[tomegun]

Originally Posted by nakemiin

This is precisely the point one of the Sports Center commentators made -- you are absolutely right.

Here's a thought -- but don't laugh please.

It seems to me that it would feasible, at least for portions of the game, to have the timing started and stopped automatically. I haven't thought this through entirely but here goes.

Instrument the ball with an identification device, the basket with a "reader", and the end and sidelines with "readers" -- so that when the ball goes through the hoop the clock stops, when it is tossed in across the end line it starts - automatically. When it goes out on the sidelines it similarly stops, and starts automatically when inbounded. Referees would have a device (with whistle?) to stop the clock during penalties, timeouts, etc. You could have a redundant manual system at the scorers table, and when there is a discrepancy between the automatic and manual system of some specified amount (1/2 sec, 1 sec, e.g.) it would trigger a review at that very moment.

Given the capability we have to monitor tennis matches (challenge system electronics) and football (yellow, blue, red lines) this is certainly technically possible. I'm sure I haven't thought about everything, but who knows it might be doable.

I like the progressive thinking, there are problems with the logic. There are many times when the ball could be outside the vertical field of the endline and sidelines, but isn't out of bounds. One of the big stinks (the Clemson coach has moved on) is the fact that with three precision timing devices, someone at the table and use of the monitor this just shouldn't happen.