Thanks, Ed Hochuli

On a normal Sunday during football season, I'm usually checking in on my fantasy football team pretty consistently through the day. This Sunday was a little different. I worked in The Star's booth at the Cleveland County Fair, then afterward ran into a few friends and decided to stay and take in the sights and sounds at the fairgrounds. I'm still regretting a couple of trips to the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Just when I thought my equilibrium was approaching normal Sunday night, a closer look at my fantasy football score made me shake my head again.

Long story short, I have the Panthers defense, which posted a sub-par six points for me. Six should have been 14. Carolina's Richard Marshall returned an interception for a touchdown (the pick and TD would have been eight points for me) on the opening drive, but it was called back when muscle-bound referee Ed Hochuli (remember him from the Broncos-Chargers game two weeks ago?) nullified Marshall's score by flagging Julius Peppers for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Falcons' quarterback Matt Ryan.

Replays showed Peppers made contact as Ryan released the ball, and appeared to hit him first with his shoulder. As Freedom News Service Panthers' beat writer Steve Reed put it, "the call appeared to be a little, well, ticky-tacky."

I ended up losing my fantasy game by six. Without that questionable call by Hochuli, I win by two and I'm 3-1 and one game out of first in my league. Now, I'm 2-2 and in the middle of the pack. I'm stunned that one play/call, which was insignificant in the outcome of the Panthers' win over Atlanta, changed the outcome of my fantasy contest.

I usually shake off a fantasy loss pretty quick, but I have a feeling this one is going to sit with me for a while. At least the Tilt-a-Whirl hangover wore off.

In case you missed Hochuli's blunder two weeks ago ....

(AP) - Two weeks ago, Hochuli’s missed call helped Denver’s comeback 39-38 win over San Diego.

Denver quarterback Jay Cutler dropped back to pass, the ball slipped from his hand and a San Diego player recovered. But Hochuli, who has refereed two Super Bowls, ruled it an incomplete pass. He later admitted it was the wrong call.

Denver retained possession, scored a touchdown and then won with a successful 2-point conversion.