Hey, y'all--I enjoy the board, which keeps me on my toes and at my best.

I'm currently finishing my first year on the varsity, which means it's my first year really enforcing the 10-minute rule for pregame book stuff (for right or wrong, we generally are fairly lax about this at JV level and below--sometimes they don't even have 10 minutes on the floor before game time!) As a result, I'm still not accustomed to administrative stuff.

So I'm the ref a couple of weeks ago for a varsity game, head across to the table at 12 and a half, and there ain't no book there. Talk to home coach--he says "she's usually here in plenty of time...I don't know where she is." The JV game was fairly fast, so we're on target to start our varsity game at 7:55 instead of 8.

Ignoring what I actually did for a moment, I'd like to know what you would do. Here are five possibilities that various experienced refs have given me:

1. Stop the scoreboard clock. Wait a minute or two for the book. Check it. Restart the clock from there. No T.

2. Same as #1, only when you restart the clock, restart it at 5 minutes instead of 10 to make up for the lost time. No T.

3. Declare that the visiting book is now official, and tell the home coach to get his lineup in there. No T.

4. You don't want to start the game with a T. Reset the clock for a higher number (perhaps for our scheduled starting time).
No T.

5. A rule's a rule. T them if the book ain't there on time.

ALL OF THESE are choices my experienced colleagues have given me! Which would you do?

Paul

[This message has been edited by Paul in Seattle (edited February 06, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Paul in Seattle (edited February 06, 2000).]

Paul,
#1 we do not start our games before the listed start time. If we do the parents are upset.

#2 no resetting of the clock and no 'T'.
Have the coach find another book and quickly, or use the visiting team's book. If it takes the full ten minutes to get a book and enter the names then do it and check the book when it is finished, even if the game has to be delayed.

#3 if necessary use the scorer from the J.V. game to keep the book, but to not wait for their regular scorer. She is late and the game should not be delayed.

We here in Fairbanks supply the scorer and timer for High School games. Sometimes we have an overtime and the minute the previous game is over the clock is already counting down from 15 minutes and the scorer is trying to copy the lineups into the "Official Book" so when we hit the 10 minute mark we check to see if the book is ready and if not we have the timer sound the horn when it is and we take care of the book then. Some Schools have a team reps put names into the book others don't, they figure we are paying you so you do it! Once the book is finished the "R" take's it to each coach to check and make sure no errors exist, and ask if the uniforms are legal and worn properly. Get the captains at 3 and the rest is elementary.

No "T's" and no fuss.

Good luck

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Don

I would declare the visting book official, no T , no stopping..

Make sure both lineups are in at 10

I don't have my rule book with me. However, I was thinking the requirement is both have to submit the lineups and starters. Is the visiting team responsible for entering into the book?

I don't know if this is the case in your circumstance, but we have a couple of coaches in the area who are notorious for screwing around with the scorebook before the game. Things like putting in 6 starters, "forgetting" to put the numbers down, "forgetting" to mark the starters, one guy went as far writing down only the first names. Then they all just kind of "play dumb"
when approached by the official and get all apologetic, and sometimes still act like they're distracted by something and try to screw around a few more minutes before they make the corrections. I can't help but think that if someone would T them up once or twice that this crap would stop. Maybe talk to the other officials in the association to see if this is the case and everyone will know if it continues to happen. I agree though that if it is just an isolated occurence that I would hate to see a T for something like this.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial, Geneva">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Paul in Seattle on 02-06-2000 05:38 PM
4. You don't want to start the game with a T. Reset the clock for a higher number (perhaps for our scheduled starting time).
No T.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Hey Paul, glad to hear that you got moved up.

Any one of the prior answers would work, but some of them wouldn't be too popular. I'd probably reset the clock for the 8:00 start time, and instruct the coach to find a book as quickly as possible.

If he can't find one, I just made the visiting book official.

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Brian Johnson

I vote for option #6 (to the original problem). -- The requirement is to give rosters and starters to the scorer at least 10 minutes before the game. SO, have the teams do that -- put a roster with starters marked on the scorers table. Requirement met.

(I'd also reset the clock to the announced starting time of 8:00).