I'm Center, Table side
Less than a minute into the game. Shooter gets fouled.
TWEET! "That's two."
As I walk to reporting area T walks by, to take my spot, and I mumble, ("I lost the fouler!")
He said, "Twenty."
I turn and report, "Red, 20!"
I turn to give signal to the lane and Lead, who has 'em lined up, looks at me inquisitively. I step in and I hear, "It wasn't her, it was me, from R44. (a Blonde)." I looked at R20 (a Brunette) and immediately realized it wasn't R20.
I said, "Thank you.", and changed my report to the table.
No praw. Just looked really <u>Stooooooopid</u>.

Trail later apologized for giving me the wrong number. I told him to not give it another thought. I was the one that kicked that call, not him. :(
mick


[Edited by mick on Oct 6th, 2001 at 06:27 PM]

Hmmmmm
 

Sounds like you hade a "blonde moment" and didn't realize it! :D

I am glad you eventually straightened out that "Brunette Moment".

That's a lonely feeling. I've done it, too. It's very similar to losing the FT shooter. Oh man, I've done that and I kicked myself. It's that same stooooooooopid feeling. It also tells me that I am not mentally into the game and I need to wake up.

Chuck

Everyone has these problems. To help overcome them we have to improve our Communicationns with our partner(s) at the timeof the call. If we let them know what's happenining we won't get into these embarassing situations. Blow the whistle and then SLOW DOWN!!!!.
Pistol

Been There. Done That.
Habit that I was taught was to call out the fouler and tell him/her what the foul is as soon as I dropped whistle from mouth.
Saying "R44 on the arms" helps plant the seed in your mind.

I like to use the fraction thought. If red 44 whacks white 32, I think "44/32" and say in my mind "44 over 32" while heading to report. Usually works. Helps with feeble minds like mine.

Interesting thought, Clyde.

I, not being an engineer or a physicist like some of the guys here, would have to go with the fraction, 44/32, too.
They could go with 1.38, and only have to remember one number.
mick

Don't be ridiculous, Mick. We can't carry slide rules onto the court to convert the fraction to decimals.

Everyone knows, though, that the fraction should be converted to the lowest common denominator - 11/8

If you haven't had your "blond" moment yet then just wait. I've stepped into the lane and asked, "Who was it that I just called that on?" Usually they are honest enough to tell me.

But 8 isn't a legal number. :)

OK...22/16, to keep it legal. ;-)

oh,, yeah....
 

Tim,
I get those moments.
But they are "White" and senior.... :o
mick

16?

I saw that too, but then I saw the winky face. Ya' gotta watch for those subtle things.

I remember an old Bob Jenkins post where we were having a discussion about numbers and he asked, kind of tongue-in-cheek, if there really were any "illegal" numbers. His point was that by using that terminology, we were kind of escalating the importance of what is just a game.

I agree with Bob. If you think about it, using the terms "legal" and "illegal" is kind of over the back, er, I mean, over the top.

Illegal numbers
 

When was the last time you arived at the gym and noticed that one team had numerous numbers with digits over 5? A quick look and you begin to suspect the team is simply thrilled that someone provided some jerseys. (Granted, this is not a HS varsity game.) The numbers look fine to me!

A couple of weeks ago I arrived for a 7/8 grade doubleheader. The home coach explained that he had a problem; the visiting school only had one team. He wanted to combine his 7th and 8th grade girls so that all could play, but that would mean duplicate numbers. I asked him to swap jerseys or whatever to give us a 22-blond and 22-brunette or whatever. (Turns out he had to keep the book while coaching and saw for himself every foul but one or two. Usually before we could report he had already recorded a foul on "Susan" or whomever.)

It really is a game.

Re: Illegal numbers
 

Yeah, at some of these "lower level" games the kids are
happy to have any uniform. One game the pint sized point
guard had shorts on that were like 3 sizes too big and
of course the drawstring didn't work. I had to tell him
to hike his pants up after I noticed he was tugging them
down even further to get that "look" we all love. Finally
during a dead ball I told the coach next time I see his
pants below his waist the kid's gonna sit. The coach said to
me "come on, you can see how big his shorts are" but as the
kid is walking away from us he's tugging his pants down
again. I just pointed to the kid and said "Yeah, sure
coach". We both chuckled and the coach pulled the kid out.

Re: Illegal numbers
 

One rec league I do has players who have attended tryout camps. It's not unusual for them to wear their jerseys from those camps. Sometimes you have number 97 foul number 126.

That's fun.

In the rec league for which I am on the Board, we require the kids to wear all "legal" numbers and have the numbers on front and back. Of course, we order all the jerseys ourselves. In the past three years, we have gone to reversible jerseys, even though they cost a little more. Prior to that, we used T-shirts. When you have 12 teams in the same grade division, you run out of usable T-shirt colors really fast. For years, I had to do games with Navy Blue vs. Black, or White vs. Light Gray. Of course, none of the boys teams wanted Pink.

One year, we used "pinneys" with numbers if the shirt colors were too close, but the kids really didn't like them and kept getting tangled up in them.

Here's a question for OZ - in FEEBLE, do you use metric jersey numbers? ;)

Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Mark Padgett
[B]One rec league I do has players who have attended tryout camps. It's not unusual for them to wear their jerseys from those camps. Sometimes you have number 97 foul number 126.

That's fun.

In the rec league for which I am on the Board, we require the kids to wear all "legal" numbers and have the numbers on front and back. Of course, we order all the jerseys ourselves. In the past three years, we have gone to reversible jerseys, even though they cost a little more. Prior to that, we used T-shirts. When you have 12 teams in the same grade division, you run out of usable T-shirt colors really fast. For years, I had to do games with Navy Blue vs. Black, or White vs. Light Gray. Of course, none of the boys teams wanted Pink.

Mark,

Back in the day (about 12 years ago), I played on a men's team with several of my buddies. We chose to wear pink t-shirts as our uniform. We wanted to lull the opponents into a false sense of confidence. We got several snickers during warmups but we won the league.

By the way, all of the starters (including me) were left handed. That usually messed with their minds more than the color of the shirts

Are they Numbered jerseys or Jerseys with numbers...
 

Gee, I think that the players (and uninformed coach) really need to know the "letter of the law". Why is one number "legal" and another "illegal"?

Where is Mark T. DeNucci, Sr. to "weigh-in" on this subject? :D


Now, the serious response....
When you have schools laying off teachers and other staff, due to budget constraints, it is necessary to be understanding (lenient) about the uniform "violations". As it was stated earlier. It's just a game.

Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

Well Mark, yes we do. FEEBLE only allows singlet numbers (a jersey is a jumper!) from 4 to 15 (inclusive).

Any other questions ;)

Re: Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

Yeah Duane, what's a "gaol". You mentioned it in one of your other posts. BTW - don't you guys have a "Z" in your alphabet? I know some other former British colonies (other than us, that is) have "strange" alphabets (I consider anything that deviates from what we do here "strange" ;)).

For instance, the Canadian alphabet has 52, not 26 letters. A, A, B, A, C, A, D, A, etc. ;)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

I get it, ay?

Re: Re: Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

Mark, I threw in "gaol" just to confuse you Yanks. It is the "proper" English spelling of jail - although the majority of Australians use jail these days. To be honest, words like jail, realize and color are often being spelt the American way as opposed to gaol, realise and colour. Even at university I was told either was fine, as long as we were consistent.

On a totally different subject - what is the atmosphere in America like regarding the recent military action in Afghanistan? Although we are somewhat removed from events here "Down Under" there has been quite a bit of debate recently as to what is being done, and whether it is the best way to handle things.

Anyway, time for bed for me - I've just worked a 12 hour grave-yard shift and I'm knackered.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

Duane - I don't want to start threads on this subject on this board - there are plenty of discussion boards out there that allow for a much more in-depth dialogue. Just to make a brief observation, however - if you follow the US news media, you probably will see coverage of many peace demonstrators and may think that view is representative of the majority of Americans. It is not. The majority are not causing news and are not getting coverage.

Certainly, I can give you my personal views, insights and observations if you want to email me directly. But let's try to keep this board focused on basketball. I know we got a little off track on the flag patch issue, but at least that was directly related to our role as an official.

BTW - what the heck is "knackered?" I assume it is a slang term for "exhausted." Over here, we might say "bushed", "dead" or "wiped."

Mark,
That's a pretty "FEEBLE" but probably correct response.
Pistol

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Illegal numbers
 

I saw Mark's post on this and I'll echo:

-the overwhelming majority opinion here is we are handling
this in the best possible way. I think Tony Blair put it
best when he said they killed 6,000 but they would have been
just as happy to kill 60,000 or 600,000. Many reasonable
voices are saying the only solution is to just kill all
those who sympathize with the evil that perverts
Islam. Might seem extreme, but think about what has really
happened and it's not far-fetched to envision them going
after our Aussie friends eventually. Feel free to contact
me privately to continue the discussion.

-what the heck is a "knackered"? :eek:

Mission Acomplished!
 

Mark (and others)

I feel that I must advise you (and all other seppos) that I have taken it upon myself to educate you all. Henceforth, I will attempt to introduce one piece of non-American slang or spelling in each post. Maybe there should be a prize to the first Yank to guess the correct meaning? :)

Kanckered - literally what they do to male animals when desexing them (ie castrate). Also commonly used when talking about broken down horses, I believe the processing plants for dead horses was once known as the Knackery (not sure of spelling). Some Aussie synonyms would be: buggered, stuffed or FUBAR'd (I know this is an Americanism but it is commonly used).

Here endeth the sermon :)

Not about basketball, but. . .
 

Like most of the Americans who frequent this board, "knackered" was a new word to me when OZ first used it. But in the last couple of days, I've sort of laughed about how odd it is and read OZ's definition this morning.

Then, in one of those absolutely bizarre coincidences that make life so interesting, I picked up an old copy of "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. I've never read the book, but I had a copy sitting on my bookshelves; a leftover from my father's high school days. I started reading just to see what it was like and came across a speech given by a pig, complaining about the fate that awaits even the most productive farm animal. Speaking to the strongest horse on the farm, he says:

"the very day that those great muscles of yours lose their power, Jones [the farmer] will sell you to the knacker, who will cut your throat and boil you down for the foxhounds".

How wierd is that? Never heard the word in 35 years. Then somebody tells me what it means, and it appears in the very first book that I read after hearing the definition. I know this has nothing to do with basketball, but it was too cool not to share. Of course, I don't get out much, so you might not agree with my sense of "cool".

Chuck

Re: Not about basketball, but. . . quite cool
 

Chuck,
Good story. Neat coincidence!
I picked up "Animal Farm" for the first time at age 48 +/- and totally enjoyed it.
I think I did the Cliff notes thingy the first time.
But, I don't remember the Knacker.
mick

I first read Animal Farm in HS. Of course, HS was much easier in those days; there were fewer states to memorize, all you had to know about geography is that the world was broken up into either British or Spanish colonies, most science hadn't been invented yet, etc.

And, oh, yeah - I had to walk 10 miles to school everyday in the snow - backwards!

Seriously, I enjoy the differences in English slang and customs among the English speaking nations (since I don't speak hardly any other languages, I don't have the same knowledge base of other countries). Living in the Pacific Northwest as I do, I frequently get up to Canada. Besides calling elevators "lifts" and having a different floor numbering system in buildings, my favorite part is being able to legally buy aspirin with codiene over the counter ;)

I think these pills are called "2, 2, 2s". They sure help after a weekend of 8 rec games.

How do they number their floors? I stayed at a hotel in Vancouver, BC a couple years ago and I don't remember it being different. How do they do it?

Chuck

Asprin
 

I need to go to Canada and get some of that kind of pain killer. After a three game night where the Jr. girls game lasted an hour and a half. I could use a good shot of something. Since I am a Baptist strong drink is a no-no. I guess strong pills are okay though. Don't ya just love this board? First night out did 5 games, what a mistake. I was sore all day Saturday, but this week I was off so I'll be ready to go 10/23.

Jerry

I'm not certain about Canada, but in Mexico I've seen buildings with the main floor label "Ground" floor, the next one up would be the "1st" floor. So, a three story building would have floors named ground, 1st, and 2nd. Perhaps Canada has something similar.

On my side of the country getting up into Canada usually
means you're gonna be talking mostly French. Well,
maybe French Canadian. "Par-lay voo fran-say, eh?"

??
 

As the resident canadian authority here. (or one of them anyway), I`ll say that I`ve never heard elevators called lifts before.

I`ve heard them called "ascenseur" but only in the french parts of Canada. Most french people who live in Canada actually call them elevators anyway.

And that`s the way it is, eh?

Ren

Un peu, seulment. <i> Did I do that right?</i>

That's the system we use here in Australia. We also call elevators "lifts" (although the two are interchangable)

To the artist formerly known as OZ - yeah, that's the floor numbering system I meant. The ground floor has no number and the next floor up is numbered "1". Here in the land of infinite Michael Jordans, even if the ground floor has a name, such as "lobby" or "ground", the next floor up is numbered "2".

BTW - in a previous post, you called me (and others) a "seppo". Wasn't he one of the Marx brothers? Oh wait - that was Zeppo. Or maybe, Sneezy? :)

Also BTW - seriously, what's the difference between rugby and rugby union?

OK Mark, a seppo (which I have previously explained) is rhyming slang. Seppo, short for septic tank, rhymes with Yank. Came about during WW1 (or so I have been told). These days it is used almost exclusively to label Australian wannabe americans.

Rugby League vs Rugby Union
1. 13 players (league) 15 players (union)
2. In League each time you are tackled play pauses, you roll the ball between you legs to a player behind you, and then play continues. If this happens 6 consecutive occasions it is a turnover (similar to downs, but the only goal is to score a try (touchdown)).
3. In Union there is no limit to the number of time a team may be tackled. Instead they have "rucks" and "mauls", basically these are all-in tackles. When a player with the ball falls to the ground, they must release the ball backwards, and only players that are standing up may touch the ball with their hands. It sounds complex, but it is hard to explain via writing :)
4. The tactics of league are closer to Gridiron than Union. The main technique is to get territorial advantage using 5 tackles and then punt (or hope that the defence concedes a penalty).
5. Union's tactics rely heavily on kicking and quick ball movement.

Personally I was brought up on League, but have become a convert to Union. If you want to get a feel for Union I can suggest playing Jonah Lomu's Rugby on the Play Station - lots of fun!

But seriously, let me know if you require any further details.

Now a question for you - probably more suited to the Football board, but what the heck. Can any player in Gridiron pass the ball? Would it be legal for the QB to throw say a 20 yard pass to a receiver, for them to run 10 yards and then make another pass (either forwards or laterally)?

football question answered
 

Oz...

There may only be one forward pass during a down. The second forward pass would be a penalty. If the player catching the first pass wants to pass it backwards, toward his own goal line....that is acceptable.

OOPS!!
 

That's not true! Just another myth! :)

There may be any number of forward passes during a down. However, each one most be thrown from behind the LOS.

Re: football question answered
 

Furthermore, any forward pass must occur from behind the line of scrimmage (the point where the ball was place to start the down. A forward pass that is uncaught, is the end of the play. Play resumes from the previous line of scrimmage. A lateral or backwards pass that is uncaught is still live...it is essentially a fumble.

Re: OOPS!!
 

But, I think, that's true in HS ball only. In NCAA and NFL, there can only be one (legal) forward pass per play.

Of course, since I don't officiate football, I could be wrong.

Yes, you are correct. Forgive me, as I always think in NF terms! :)

However, in the NCAA and NF (not sure about NFL) you can have a legal kick and a legal forward pass during the same down. That play has been beat to death on a couple of football discussion boards!

BTW, just a little insight. The word "lateral" is to a football official, as the words "over the back" are to a basketball official. ;)

Lateral
 

Then what is the correct term for what most of us would (incorrectly) call a "lateral"?

Chuck

Re: Lateral
 

Chuck,
Since most of us don't care to talk to football officials, we can call that backward pass a "lateral".
mick

Most people don't care to talk to basketball officials either. :)

When a pass is thrown, it's either thrown forward or it isn't thrown forward. By that I mean, if a pass is thrown parallel to the line of scrimmage or backwards, then it's a backwards pass. The term "lateral" is used by uneducated types such as PA announcers and TV analysts, much like they use the term "over the back."

Funny how we've gone from "Lost the fouler" to backward passes in football! :D