News-Record.com

I'd refrained from posting on the Tom Penders technical foul from over the weekend until I saw actual footage, but I haven't gotten in much SportsCenter time this week, so I'll comment without going to the videotape. I think the evidence speaks for itself, anyway.

In case you missed it, Houston coach Tom Penders collapsed to the floor Saturday when a UAB player scored and was fouled in the first half. The officials apparently thought Penders was taking a theatrical dive to protest the call. And they T'd him up.

You would think there might have been a change of heart when the stretcher and EMT staff rushed to the court. But, no. Even after Penders was helped off the sideline, the technical stood and UAB's Squeaky Johnson made both free throws in a game the Blazers would win 82-79.

The refs apparently weren't aware of Penders' cardiomyopathy and didn't particularly care. Or were too proud to change their ruling. The Conference USA commish offered up a weak mea culpa: they "exercised poor judgment," he said.

Well, Penders did come back to coach the second half. For which I almost expect C-USA officials to say, "See, it's not like he died or something. Maybe he was faking."

This eclipses my all-time favorite ref-out-of-control technical. That coming in the late '80s when NBA official Steve Javie T'd up the Washington Bullets mascot. I still crack up when I think of TV announcer Mel Proctor's play-by-play, which went something like this: "Darrell Walker has gotten a technical. So has coach Wes Unseld. Oh, no! Now he's given Hoops a T. Javie's completely lost control!"

Amazingly, the guy's still an NBA ref. Guess he's tenured.