STINKIN REFS by ST

Heard Nate McMillian after the loss to Dallas Saturday night alluding to some of the officiating. Is that a characteristic of Blazer fans or what? When the Bulls won the title in 1992 I'd been an Oregonian for a mere 2 years. I was astounded at the percentage of so-called fans who felt the referees played a major role in the outcome. Right! Keep telling yourself that. When the outcome of the game fails to go your way, gotta blame someone. The networks, the zebras, the BCS, bad luck, anything but the shortcomings of the team you rooted for. It's pretty much the most gutless, cowardly angle to take. Still waiting for the 1st ref to miss a free throw, take a stupid shot, turn their back on defense, fail to box out or blow a lay-up. I can't believe those darned refs forced Brandon Roy to miss 6 of his 7 shots. It was amazing to see them expand the width of the basket Dallas was shooting at so Jason Kidd could make 6 of 10 three pointers. Then the last straw. Up 6 with 5 1/2 minutes left, they made Gerald Wallace throw the ball away, insisted Andre Miller brick that 20 footer, and got a hand in the face of Batum on both of his clanged threes. Looking to the officials is just such a wussified way to live! I forgot how much of a Knicks fan I am. The issue is when your team disappears from relevance for years and years you simply approach things differently. It's hard to get angry or frustrated when you have zero expectations. When Oregon played Utah State early in the 2008 season a moment happened I'll never forget. It was 35-7 Ducks when Jeremiah Masoli fumbled in his own end zone for an Aggie touchdown. The crowd actually booed. Expectations! On a day when the U of O offense would set productivity records the home fans booed. My wife commented late in last night's loss to Boston that she hadn't heard me cuss out the Knicks in many years. Looks like we have a short show today with Oregon baseball taking on San Francisco at 1pm. Catch you after the festivities.