Held ball stop clock

[M&M Guy]

Originally Posted by BBall_Junkie

yes you put a fist up because you have a live ball situation. Note in my post early I said "stopped clock" and "dead ball".

In your situation, players are running around and making a play even though the clock is stopped because the ball is "live".

Again, I agree with you, but my point was in the book the signal is officially, "Stop clock for foul", not "Kill a live play and make the ball dead whether or not the clock is running because a foul occured" signal. Perhaps way back in MTD, Sr's day, it was done slightly differently. But today it has evolved somewhat and is accepted that the fist is the signal for a foul, where the clock happens to stop, (if it's not already stopped), instead of the fist being the signal for the clock to stop, where there happens to be a foul. Subtle difference, perhaps? Perhaps the T has "evolved" to become a signal on it's own, rather than a type of foul, like a push or block.

I don't think anyone bats an eye anywhere in this country when an official gives the T signal without "stopping the clock" first, because it has become accepted practice. I personally like that method, because it takes a little bit of the "confrontation" out of the mechanic. Can you imagine blowing the whistle, putting your fist in the air, closing down hard on the player (or coach) while giving the optional bird-dog signal, then giving a good, hard T signal, just like you would on a close block/charge call?