– The world according to Jim:
• Just curious: If you are an L.A. Rams fan – and particularly one of pre-1995 standing – do you acknowledge the franchise’s two Super Bowl appearances and one Lombardi Trophy as the St. Louis Rams?
Or do those games just not count in your memory, along with everything else that happened in the 21 seasons from the time Georgia Frontiere moved the team to when Stan Kroenke brought it back? …
• I ask because this team and its current fan base seem have a relationship with the franchise’s history that is quite unlike that of any of Southern California’s other relocated teams.
Dodger fans wrapped their arms around their team’s Brooklyn lore from the start, and the team has promoted it unhesitatingly even as it has created its own rich Los Angeles heritage. After all, a large part of that first team in 1958 was made up of the erstwhile Boys of Summer, and Vin Scully stayed around for almost six decades as a living reminder of and guide to that history.
The Lakers did not similarly embrace their Minneapolis history after moving here in 1960, nor for decades afterward. It wasn’t until 2002, in fact, that the team hung banners honoring the franchise’s five Minnesota championships and six Hall of Famers (George Mikan, Vern Mikkelsen, Slater Martin, Jim Pollard, Clyde Lovellette and coach John Kundla).
With that recognition of Minneapolis achievements, the Lakers could boast of a narrowed gap between themselves and the Celtics, who currently have 17 all-time titles to the Lakers’ 16. See, recognizing your history can be a good thing. …
• Then again, neither of those franchises left and came back.
At the time that St. Louis’ Greatest Show on Turf teams were preparing to play Tennessee in Super Bowl XXXIV (which they won) and New England in XXXVI (which they lost), a few SoCal diehards were still loyal, but the prevailing mood here seemed to range from “who cares” to “may they lose in the most excruciating way possible.”
Which probably is a pretty good approximation of how people in St. Louis feel today. …
• Meanwhile, this past weekend we were introduced to the latest wacky conspiracy theory: Because four members of the NFC Championship Game officiating crew were from Southern California, the New Orleans Saints got shafted.
So let us introduce the newest Bourbon Street fashion accessory to go with Mardi Gras beads: Tinfoil hats. …
• Bill Vinovich, the referee in that Rams-Saints game, worked a Big West basketball game between Long Beach State and CSUN three nights later in the Matadome, and I’m guessing he didn’t receive a negative reception. The next night he was in Provo for a West Coast Conference game between Saint Mary’s and BYU, and the fans were not so kind. A fan at courtside kept asking, “Was it pass interference?” And a sign that Vinovich asked to be taken down at a TV timeout said: “Don’t screw these Saints, Bill.”
Footnote: The home team won both nights, and Vinovich’s crew reversed a call in BYU’s favor the second night. …
• There is a bottom line here. As long as humans make judgment calls and the rules limit what can be reviewed, NFL officiating (or that of any sport, actually) will satisfy no one. We have been conditioned, through replay and HD cameras and the latest slo-mo technology, to expect perfection and scream if we don’t get it.
And boy, is there a lot of screaming.
Just another fall Sunday, where at any given time it seems like half (or more) of all NFL tweets concern officiating.
— Jim Alexander (@Jim_Alexander) December 16, 2018
Trust me: If we ever go to full-time, totally automated officiating, there will be just as many arguments over those judgment calls. But who or what do you argue with? …
• This week, of course, is what all of this leads to. Hopefully you didn’t think it was merely about football.
The Super Bowl Media Guide distributed by the NFL includes 51 different events or attractions over a nine-day period surrounding the game, including the weeklong “Super Bowl Experience” fan fest, events to promote kids’ football participation, a Gospel event, a Women In Sports Empowerment summit, networking and career fair events and press conferences regarding everything from the broadcasters to security.
(Plus, of course, Roger Goodell meets the media at midweek to dodge questions about officiating.)
The list for Thursday, incidentally, includes the “L.A. Stadium Reality Experience.” Consider it a subtle reminder that in 2022 the circus will be headed our way.