In other news, In a move that I admit suprised me just slightly, yetis way overdue, The NFL fined a referee half of his paycheck for a mistake he made that lead to Seattle's loss on Sunday in OT.

From Excite.com:NEW YORK (AP) - Referee Tom White was fined $2,600 for failing to restart the clock at the end of the Seattle-Baltimore game, a mistake that contributed to the Seahawks' 44-41 overtime loss.
The fine represented half of White's game check, supervisor of officials Mike Pereira said Wednesday.

The entire crew was reprimanded for its performance during the Nov. 23 game, presumably hurting its chances to officiate in the playoffs. Crews are assigned to the postseason based on their regular-season ratings.



Heres the link: http://sports.excite.com/news/12032003/v0833.html

Now, as anyone who reads this knows, I am one of the harshest critics of the Zebras, and their related species in other sports. And I have said at times that an official should be held accountable for every call that they make incorrectly, possibly in the form of fines or reprimands. I also believe that the NFL should have people view footage of every game to make sure that the Officials are making the right calls. But While i doubt that will ever happen, I think the actions by the NFL are a step in the right direction. When you have an official blatantly not following the rules of the game, and forgetting to restart the game clock, I mean thats just inexcusable. I think this is a great thing, and I believe that these fines should be continued. Maybe the NFL should institute a three strikes policy, where if you make three bad decisions that directly affect the outcome of a game you're immediately terminated. Anyone interested in starting a "Zebra Watch" website that documents each bd call by each official? :)

Ahlrightie! Thats all my bitchin for now.

Hasta La Pasta

JC