Time Didn’t Stop for the Dinosaurs, but It Did for Him

Michael Currie, a high school math teacher who has been the Toronto Raptor timekeeper since the team was formed in 1995, was fired along with his brother, Peter, who worked the 24-second shot clock.

Late in Monday night’s game against the Portland Trail Blazers, the shot-clock buzzer went off and Michael Currie momentarily stopped the game clock. Realizing it shouldn’t have been stopped, he then restarted it, giving Portland a 1.6-second advantage.

It turned out to be enough for Portland’s Rasheed Wallace to tap in the winning basket as time expired.

Michael Currie was paid about $40 a game, so he wasn’t financially devastated.

*

Trivia time: What is the record for longest punt in a bowl game?

*

The Keyshawn file: New York Jet Coach Bill Parcells has taken a special interest in outspoken wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson, the former USC All-American, who has alienated some of his teammates.

So when Parcells became coach of the Jets he called USC Coach John Robinson. “John told me that Keyshawn wants to win the game,� Parcells told the New York Times. “That, of course, is every coach’s bottom line.�

*

What’s in a name? From Dan Shaughnessy in the Boston Globe:

“The bloodthirsty shut-ins of talk radio continue to gather more nicknames.

“Parcells calls ‘em ‘carnival barkers.’ [Rick] Pitino: ‘fellowship of the miserable.’ Will McDonough [Globe columnist]: ‘radio for morons.’ �

*

Go away: Bernie Lincicome in the Chicago Tribune, on a press release he’d like to see:

“Sports announcer Marv Albert wants it made clear that his appearance on the Andes Mountain Network’s ‘Good Morning Bolivia’ program will be his last public word on his court case, except for a pending commitment to a public-access cable show in Tierra del Fuego.�

*

Prevents what? From The Good Doctor in Inside Sports magazine:

“Question: ‘Can you please explain to me what a prevent defense prevents?’

“Answer: ‘Gladly. In a close NFL game, a prevent defense generally prevents a team’s otherwise strong defense from stopping a team’s otherwise weak offense. In other words, it prevents you from winning.’ �

*

Looking back: On this day in 1980, UCLA defeated Oregon State, 34-3, in Tokyo, of all places.

*

Trivia answer: Kyle Rote of Southern Methodist, 84 yards against Oregon in the 1949 Cotton Bowl game. Note: It was a quick kick.

*

And finally: Ron Borges in Pro Football Weekly comparing New England Patriot Coach Pete Carroll to Parcells, the former Patriot coach:

“One is West Coast cool; the other is East Coast wise guy. One says the players need to be invested in the team; the other says they need to do what they’re told.

“When the [Patriots] began to struggle, the differences between Carroll and Parcells became glaring.�