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Originally Posted by JoeTheRef
I know this Mick, and you may know that I know this. But the very simple mechanic that I am just trying to bring to light is in the Officials Manual. Really, that's all I'm trying to point out. Not trying advocate kicking any rules, but honestly I can think of several situations where I've called a live ball back because I didn't do something that I am required to do or because i gave the wrong information, and one of those is at the free throw. If I gave the wrong information, or didn't give any information and the free thrower has the ball (now live) are we saying I can't blow the whistle and get the ball back to give the information or give the right information? Again, the mechanic is written in the manual and we all already use it, the point was to inform those who don't use it or it or didn't know. Maybe I shouldn't have initially wrote it as an absolute that I would re-set the play, because chances are I wouldn't. I know I read somewhere on this site that "there are no absolutes in this racket"...
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Good call. The rules and mechanics remain merely dynamic guidelines that sometimes change due to a lack of clarity, or sometimes change due to common useage.
Whenever we knowingly deviate from the guidelines, we should have already decided that we "made it right (
for the given situation), but kicked the rule". We have decided to take the heat, if necessary, and we have rationalized that we did the right thing.
We all have different lines (some straight, some bent) with respect to the rules. But it seems more important to make sure we fully understand what the guideline suggests before we deviate from it, based on our knowledge of the written rule, of spirit and intent, and of the level of play.
A few years back, I had a partner [30 years experience, finals ref], administer the ball to the wrong team at 1/2-time and then stop action to give it to the correct team. I was appalled! Was it incorrect? ...YU.P. Was it the end of the world? ...Nope.
