't be moved. I don't think LSU would either. So my guess is that Auburn and Alabama would be split. (Easy, easy, clearly the Iron Bowl would be kept as a yearly rivalry game).

If that happened then I think Auburn would be the team moved. My reasoning? It preserves the South's oldest rivalry game with Georgia, allows Bama to become the yearly rival, and evens out the powers at four per division. Plus, Auburn is the furthest east of the SEC west schools. (Right now only Vandy is in the central time zone among east schools). Alabama could also be moved from the west to the east, but I think that's less likely because Alabama is the stronger national brand than Auburn. Florida, Tennessee, and Georgia would still be three of the four most populous states even in an expanded SEC. (Texas would become the largest).

Now, regardless of who makes the move -- you can e-mail your ideas as well -- you can already see the difficulties that a seven team division necessitates. Namely, you have six divisions games now instead of five. Ergo, you can only have one traditional rivalry game if you want to play every team in the opposite division at least once every seven years.

Plainly, that's an issue. So what could happen? A nine game conference season. Which coaches would hate because it would take away a guaranteed win and lead to a uneven number of home and road games in conference.

Yep, the more you think about going to seven per division the more of a headache this becomes. That's why I'd point back to my idea for the SEC Final Four from last spring. If you're willing to make the leap to 14 teams then going to 16 teams and having four different four team divisions starts to look smarter and smarter. It gives you much more schedule flexibility and allows you to stick to eight conference games.

Plus, it means a whole hell of a lot more money.

Read that column from last May if you haven't. I still think that's the future of the league.

Jonny writes:

Clay,

In regards to the corruptness of dentists: You should really try a visit to the eye doctor; they've got dentists beat by a mile.

To order contacts you have to have a prescription, bottom line. So, you get to go pay 90 bucks to the eye doctor so he can sit you in front of that eye machine for five minutes and then tell you with a straight face that your eyes haven't changed at all (which of course you already knew). To put this in perspective, imagine if the dentist had to give everyone a prescription so they could buy a toothbrush and toothpaste. What a racket. I mean, it's such easy "work" even a Steelers fan could do it.

Every time I write a bad word about dentists, a bunch of dentists e-mail and ask why I don't like them. It's uncanny.

But eye doctors suck too.

It's almost as bad as having to go the doctor when you know you need antibiotics. Can't we just have an antibiotic doctor at every Wal-Mart? I know doctors worry about over-prescribing antibiotics, but I'm not talking about people who are always taking drugs for something. I'm not making anything drug resistant. Just give me the damn pills and don't make me have to spend an entire day at a doctor's office to get them.

Incidentally, now that I've made it through three years with my oldest son, my immune system is like Floyd Mayweather. I can face any disease, bob and weave, and not even blink. I've got so many antibodies built up now, I think I could go to Haiti and drink the water or Taco Bell and eat the beef.
(Incidentally, now that I've made it through three years with my oldest son, my immune system is like Floyd Mayweather. I can face any disease, bob and weave, and not even blink. I've got so many antibodies built up now, I think I could go to Haiti and drink the water or Taco Bell and eat the beef.)

Now that I've bragged about my immune system, a move that will likely lead to me puking my guts out this weekend, it's time for y'all's favorite part of the mailbag ... hate mail.

Gregory Latini writes:

Hi Clay,

Just got finished reading your ignorant article. I find it ironic that you sit there and critique the Terrible Towel while Green Bay fans where slices of cheese on their heads. But that is to be expected from someone of obvious stupidity. Just a couple of notes you probably should have considered before writing your wonderful article. Do you happen to know where those towels are manufactured? Wisconsin. That's right. So you can thank the Beloved Steelers in providing a source of income to your great state of Wisconsin.

Take your cheese and you know what to do with it...and I don't mean eat it.

Gregory -- by the way, nice job not going with Greg, you're clearly a formal kind of guy -- what would I do with my cheese other than eat it?

I really don't know what to do with it.

What do people do with cheese other than eat or "where" it?

I'm so confused. Maybe it's just a confusion brought on by my snow-blinding life that comes from living in Wisconsin. Nice research.

Alison Doyle writes:

It is fools like you that have me convinced that computers and drugs don't mix. The nonsense you write suggests that you are an Aggie (a nationally irrelevant entity for this century). Your myopic views are naïve and short-sided in that they totally ignore the very purpose for which these institutions exist. I suppose that you are unaware that academic excellence is something the presidents of top tier schools aspire to. To join the SEC in anything is recognition that the academics are the lowest common denominator. You will guarantee that the admission requirements will drop within the athletic department so that the Aggies can compete on a level playing field. With no hurdles to admissions at the majority of the SEC schools, you are really conceding that a junior college standard will prevail. Although Vanderbilt has an outstanding academic reputation and standards, the rest of the schools are second or third tier schools. I suppose that you believe it appropriate to devalue an Aggie degree in the name of playing the best college football teams in the country. Maybe Stanford should follow this formula???? Please walk away from the drugs.

Allison,

Before you read my column you were under the impression that computers and drugs mixed well? What, pray tell, did you read that gave you that idea? I'm happy to disabuse you of that notion.

Also, you've neglected to follow the slippery slope of your argument to its logical conclusion -- gay marriage.

If Texas A&M joins the SEC then the devaluing of the collegiate education that ensues from a union with schools like Georgia and Florida which you dismiss -- both presently ranked higher than A&M -- will ultimately end with mentally handicapped Aggie cadets ceasing the construction of bonfires and, instead, copulating on the lawn with members of the same sex, with an occasional threesome featuring randy cattle, for halftime entertainment.

The 12th man will also become, not a football hero, but an abortionist doctor with a quack degree who cites international law in Supreme Court opinions.

Plainly A&M will crumble if it joins the SEC.

Well said.

Mike Brooks writes:

[Phone number redacted] i will talk to you do you not think nashville is dirty i do your titans suck and will never win a championship its on down hill since fisher has left and scared to and me on facebook come travis your going no where i steelers will win just for you pal. Oh more thing i live in morristown tn not all steeler fans live in pa your cursed clay

What an awesome e-mail. Feel free to call Mike. I'm sure it will be a great conversation.

In the meantime, remember our rallying cry.

Steeler fans have underbites.

Follow Clay Travis on Twitter here. With All That and a Bag of Mail back on a weekly basis, you can e-mail him questions at Clay.Travis@gmail.com.