# Fishy things about the Pittsburgh Steelers **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 12, 2016, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945 "2016-01-12T18:39:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/21 "2016-01-13T17:17:30Z")
If there are vocal amounts of people claiming there is a conspiracy FOR a given team, and a more or less equal number of vocal people claiming there is a consipriacy AGAINST a given team, that seems a sign that everything is fine, and that confirmation bias is alive and well. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/22 "2016-01-13T18:35:27Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > If there are vocal amounts of people claiming there is a conspiracy FOR a given team, and a more or less equal number of vocal people claiming there is a consipriacy AGAINST a given team, that seems a sign that everything is fine, and that confirmation bias is alive and well. That’s exactly what THEY want you to say! Wake up, sheeple! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/23 "2016-01-13T19:21:29Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > Bettis didn’t say “tails,” he said “Hea…tails.” The live broadcast didn’t pick that up well, but later enhancement showed it to be the case, and there’s even footage of Bettis on the sideline admitting to Cower that’s what he said. [Read here](http://www.footballzebras.com/2012/11/21/phil-luckett-was-right/). Luckett want the greatest referee, but the coin toss isn’t why. If he said “Hea…tails”, then the most correct interpretation would seem to me to be “tails”…since he actually said the word. There is no “hea” side on a coin. ---
**Author:** ![RickJay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/bb73d2/32.png) [@RickJay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RickJay)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/24 "2016-01-13T19:50:30Z")
If you have to go back to 1979 to have a list at all, it doesn’t make a damned bit of difference what Jerome Bettis said. ---
**Author:** ![Death\_of\_Rats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a6a055/32.png) [@Death\_of\_Rats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Death_of_Rats)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/25 "2016-01-13T21:25:48Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > If he said “Hea…tails”, then the most correct interpretation would seem to me to be “tails”…since he actually said the word. There is no “hea” side on a coin. The NFL rules said differently. Since he started to say “heads” first that was the answer the ref had to go with. The rule was there to prevent shenanigans like Bettis tried. Now, because of that game, the call has to come and be confirmed before the flip. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/26 "2016-01-13T23:32:07Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Fair enough. Can we agree that fish are tasty? Especially the fish sandwiches from North Park Lounge. Every self-respecting yinzer has to try one at least once. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/27 "2016-01-13T23:39:45Z")
You didnt mention the worst call of all: Franco Harris’ bogus reception (according to the then rules) against the Raiders in the AFC Championship game. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2016, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/28 "2016-01-13T23:50:12Z")
> [@madsircool](#): > > You didnt mention the worst call of all: Franco Harris’ bogus reception (according to the then rules) against the Raiders in the AFC Championship game. Okay, now them’s fightin’ words. ---
**Author:** ![madsircool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madsircool/32/3432_2.png) [@madsircool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madsircool)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/29 "2016-01-14T00:58:01Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Okay, now them’s fightin’ words. Lets replay it…with walkers. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/30 "2016-01-14T04:17:43Z")
In other words, Bettis breathed before he made his call. That’s all a “hea…” is; a breath. But you don’t end up with a T sound unless you’re saying a word with a T in it. There is one and only one word Bettis could have been saying, and that word is “Tails”. ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/31 "2016-01-14T04:39:01Z")
Wow, 51 for Denver on the Your Team Cheats site. Then again, I find it hard to get too worked up about PED use, salary cap issues, evasion about injuries, bringing the wrong uniform, or most of the other things listed. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/32 "2016-01-14T05:14:30Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > In other words, Bettis breathed before he made his call. That’s all a “hea…” is; a breath. But you don’t end up with a T sound unless you’re saying a word with a T in it. There is one and only one word Bettis could have been saying, and that word is “Tails”. No, sorry. You are wrong. He started to say heads, then changed his mind. It wasn’t a breath, it wasn’t “um,” it was the word “heads.” Bettis fucked up, not the referee, and he admitted it to his coach. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/33 "2016-01-14T23:08:42Z")
I’m confused. How can calling Tails instead of Heads be a screwup when the likelihood of either one is 50-50? Am I missing something? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/34 "2016-01-14T23:17:01Z")
OK, if it wasn’t a breath, then he didn’t say the “Hea–” part at all. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/35 "2016-01-14T23:30:35Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I’m confused. How can calling Tails instead of Heads be a screwup when the likelihood of either one is 50-50? Am I missing something? I think the suggestion is that he tried to make the call sound ambiguous, so whichever way the coin landed he could claim to have called it right. That would be quite sneaky and underhanded, if it’s true. The solution put in place is to have the player call it, and get the ref to confirm the call before the coin is tossed. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/36 "2016-01-14T23:32:10Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > I’m confused. How can calling Tails instead of Heads be a screwup when the likelihood of either one is 50-50? Am I missing something? You’re not really missing something. Some people thought he called tails, but the ref said he called heads (correctly, it turns out). Even if the ref had made a mistake, it couldn’t have been something intended to give either team an advantage because it was still a 50-50 possibility of either at that point. Say I flip a coin, you call tails and it lands heads. Did you make the wrong call? On one hand: yes, because if you called heads, you’d have been right. On the other hand: no, because at the time you made the call it was still a 50-50 shot. The people who get upset about this think of it the first way. Logical people think about it the second way. > [@Chronos](#): > > OK, if it wasn’t a breath, then he didn’t say the “Hea–” part at all. Let it go, this isn’t some gotcha. He started to call heads, then changed in the middle. At the time he changed, it was clear that he was saying heads. This argument about a breath is meaningless. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2016, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/37 "2016-01-14T23:40:48Z")
He didn’t say “heads”. He did say “tails”. He may or may not have exhaled immediately before saying the word “tails”, but that doesn’t mean he said “heads”. Therefore, his call was “tails”. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/38 "2016-01-15T01:14:21Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > He didn’t say “heads”. He did say “tails”. He may or may not have exhaled immediately before saying the word “tails”, but that doesn’t mean he said “heads”. Therefore, his call was “tails”. Wow, you’re really doubling down here. You’re right. He did not say “heads.” However, he started to say “heads”, which is sufficient. The first thing the ref believes he starts to say is binding. I don’t know if you play poker, but if you’re playing, and the action is on you, and you say “Ca…raise”, guess what? You’re calling. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/39 "2016-01-15T16:29:09Z")
“Starting to say heads” is not saying heads. Starting to say heads is, literally, nothing but breathing. You might as well say that he started to say tails even before that, because before he breathed, he opened his mouth, and that’s the start of “tails”. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2016, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945/40 "2016-01-15T17:01:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > “Starting to say heads” is not saying heads. Starting to say heads is, literally, nothing but breathing. You might as well say that he started to say tails even before that, because before he breathed, he opened his mouth, and that’s the start of “tails”. No, in order to hear it, the vowel must be vocalized. From what I’ve read and listened to on the matter, I believe Luckett’s explanation and think he ruled correctly. I’m also glad they changed the procedure for calling the coin. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fishy-things-about-the-pittsburgh-steelers/742945.md?page=3)