After

by umpire Jim Joyce's call I wondered where this mess ranked in sports officiating follies. Below is a list of the 10 biggest officiating blunders in sports history.

1. Hand of God

Occurring once every four years, the World Cup is undeniably the world’s largest sporting event. So when officials missed Argentina’s Diego Maradona blatant handball against England in the quarterfinals, it was an error witnessed around the world.

Argentina would go on to win the match, 2-1 and carried the momentum of the victory to win the nation's second World Cup, beating West Germany, 3-2, in the final.

England has not won the World Cup since 1966.

While Maradona's goal is the most famous incident, referees miss hand balls relatively frequently. Just this November, in a World Cup qualifying match between Ireland and France, French striker Thierry Henry knocked down a ball in the goal box with his hand and passed it to a teammate for a goal. France went on to win the game, 2-1, eliminating Ireland from the World Cup.

2. Perfection stolen

Despite a recent burst, the perfect game remains one of baseballs rarest feats. Only 20 men have accomplished the feat and Detroit Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga was on the cusp of becoming number 21, retiring the first 26 batters against the Cleveland Indians on June 2, 2010.

With history on the line, Indians shortstop Jason Donald hit a ground ball between first and second base. The ball was fielded cleanly by Tigers first baseman Miguel Cabrera who tossed over to Galarraga covering first. The play was close and Donald was ruled safe by first base umpire Jim Joyce. Replays of the play clearly revealed Joyce made the incorrect call. After the game Joyce watched the replay and admitted his mistake.



3. Three tries for Gold:

You can read the accounts, you can watch the video, but it's still unclear what happened at the end of the 1972 Olympics gold medal basketball game between the Untied States and Russia. After Doug Collins sunk two free throws to give the U.S. a one-point lead with three seconds remaining, the officials completely lost control of the game.

Instead of the final seconds ticking off the clock, time was stopped and the Russians were given three opportunities to run the final play. On the third and final attempt Aleksandr Belov caught a full-court pass and laid the ball in at the buzzer giving Russia the improbable 51-50 victory.The game was protested by the United States. The team declined the silver medals.

4. Fifth Down





On October 6, 1990, the 4-1-1 Colorado Buffaloes traveled to Missouri to play the Tigers in a Big Eight Conference showdown. The game was closer than anticipated and the Buffaloes trailed 31-27 when they took possession late in the fourth quarter.

Colorado drove the length of the field and had the ball first-and-goal with 40 seconds remaining. On first down Colorado spiked the ball to stop the clock. They tried to run the ball up the gut on second down but were stopped short and forced to call a timeout.

This is where it got screwy. Apparently the officiating crew forgot to change the down during the time out, so when the teams returned to the field all the markers said it was second down. The Buffaloes were again stopped short on a run and Colorado QB Charles Johnson spike the ball to stop the clock thinking it was third down. Colorado scored on the next play, technically a fifth down, and won the game 33-31. Hey, it's not like it was the

.

The game holds additional significance because Colorado didn't lose a game the rest of the season and were awarded a share of the 1990 National Title.

5. I get by with a little help from the fans

Historically, there aren't many teams better than the New York Yankees, but the team has had it's fair share of luck when it comes to bad officiating. Take your pick, whether it was

last year, or the

in the 1999 ALCS. But nothing represents bad calls in the Yankees' favor than a 12-year-old boy named Jeffery Maier.

In the opening game of the 1996 ALCS, the Yankees trailed the Baltimore Orioles 4-3 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. Derek Jeter came to the plate and hit a deep fly ball to right field. Baltimore outfielder Tony Tarasco backed to the warming track and looked like he had a shot at the catch when

and snagged the ball.

The play should have been ruled spectator interference. This means the ball is declared dead and the umpire declares the play either an out or gives the runner an appropriate number of bases. It's likely Jeter would be awarded two bases in replay had existed in 1996.

The home run tied the game and the Yankees went on to an 11th inning victory and an eventual 4-1 series win.

6. Clock keeps ticking

The 1998 Rose Bowl pitted the undefeated Michigan Wolverines against the Washington State Cougars, led by star quarterback Ryan Leaf. The game was close throughout and the Cougers had a long-shot chance at an upset in the final minute.

Down 21-16 with 29 seconds remaining, Leaf and company took over at their own seven. Leaf connected on a long pass to WR Nian Taylor. Taylor was able to get out of bounds at the Michigan 48 with nine seconds remaining. On the next play the Cougers took ran a hook and ladder to get down to the 27-yard line. The clock stopped on the first down with two seconds remaining as the team ran to the line. Leaf was able to successfully snap and spike the ball as soon as the clock started, but the finals second ticked off the clock giving Michigan the win and a share of the 1997 National Championship.

Of course depending on which side your on,

in the team's 2001 meeting with cross-state rival Michigan State.

7. Bulls first reign ended by a whistle

When Michael Jordan was in the lineup the Bulls won six championships in the 1990's, but people forget that Chicago was still a pretty damn good team when Michael took a sabbatical to play minor league baseball. Led by Scottie Pippen, the Bulls finished 55-27 and third seed in the Eastern Conference.

Chicago made short work of their first-round playoff opponent, sweeping the Cleveland Cavaliers. This set up a second-round matchup with the New York Knicks. The teams split the first four games, both teams protecting their home court.

In Game 5, Chicago was poised to steal one at the Garden and head home with a chance to close it out. The Bulls lead by one with seconds remaining. The Bulls crowded the lane and forced Knicks point guard John Starks to kick out to Hubert Davis on the perimeter. After Davis released the shot he was glanced by Scottie Pippen. The borderline foul was called and Davis sunk the free throws allowing the Knicks to escape with the win and eventually the series, snapping the Bulls reign as three-time champions.

8. Hull pockets Cup winner in Hasek's crease

Before the 2000 season the NHL was very strict about players being in the goalie crease. Countless goals were overturned during the season when officials determined even a toe was in the crease.

But that rule seemed to be thrown out the window in Game 6 of the 1999 Stanley Cup Finals between the Dallas Stars and Buffalo Sabers. In the third overtime, Dallas forward Brett Hull tipped in a rebound past Buffalo goalie Dominik Hasek to give the Stars the series-clinching win. Replays showed Hull's foot clearly in the crease, but the goal was allowed to stand after officials viewed the replays.

The

that even though the shot was a rebound, Hull had maintained possession throughout the play, which allowed him to be in the crease. I'm guessing the entire population of Buffalo isn't buying it.

9. Royal blunder helps KC win '85 Series

The Kansas City Royals were down to their final chance. Trailing the World Series three games to two and trailing the St. Louis Cardinals 1-0 heading into the bottom of ninth inning of Game 6, Royals leadoff hitter Jorge Orta hit a grounder toward first base. The ball was fielded by first baseman Jack Clark who tossed to Cardinals pitcher Todd Worrell for what

.

Instead Orta was ruled safe by umpire Don Denkinger. The call started a chain of events that led to the Royals scoring two runs and winning the game. The Royals went on to demolish the Cardinals in Game 7, 11-0.

10. You call that a throwing motion

Ah,

. Anyone who watches football is familiar with the concept. We can't really blame the official for correctly applying a bad rule, but the Oakland Raiders were screwed out of a Super Bowl appearance in 2002.

The Raiders held a 13-10 lead over the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game. Tom Brady dropped back in the pocket and started to pass when the Raiders broke through the pocket. Brady brought the ball back to his body, even touching it with his non-throwing hand. The Raiders defense jarred the ball loose and recovered what appeared to be the game-sealing fumble.

But after officials took a look at the reply, it was ruled that despite Brady bringing the ball back toward his body, the original intention of his motion was to pass, therefore the fumble was an incomplete pass. New England took advantage of the second chance, tying the game with a field goal in the final minute and winning the contest of the first possession of overtime.