Baldwin: NBA has most complaining

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A lot of pro athletes complain to officials. They're competitors. They want a fair shake. That's understandable.
Any guess how many technical fouls were assessed this past season in the NBA? A lot.
Complaining isn't exclusive to the NBA.
NFL players constantly ask referees to watch for holding, a receiver pushing off or a defender's cheap shot tactics.
In Major League Baseball, pitchers and batters grumble at home plate umpires' strike zones. Players and managers disagree with close calls. They even get ejected.
But the NBA, by far, has the most complaining. You would think a player never fouls watching the reaction every time a referee blows his whistle.
There are millions of slow-motion replays now and referees are scrutinized like never before. Blow a call and everyone knows about it. Instantly. The irony is they still get a vast majority of the calls right.
My two biggest pet peeves -- before this past season covering the NBA -- were men's college basketball coaches "working" officials, hoping to get the next call and athletes and coaches that avoid the media.
A college basketball coach that reacts vociferously to every close call borders on absurd. Haven't they ever heard the story about the boy who cried wolf?
But add a third item to my list: NBA players and coaches constantly disputing calls. Dozens. Every game. They talk to referees during timeouts, while a player is shooting a free throw, sometimes at halftime.
The number of technical fouls this season, including the playoffs, stands at nearly 1,100 and counting.
For such a great sport, that features many genuinely good guys who supply highlight-reel plays and buzzer-beater drama, sometimes you feel compelled to scream: "Just shut up and play!"

(Contact Mike Baldwin at mbaldwin@opubco.com.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.scrippsnews.com.)
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