Is That You Charles Dickens ???
 

Adam's post brought up something from the very deep, dark, recesses of my mind, something from forty-seven years ago. Mr. Baumgartner, my high school English teacher, would be very proud of me.

It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done. (Charles Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities)

Now, where are my car keys?

Bang The Drum Slowly ...
 

I'm not sure if I've announced this to the Forum? No more Catholic middle school games for me. Just high school games from this point on. Chronic leg problems and a new Catholic middle school geographic assigning area (farther away than in the past), led to my decision.

Patellofemoral pain syndrome in both knees, and osteoarthritis and a bone spur in my right ankle, have really had an impact on my ability to work night, after night, after night, after night.

Now it's just high school games. A night off a few times a week, a knee brace, a few aspirin, and daily elastic resistance stretching exercises, can keep me on the court.

No matter how much we love officiating basketball, we can't do this forever. We get older and the players stay the same age. It just doesn't seem fair. And I was just getting the hang of this, after thirty-five years, finally.

I don't know about "very rare". You could have an elbow in motion making contact above the shoulders which would be an automatic intentional (at minimum). I could also see a hard push/tackle during rebounding.

While I agree on the elbow (potential) automatic (although the FED stance on this is a little confusing, and NCAA has backed away from it, I think), I've never seen a push during rebounding where even the thought of Intentional ran through my mind.

Intentional fouls are (almost) always contact during a break-away layup, or fouls well away from the ball in the last minute(s) of play.

I don't know, jersey grabs are pretty common.

In a Men's rec league I called an IF on a very unathletic looking player when he decided to throw his hip into the legs of an opponent who had jumped for a rebound.

;)

Or pushing through a screen