I’ve gotta begin this special Saturday edition of Odds & Ends by saying how bad the officiating in the Oilers/Ducks series has been and how it’s benefitted the team that leads the series 3-2.

In Game Four, the Ducks scored when Corey Perry knocked into Oilers goaltender,which prevented him from making the save on a Ryan Getzlaf goal. It was challenged,but the call stood.

In the same game, the Ducks got another goal and benefitted from a missed offsides.

Corey Perry scored the game-winning goal for Anaheim in the second overtime of Game 5.

Oilers coach Todd McLellan wasn’t able to challenge because it had been used on the botched goalie interference call. The Ducks won 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday night.
Fast forward to Friday’s Game Five where the Duck had overcome a 3-0 deficit to make it a 3-2 score when they tied it at 3, but hold on, there was interference when Ryan Kesler is holding on to Talbot’s pad in the middle of a scrum. It was challenged and once again not overturned.

“A guy falls on the goalie and wraps his hand around the goalie’s pad … I don’t even know what goalie interference is anymore, to be perfectly honest,” Oilers forward Milan Lucic said, fuming. “It’s an absolute joke that two good referees can’t make the right call at the right time. Especially when the guy has two or three seconds to get up and he has his hand wrapped around the goalie’s leg. The goalie can’t get up to make a save and it’s still a goal. Unbelievable.”

Oilers coach Todd McLellan seems puzzled as to what goalie interference is at this point in time.

“You’re asking the wrong guy. I don’t know what interference is anymore,” McLellan said. “Obviously Kesler was pushed in. There’s no doubt about that. But we have a strong belief that he had wrapped his arm around Talbot’s leg. I don’t know what interference is anymore, so you’ll have to ask someone else.”

It isn’t just Oilers fans who are perturbed about the officiating and the bad calls,it’s hockey fans everywhere who are wondering what the hell it’s gonna take for not just the Oilers to benefit from a right call, but any Canadian team,it seems.

It’s not just this series where the officiating was awful,it was bad in the San Jose series as well,but I held off on commenting about it then because of the result of the series and how strong the Oilers were despite the numerous missed calls in the series.

“If someone knows [what goalie interference is], call and tell me,” Lucic said. “Because it’s a shame that we are where we are right now with a call like that.”

Now here’s where it gets dicey for me. If you asked me if I feel that the series is rigged in favor of the Ducks,I’m hesitant to say that it is. Despite the continuous botched calls, the Oilers have had chances to make plays and capitalize on chances to win. They had them in those final minutes when the Ducks had an empty net. How hard is it to get the fucking puck,clear it into their zone,and possibly get an empty netter? Game over,yo!

Also, in overtime they had a lot of chances to score and it didn’t happen. As the greatest player of all time once said “You miss 100-percent of the shots you don’t take.”

The Oilers need to win tomorrow’s game at home to stave off elimination and force a decisive seventh game. We’ll see what happens.

Four-hundred and ninety five dollars? For this?

He hasn’t even been drafted yet, but UCLA guard Lonzo Ball’s shoes are going to be a pretty pricey buy if you’re even interested in purchasing a pair.

The premium-priced footwear, unveiled by Ball’s overbearing father,LaVar is under the Big Baller Brand just a month before the NBA Draft, where his son is projected to be one of the top picks. The shoes retail at $495.

When asked why the price was so high on ESPN Radio’s The Dan LeBatard show, the elder Ball said, “I figure that’s what the shoe is worth,when you are your own owner you can come up with any price you want.”

The Balls, who marketed the shoes themselves, were turned down by Nike, Adidas and Under Armour after the elder Ball declined standard endorsement deals,according to ESPN.

Not only is this overpriced sneaker a joke,but also a slap in the face to the kids who may want a pair. I understand that basketball sneakers are expensive, but charging nearly $500 for a pair is ridiculous. Who does LaVar Ball think he is…Michael Jordan? Wait don’t answer that!

In any case, it seems to me like Lonzo’s dad is taking way too much control over his son and his future and is treating him more like a meal ticket more than he is a member of his family and to me,that’s horrible. If it came to it and I was an owner of an NBA team who has a high draft pick,I’m taking a long look at drafting this kid. Not because I don’t think he’s talented,because he is, but because who wants to deal with an overbearing father like LaVar?

I’d be remissed if I didn’t talk about the ill grace that a few Red Sox showed towards Orioles outfielder Adam Jones on Monday night.

Jones,one of just 62 African-Americans on MLB opening day rosters this year, was heckled by fans with racial taunts and even had a bag of peanuts thrown at him.

“A disrespectful fan threw a bag of peanuts at me,’’ Jones said, “I was called the N-word a handful of times tonight. Thanks. Pretty awesome.’’

Jones has acknowledged in his 12-year career that he has been the subject of harsh heckling at Fenway Park before,but nothing quite like the incident on Monday.

“It’s different,’’ Jones said. “Very unfortunate. I heard there was 59 or 60 ejections tonight in the ballpark. It is what it is, right. I just go out and play baseball. It’s unfortunate that people need to resort to those type of epithets to degrade another human being. I’m trying to make a living for myself and for my family. It’s unfortunate. The best thing about myself is that I continue to move on, and still play the game hard. Let people be who they are. Let them show their true colors.’’

Officials from the Red Sox confirmed that the person who threw the peanuts at Jones was indeed ejected, but has claimed that about 30 people or so were thrown out.

The following evening in Jones’ first at-bat, the crowd at Fenway gave Jones a standing ovation, a move which I thought was pretty classy on behalf of those fans who sent a message to him saying “Hey,that was one bad person among a bunch of us who aren’t like that whatsoever, please know that,Mr. Jones.”

Jones had every right to be mad about what happened. It was assault. That person assaulted someone while he was at work. How would you feel if you were assaulted at your job? I’d be angry, confused,and even scared given the work environment that I’m in. Sure,he makes a lot more money than you and I do, but he shouldn’t have to put up with being racially insulted and have peanuts or whatever thrown at him. It’s not right and I hope it’s not something wee see more of.

Something,or someone, I should say I’m done hearing from ever again is Curt Schilling. Regarding the Jones incident, he thinks that the racial allegations are being made up.

“If somebody did say, we’re going to see it and hear about it, and I would apologize to Adam Jones for doubting him, but until then, I think this is bullshit,” Schilling said on his Breitbart radio show, “I think this is somebody creating a situation.”

Not me,Curt. While I didn’t hear the slur myself,or did you,I believe it happened. The same reason I saw a person hurl peanuts at Jones with my own four eyes. You’re just trying to be a doubter for the sake of being a doubter.

Schilling is just another right-wing piece of shit who is far away from reality as it gets. All he cares about is starting shit with people when he doesn’t need to do so at all. I’m glad he’s not on ESPN anymore even though that network is getting worse by the day.

That’s all for Odds & Ends this Saturday,we’ll catch you next time!