[Jurassic Referee]

Originally posted by Nevadaref

JR,
IMO this is a pretty silly argument. You have something that is part of the court/playing environment, which does not meet the specifications in the rules, but yet you choose to adopt the attitude of "I'll fix it later."

My opinion is that if any playing equipment doesn't meet specifications the game must be stopped immediately. If you allow play to continue, you are not playing the contest under the specified conditions.

I think that the reason the rules book doesn't specify when to fix anything is because it is implied that it should be taken care of right away.

I came up with some questions for all of us to think about:
1. After a goal in a boys game, a player points out to you that the ball is a girls ball. Do you wait until the next "natural stopping point" to fix it or switch ball right away?

2. If a successful dunk were to twist a backboard, say 10 degrees, would you stop the game right away?

3. If after a successful dunk at a goal supported by a portable backstop the apparatus were to fold a bit such that the ring lowers to 9' 6", would you wait until play returned to that end of the court to stop the game?

4. During play the lights in the gym dim significantly, but do not go completely out. You can still see, but the lighting is certainly not uniform or adequate. Do you play on until the next dead ball when the clock is stopped?

5. During play some kids running around under the bleachers kick the electric cord for the scoreboard causing it to blank out. The control box at the table is still functioning and keeping the time and score, but there is now no visible clock or score for anyone not seated at the table. Do you wait for a violation or a foul to happen to stop the game?

I look forward to everyone's thoughts on these.

Very simple thought from me.Nevada. I gave up reading your response above as soon as I found out that my argument was labelled "silly" by you, while your "opinion" is correct. Well, your "opinion" isn't backed up by anything written anywhere in the rule book that I know of. If you ever do find anything in the rules that will back up your "opinion", or if the the NFHS ever does issue a definitive ruling on this particular play, please let us know. Until then, your "opinion" is exactly the same as mine- just a personal opinion.