View Single Post
  #185 (permalink)  
Old Fri Aug 14, 2009, 12:39pm
KWH KWH is offline
Small Business Owner
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Portland Oregon USA
Posts: 520
Post Never let the rule book get in the way of a good football game!

So Alf (aka, AJMC), and his special alter-ego cousin Adolf (aka, ASDF) are working a huge saturday morning Pop Warner 3rd/4th grade tilt, score is tied at 0-0 with :30 remaining in the contest when the play in the original post of this thread occurs. Alf and Adolf let the play run its course and then prior to the extra point they put there heads together to share their respective gray matter. They both approach the coach of the scoring team, Alf tells the coach "we have an incomplete pass" while Adolf says "we have illegal partcipation". The coach says, "but wait, those are two distinctly different rulings, what rules are you basing these on on?" Both Alf and Adolf respond in unision "We use common sense and logic!" The coach says, "Well I have a rule book, an article in Referee Magazine, a case play in the Redding Study Guide, and we ran they play by our NFHS State Rules interpreter all of whom say the play is legal"! Alf responds with; "Well thats their interpretation!" Then Adolf adds, "But coach what you don't realize is, Officials must have a football sense whIch SUPERSEDES the techincal application of the rules so that the game goes smoothly, and the technical application of this rule (interpretation) in the way you suggest, will ensure that your game ceases to run smoothly. The coach responds with, "Huh"? Alf, wanting to hurry the game along adds, "You see coach we have to use common sense and logic!" The coach looks Adolf right in the eye and says, "It sound to me like you two just make sh*t up as you go along!" To which Alf replys, "Well thats your interpretation;, let me give you another interpretation coach, You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear", and your interpretation is just plain dopey, and makes no sense. As long as we are dressed up in these uniforms we must be prepared to rationally defend, explain or apply any logic or functional purpose related to the game of football to, and we must remain somewhat ill equipped to render dependable judgments"!
The coach takes a step back and says, "I've learned a long time ago, when something absolutely can't be explained rationally, it just can't be right, no matter who tells you so, or how loud they tell you. I'm comfortable defending my position, and when asked to explain it, have no trouble making sense of it. Can you?" Alf looks to Adolf, then back at the coach and says, "Huh"?

After the game is over the coach approaches both Alf and Adlof and hands them a rule open to this (applicable) rule:
RULE 2 SECTION 37 - RULE
A rule is one of the groups of regulations which governs the game. A rule sometimes states what a player may do, but if there is no such statement for a given act (such as faking a kick), it is assumed that he may do what is not prohibited. In like manner, a rule sometimes states or implies that the ball is dead or that a foul is involved. If it does not, it is assumed that the ball is live and that no foul occurred. If a foul is mentioned, it is assumed that it is not part of a double or multiple foul unless so stated or implied.
__________________
"Knowledge is Good" - Emil Faber

Last edited by KWH; Fri Aug 14, 2009 at 04:03pm. Reason: I got Adolf confused with Alf...