Best MU news yet---Jim Burr retires

[farmerdoc]

What bothered me most about Burr was what I felt was his over-anticipation of calls. Standing almost at half court and calling stuff 35-40 feet away. Experience sometimes can make an official believe something was going to happen, because it had happened that way many times before.

[Alan Bykowski, "brewcity77"]

I thought he was a good official--I am probably alone in this analysis. That does not mean he was right with every call, far from it. He also had that screw up with Rutgers in the BIG EAST Tournament a few years back when he and Higgins and the third ref left the floor before the game was over. Crean said to me and a couple other posters at a function in Chicago that Burr favored the visiting teams. He clearly had trouble getting up and down the court the past few years. I gave him a lot of grief over the years but in my mind he was better than a lot of the others. Tim Higgins and John Cahill (who runs like a girl) come immediately to mind. there are a lot of bad officials in NCAA Bball so to measure Burr is to compare him to mediocrity. I think he was often confused with Tim Higgins and Higgins was atrocious. He was pretty good with give and take with fans--I had a spirited "discussion" with him at the BC a few games after Vanderbilt beat us in Nashville several years ago. Before I finished my "you robbed us" line he looked at me, knowing exactly what I was referring to, and said: "It was not my call". Burr was arrogant and that showed on the court, which made him easy to hate, but I think he was a good official.

Burr last officiated a Final Four in 2006. I can grant that maybe he was a good official, but that was mostly before we entered the Big East. He was overweight, out of shape, and couldn't keep up with the pace of play. In the past 5 years especially he had a penchant for not being in position to make the correct call or making calls despite them not being his calls to make.

No chance I confused him with Higgins, Burr for me was always distinctive. And in the past decade or so, he's been bad and gotten worse as the years went on.

[IWB]

Agree with Farmerdoc about the concern of a collapse. I remember one game a year or two ago where he looked absolutely grey - colorless. Honestly, it was going through my mind... "What do I do if he collapses in front of me?"..."Should I go tell someone now?" I didn't know what to do.

I agree that he made anticipation calls from half court, maybe because he had seen it before, maybe because he needed a breather. The real question is this.... As fast as the college game moves now, up and down court, should a 68 year old guy that is out of shape to begin with?

[Markedman]

Mouth to mouth would have been required Jim

Agree with Farmerdoc about the concern of a collapse. I remember one game a year or two ago where he looked absolutely grey - colorless. Honestly, it was going through my mind... "What do I do if he collapses in front of me?"..."Should I go tell someone now?" I didn't know what to do.

I agree that he made anticipation calls from half court, maybe because he had seen it before, maybe because he needed a breather. The real question is this.... As fast as the college game moves now, up and down court, should a 68 year old guy that is out of shape to begin with?

[BLT]

Most hate Driscoll, I like him because he is predictable. A warning T, player control fouls, no hand touches, let them play at the end. Others hate him. Burr always called fouls in the last four minutes that he never called all game. To me, that made him a bad official.

[Gato78]

Pat Driscoll is a damn good official with the exception of his penchant for the double technical.

[MUMac]

Pat Driscoll is a damn good official with the exception of his penchant for the double technical.

I agree with this 100%. I have come to like and respect Driscoll. When I see him, I know he will call a fair and even game. I do, though, laugh at the double T. When he officiates, I kind of expect that during the game. That said, he keeps the game under control.

[Markedman]

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