Pott-Pages » .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The union representing NFL on-field officials criticized the league Thursday for inconsistencies in grading calls, including two high-profile penalties from recent games.In a release, the NFL Referees Association says the NFL has caused confusion for NFL officials as to what the league does and doesnt want called.The union referred to penalties on Washingtons Chris Baker for a hit on Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on Sept. 21, and to Chiefs safety Husain Abdullah last Monday night for going to his knees to celebrate an interception return for a touchdown. Abdullah actually had gone to his knees to pray a€” an act exempted from celebration penalties.The union says both calls were graded as correct even after NFL executives announced that they were incorrect. Baker got a 15-yard penalty and was ejected from the game at Philadelphia. Abdullah also received a 15-yard penalty.Consistency in penalty enforcement is extremely important to the players, coaches and fans. Uncertainty as to what the league wants called is not a road you want to go down, said Jim Quirk, executive director of the NFLRA.Quirk noted that Baker was penalized for a blindside block on Foles as a personal foul; a brawl followed near the Washington sideline and Eagles tackle Jason Peters was also ejected.Two days later, Troy Vincent, the NFLs executive vice-president of football operations, said the hit was legal and should not have been penalized. Yet, the NFLRA said, the leagues officiating department a day later graded the call as correct.In the case of the block on Nick Foles, by rule, it was not a foul because the quarterback was pursuing the play, the contact was not to the head or neck area, and the play was not over, NFL spokesman Michael Signora said in an email to The Associated Press. However, the referee a€” watching the play at full speed and without the benefit of a replay review a€” judged that the block was late and threw a flag. While not a correct call, we understand why it was made.In the case of Abdullah, a devout Muslim who took off a year from football to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, the league said Tuesday that the penalty was in error.The leagues rule book prohibits players from celebrating while on the ground, but spokesman Michael Signora wrote in an email Tuesday that the officiating mechanic in this situation is not to flag a player who goes to the ground as part of religious expression, and as a result, there should have been no penalty on the play.But, according to the union, officials who made the call were given correct grades by the officiating department on Thursday. That could be because Abdullah could have been penalized for sliding on his knees before actually praying.But the league reiterated Thursday what it announced earlier this week, that the call was incorrect and not graded otherwise.As part of evaluating the performance of our game officials, the officiating supervisors recognize that for an incorrect call on a close judgment play, the official may have used appropriate reasoning, Signora said. On such a call, the official is not downgraded.Regardless, said former NFLRA President Scott Green, a recently retired referee, theres a communications problem between the NFL and its game officials.It seems there is a disconnect between what the officiating department expects from officials and the public statements being made by league executives, Green said. It certainly creates uncertainty for the guys making split-second decisions on the field.___AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL Custom Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County District Court said his girlfriend told police they got into the argument early Thursday at his suburban Minneapolis home. Andrew Cashner Jersey . City, fielding a depleted team having already qualified, was twice pegged back by the plucky Czech champions but substitute Negredo tapped home in the 78th minute and Dzekos header made sure of victory in the 89th. The result kept City three points behind Bayern Munich ahead of their meeting in Germany in two weeks. http://www.theoriolesteamshop.com/Orioles-Brooks-Robinson-Kids-Jersey/ .500 were once common achievements for the Dallas Mavericks. Now, both are season highs as Dallas slowly works its way back into playoff contention in the Western Conference. Baltimore Orioles Jerseys . The Blue Jackets play Thursday night at New Jersey in their first game after the NHLs Olympic hiatus. A native of Trencin, Slovakia, Gaborik has represented his country at the 2006 and 2010 Olympics but was unable to play in Sochi because of his injury. Joey Rickard Jersey . Both sides came closest to scoring in the first half, when Roma had a goal from Mattia Destro waved off for offside and Inters Rodrigo Palacio headed high. "A draw was a fair result. Neither squad had many chances," Roma midfielder Miralem Pjanic said.DALLAS -- By the time Ben Smith got his first chance in an NHL shootout, the Blackhawks and Stars were locked up in the leagues longest tiebreaker in almost three years. Despite his lack of experience, Smith calmly won it. The 25-year-old forward scored in the 11th round of a wild shootout Friday night and Chicago finally beat Dallas 2-1 for its fifth straight victory. "It was fun," Smith said. "A great opportunity. It was awesome. I just knew I was going to try and keep it simple, shoot the puck. I was fortunate that it went in." Smith, who has seven goals in 39 games over four NHL seasons, beat Kari Lehtonen into the upper right corner of the net. "I had a lot of confidence in Ben," Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville said. "His lines been very effective. I think they had another good game. You look in the last four wins, theyve been outstanding." Chicagos Patrick Sharp and Dallas Rich Peverley had the only goals through the first 10 rounds of the tiebreaker. Each of them scored in regulation, too. It was the longest shootout in the NHL since Tampa Bay beat the New York Rangers in 11 rounds on Dec. 23, 2010, according to STATS. The Lightning won that game 4-3 with a 3-2 edge in the tiebreaker. Sharp tied it 1-all at 7:21 of the third period. Peverley scored at 16:40 of the first. "I was happy to make a bunch of good saves. Just not the last one," said Lehtonen, who stopped 25 shots. Stars defenceman Stephane Robidas broke his right leg in the second period. He was wheeled off the ice on a stretcher and taken to the hospital. While helping to kill off a Dallas penalty, the 36-year-old Robidas slid hard into the boards beyond the goal line. He stayed down on the ice holding his leg just below the knee. "It didnt look good," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "Hes been playing real well. Thats the only real negative from this game." Robidas is in his 11th season with the Stars, the longest tenure on the team, and his 14th NHL season. In his absence, Dallas played only five defencemen. "Definitely getting on their D and putting more pressure just created more opportunities. That definitely showed in the third," Smith said. Chicago has won six straight againsst the Stars, outscoring them 27-9, and five in a row at Dallas dating to Oct.dddddddddddd 7, 2011. Duncan Keith set up Sharps goal with his 21st assist. In the first period, Shawn Horcoff beat Blackhawks goalie Corey Crawford to a loose puck behind the net and passed to Peverley skating down the slot. Crawford recovered from that goal, stopped Alex Chiasson on a penalty shot early in the second and blanked Dallas the rest of the way en route to his 100th NHL win. "Its a key situation in the game. Its important if we go down by two goals. I was just trying to come up with a save and keep our team in it," said Crawford, who finished with 28 saves. Crawford moved toward the left post, leaving Chiasson little room. His shot caromed off the post. "With the score 1-0, that penalty shot could have put them away. If you lose like that and come away with a point, you can take something from it," Ruff said. "To use a football analogy, we got inside the red zone a few times, but didnt put it away." Crawford and Lehtonen combined to stop 16 consecutive shootout attempts until Smith found the net. The game was a defensive struggle. Neither team put a shot on goal until 2 minutes into the game. Lehtonen later stopped point-blank attempts by Brent Seabrook and Smith. Dallas best scoring chance was on a backhand by Jamie Benn at the 13-minute mark until Peverley put the Stars ahead. Dallas had an 11-9 advantage in shots during the first period. After the penalty shot, the Stars had another good chance 10 1/2 minutes into the second. Crawford reached up to catch Ryan Garbutts drive before it reached the upper right corner of the net. "We needed to get a break, but they got the break on (Sharps) goal. It tipped off a stick and went in another direction," Ruff said. No one went to the penalty box until Peverley was called for tripping at 11:31 of the second. Each team had one shot on goal in overtime, which ended with Dallas shooting a puck wide right. NOTES: Sharps goal was his fifth point in two games against the Stars this season. He had four assists at Dallas on Nov. 9. ... At times, a large contingent of Chicago fans in the sold-out arena chanted "Lets go Hawks!" 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