Bait Alert! Bait Alert! JR's fishing. :)

No, actually I'm not this time, Nevada. Everybody seems to be using this new catchphrase- "game interrupter"- but I still haven't seen a logical explanation of whatintheheck a "game interrupter" actually is that makes any kind of sense to me.

Every time you blow your whistle, you're interrupting the game. So....why are <b>some</b> whistles supposedly good and <b>other</b> whistles bad? And where can I read the list which tells me which ones are supposed to be "good" and which ones are supposed to be "bad"? Aren't violations <b>violations</b>? And if they aren't, why would anybody call anything? :confused: I know that you might use a l'il judgment on certain violations as to whether you're going to call them or not--i.e. 3 seconds, 10 seconds for the FT shooter, an elbow or punched ball with nobody near, etc. Are those the game interrupters that are being talked about, and does that mean that you should <b>never</b> call them? And....aren't fouls <b>fouls</b> too? And, again, if they aren't, then why would anybody call anything? :confused: I always thought that that you just decided whether you had a foul or incidental contact, and tried to be consistent in your judgment. Apparently that's completely wrong. Do you now have to decide <b>what</b> fouls should be called too? And <b>when</b> they should be called?

Again, could someone please enlighten me?

I was thinking the same thing.

The only problem with having a patient whistle is ball-watching is very popular. This leads to people calling out of their area. One thing I always talk about in the pregame is "ordinary, average, everyday, happens all the time, several times a game" drives to the hoop on the C's side of the basket. IMHO, those plays are not good double whistles and it happens too much. If an official is exercising a patient whistle, the lead could end up blowing the whistle on a play the C was going to pass on.

I think he term is meant to refer to whistles that do not need to be blown.

A totally random analogy

Let's say you are cutting the grass and your wife stops you to tell you she is going to the store to get you some prune juice. That is OK. She goes (to the store), comes back and stops you again to tell you she is going into the bathroom because she drank the last of your prune juice earlier. Wouldn't you think she could have went to the bathroom and let you continue cutting the grass. :D

No, every foul or whistle that is called is not a "game interrupter". A game can still flow in spite of violations and fouls. Of course there can be no "game interrupters" and still be no flow. I think that everyone would agree that a game that has a good flow to it is more enjoyable and easier to officiate. To give you a definition of a game interrupter would be impossible - it really depends on the game and the call.

By rule, you could probably have and and-1 on almost every play inside. Do you call them all? Gosh, I hope not. Most of those would probably fall into the category of a game interrupter. Illegal contact that doesn't effect speed, rhythm and balance could be considered a game interrupter. Again, you'll notice all of these COULD be game interrupters. There is not a standard definition - game situation, type of foul, position on the floor, score and the flow of the game all go into what can make a foul a game interrupter.

tomegun, I think you are basically correct - more succinct than I was. Hope that makes the situation even more cloudy! LOL

Q. What are you after you drink 10 bottles of french wine?

A. European (sound it out)

You are arguing over game flow?
 

Could some of this conversation be about more minutiae than any in recent history?

Peace

If arguing about game flow and what constitutes an interruptor is minutiae, I'd hate to see what is really important.

OMG, you think discussing game flow is minutiae? I actually think that flow is one of the more important things a young official can learn! We have a thread talking about holding a whistle in your hand rather than using a lanyard and you call THIS minutiae? What do you call that thread then?

I also think tomegun's thoughts about his wife interrupting him from cutting the grass and stopping on the way to the crapper very important!

Will you relax please. Lighten up Francis.

BTW, if you feel it is the most important thing, then you must be a rookie official. Of course it is nice to get some flow, but that does not mean it is my main concern. My concern is to be as consistent from start to finish. If you have to call 50 fouls, then you have to call 50 fouls. Flow is one of the last things on my mind because it largely has nothing to do with the officials. I cannot tell the players to throw the ball out of bounds, commit obvious violations or knock people on their behind every time a team has the ball.

Maybe flow is important to you, but it really is not that important to me.

BTW, I was joking with you. This is why ":D" was apart of the post.

Peace

I'm light - just that I've thought that about other threads and kept my mouth closed. I didn't say THE most important thing. One of the more important things. I say that because younger officials don't allow a game to flow because they feel the need to call every violation, every foul, every every thing they see. So, I do think it's important to learn what flow is in a game. A buddy of mine had a 3rd year in a varsity game the other night and the kid had a great 1st half - but managed to call 14 fouls in the 3rd qtr! Not that I think my buddy was right - but he did give the kid a barage of Fbombs during intermission and then in the car after the game. (Again, I'm not agreeing with his actions - just giving the facts.) That kid needed a lesson on game flow.

I'm not upset dude - I love this stuff. Not a rookie btw. FYI, it's Larry not Francis.:D

Why do you feel that 10 second violations by a FT shooter shouldn't be called? :confused:

I'm not saying they should never be called - Honestly? I've never even seen that called let alone called it myself. I do remember getting to 10 once and going back to 6 and the kid got the shot off before 10. I said something to the coach as I went by the next time and it wasn't a problem after that. I tend to give slow counts on 3-sec., 5-sec. inbounds and held ball, and 10 sec back court counts. I'm strict on the 5 and 10 sec. calls but I still count just a hair slow. On 3-sec. I tend to try to talk them out of the lane. If they won't listen, I'll bust 'em. Again, the FT violation is the one I've never seen called or called myself. Have you?

1) Oh.....OK.

2) Hmmmmm. I was always taught that contact that doesn't effect speed, rhythm and balance was supposed to be deemed as being <b>incidental</b> contact and <b>not</b> illegal contact.

Ah, wise words......

You must be a USC fan.

I agree completely. The players dictate the "flow". They also commit the "game interrupters". All the officials do is call 'em, hopefully equally and consistently.