What’s My Line? Sometimes a bet comes down to flip of the coin

Friday, Nov. 27, 1998 | 11:58 a.m.

Sal DeFilippo's pro football picks column appears Friday. Reach him at sal@lasvegassun.com or 259-4076.

I've always believed one of the toughest jobs in sports is that of an official.

There are a lot of judgment calls that must be made with split-second accuracy. In major-league baseball, there are always close plays at every base where you'll watch and think an incorrect call has been made, but the slow-motion replay shows the umpire was correct.

In the NBA -- when they used to play, anyway -- I've always thought determining when a player is fouled in a crowd of four defenders takes a keen eye. Some stars seem to get the benefit of the doubt whenever they drive toward the basket, but for the most part, it seems like the NBA referees do a respectable job.

In hockey, the referees are always the target of abuse, despite facing the difficulty of officiating such a physical game -- the phrase "Have another doughnut!" comes to mind.

And in the NFL, the most physical of contact sports, there are numerous calls that require officials to be on top of their game. There are pass interference calls, illegal formations to watch, unnecessary roughness judgments, delay of game infractions to monitor, ineligible receivers to report, etc., etc.

And of course, there's the pressure-packed tension of tossing a coin skyward, and still managing to listen to whether "heads" or "tails" is called.

For those who missed it Thursday, Pittsburgh and Detroit were tied 16-16 at the end of regulation, and a coin toss was necessary to start the sudden-death overtime period. Since the first team to score win the game, gaining the first possession is a great advantage.

But unfortunately for the Steelers, the umpire wasn't going to work overtime on this holiday. Jerome Bettis clearly called "tails," as the coin was in the air, and it landed with the tails side facing upward. But the umpire insisted Bettis had said "heads" and awarded the ball to Detroit. Several replays that included audio proved Bettis' call was indeed for tails. I wonder how it appeared on a closed-caption TV.

Naturally, the Lions took the kickoff, marched downfield and made the game-winning field goal without the Steelers getting a possession. Happy Thanksgiving.

Maybe the NFL should install a new system to determine possession at the start of the game or in overtime -- maybe rock-paper-scissors, evens-and-odds, or how about a jump ball? Or a face-off when the object is to recover a loose ball? That would certainly be more fun to watch.

After the game, I tried a similar strategy at a local sports book. I approached the ticket-writer and told him although my ticket read Pittsburgh, I had actually called "Detroit." No such luck.

At the very least I hope the umpire who blew it ran off the field with his head between his tail.

Last week

Best bet Kansas City lost at the wire, marring an otherwise acceptable 7-7-1 week against the number.

For the season

Top of the line: 5-7

Spread: 68-92-4, .427

Over/Unders: 79-84-1, .485

Straight-up: 94-70, .573

Top of the line

Steve Young to Jerry Rice. Danny Kanell to Chris Calloway. I'll take the former, possibly a few times.

San Francisco 31, New York Giants 6

Other games

Credit Bill Parcells with at least keeping Bryan Cox quiet for the first 11 weeks. That's still an impressive feat.

New York Jets 31, Carolina 16

The Bears have looked to Moses to part the Buccaneers defense. Rookie quarterback Moreno won't be an instant Marino, but he could keep it close. Tampa Bay continues to be one of the league's biggest disappointments.

Chicago 21, Tampa Bay 14

Coming off Monday's devastating loss against New England, the Dolphins won't be playing like Saints this Sunday.

Miami 31, New Orleans 21

Paul Justin won the starting job just in time -- for the ailing Jaguars, who should have no trouble with the lame Bengals.

Jacksonville 34, Cincinnati 13

With the Cardinals, no lead is safe -- whether trailing or leading by a large margin, Arizona always seems to make the game close. This week, it will stay close, but largely because no team scores enough to gain a big lead.

Arizona 9, Kansas City 7

The Colts return to Baltimore, which was the franchise's home until 1984. The now play the Ravens, who were once the Cleveland Browns. Next year, the Cleveland Browns will be back, but they won't be the Ravens, who aren't the Colts. Now, where was I?

Indianapolis 17, Baltimore 13

The Falcons toyed with the Bears last week, while the Rams toyed with victory for a little while before losing again. Chris Chandler's health is an issue, but that's true every week.

Atlanta 30, St. Louis 22.

Flutie Flakes vs. Fractured Finger. Even if he plays, Bledsoe won't be effective enough.

Buffalo 13, New England 10.

The Kitna jumped over the Moon in Seattle, but the Titans (why wait until next season to change the name?) will be ready for them.

Tennessee 24, Seattle 20

You know one team has a really bad offense when the point spread is practically half of the over/under line. John Glenn still has one more touchdown this year than Bobby Hoying.

Green Bay 24, Philadelphia 3

Jeff George returned to practice this week, and against a weak Washington club, this might be a good time to get him back into the flow. Even if Donald Hollis plays again, the Raiders will find a way to beat this bad team.

Oakland 31, Washington 23

The Chargers haven't allowed a 100-yard rusher against them all season, including holding Terrell Davis to fewer than 70 yards when these teams met four weeks ago. Denver still won 27-10, and not much has changed since.

Denver 27, San Diego 10.