Team A inbounded the ball to start the fourth quarter. A player from team B tipped the ball away and let the chaos begin. Players were diving on the floor, and the ball was pinballing all over the place. After what I would guess was at least five or six seconds, A1 gets control of the ball in his own backcourt and starts to dribble toward the frontcourt. I finally get a chance to look at the clock, and I notice that it has not yet started. Just as I was deciding to blow the whistle, the clock starts to move. I decided just to let it go. Those eight or ten seconds seem so much less important with 20 minutes on the clock than with 1:00 on the clock. With nothing to count, I did not have specific knowledge, although I didn't even get as far as considering that at the time.
Ultimately, my question is more general. If the clock does not properly start (especially at the beginning of a period or when there is a lot of time left in a period), how long should one wait before blowing the whistle to get the timer's attention? Immediately? Three seconds? Five seconds? Can I get pro-rated pay for the extra time that I had to work?
__________________
Insert cool signature line here!
|