Is half a book better than none.
 

Only in middle school could this happen(?) :p

There is a middle school in our league that for some reason keeps a running score for its own team only and nothing for the visitors. Last year during the boy's season, I ended up being designated official scorer because of it when we played there. I'm expecting the same this year since we visit them for a girls game on Friday.

Anybody else ever seen anything this <i>unusual</i> as a referee? :D

Unusual? Never have. Equally useless, but rooted in incompetence? Sadly, yes.

9th grade game, played at a middle school (could this be the tie that binds?). Before starting the second half, the clock operator told us he didn't know how to reset the team fouls on the scoreboard. So, we soldiered on without accurate team fouls on the board. Somewhere in the 3rd quarter I asked the book how many team fouls we had. He looked at me like I was from another planet. He wasn't keeping track of fouls. At all.

I'd have to go dig back in my journal to find it, but there was a whole litany of stuff like this we discovered as the game went on. A comedy of errors, but it wasn't really funny. :rolleyes:

That was the day I learned that a Jr. High scorekeeper/clock operator will always answer yes to the question, "So, you know how to do this, right?" I don't even bother with "trust but verify." I now assume they are lying and proceed accordingly.

Oh I've seen this before. I've gone to schools as a coach and as an official where the home team said either "we don't have a scorebook person" or "we only have a student to keep the book and they've never done it - can we use your scorekeeper as the official book?"

No to half a book - yes to someone else doing it.

Our local kids rec league uses parents - one from each team (and it's a league rule to have one from each team) - to run the clock and work the book. We ask for "volunteers" before the game starts. If one from each team doesn't come down to the table, we tell them we won't play the game. That threat hasn't failed yet.

Of course we sometimes get people who have no idea what they are doing, but we quickly show them how to just keep personal and team fouls plus the running score and timeouts. We tell them they don't need to track individual points because we don't care. That makes it a lot easier. The clock person has to only start/stop and keep the team points and quarters. That's pretty easy also.

BTW - I usually tell the clock person that I'll only yell if they forget to start it, but if they forget to stop it and let it run, that's OK. I also tell them they'll get out on time, because I don't allow overtime. ;)

MS game last year. No one can find the proper cord to operate the clock.....

Time is kept on a watch and score is kept on a white board.....argh!

My first year ever in volved in basketball, I was a 6th grade manager for my CYO team. Coach arranged a home and home scrimmage for our 10 non-starters.

When we went to their place, their gym was so small that the free throw and half court circles all interesected. They had no scoreboard - they used an old football clock and a bike horn. I think they had some bulletin board where they put the score.

On the way back home, one of the kids on our team was telling whoever was driving "If they join our league, they better get a scoreboard!" :p

That happened to me last season! We're the road team, home team scorer is not present and host varsity coach asks me to do the official book. These kind of situations tick me off because it does not take that much time or effort to train a table staff that knows exactly what they are doing. I've seen more situations of game management having problems in 3 years of volleyball than 5 years of basketball.

I had a MS Girls game last year where we were away. I have our A & B rosters pre-printed out so I can hand a copy to the home scorer and let them copy it as I get their line up. Well, at this game, the home coach has the book in his hand and spends most of the warmup time socializing with the officials. Right before game time, he expects me to copy our full A & B rosters in <i>his</i> book. Needless to say, I said no. Why I should do his work if he's gonna waste his time? :P

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As for today, sure enough, the home team only had sheets for their team. Luckily, I was prepared. Aside from having a timer who seemed to dislike blowing the horn for subs, and some issues with the officials mixing up the AP arrow, everything went smoothly otherwise.

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And SCal, I agree. At our first home game, I reminded our timer (PE teacher that has done it all 3 years I've been at this school) about the revised horns for timeouts/foul-out replacements and the new rule on throw-ins, so we could both be on the same page. The key is to have two knowledgeable people who can back each other up.

Arrived early to call jr. high games one night and was talking to the guy who was to be the clock operator. He asked how many fouls until we shoot 1 & 1. I told him 7. He said, "Okay, so will you tell us when or do we need to keep up with it?"

Also during today's A game, the nearer official called a foul within the opening minutes of the second half (the first foul of the half) and asked if we were shooting the 1-and-1 yet? <img src="http://www.runemasterstudios.com/graemlins/images/ack.gif">

He asked again after the next foul, so I replied "No - we start over at the half." I guess the lightbulb turned on at that point, because he didn't ask after that.

I concur.

I know you can cur. I've heard you. It's not pretty. :p

I never said it was! You don't have to look. And if you do it again, I'll get a restraining order!

I'd rather have you restrain me yourself - but not until I get the fishnets on. :p