Blarge administration

[Rich]

Originally Posted by constable

Blarges drive me nuts. Call your primary. Give up the call if it's a drive going away from you into the other official's primary. Raise your hand with a clinched fist. Eye contact on double whistle. Determine which foul came first and ignore the other one,unless flagrant or intentional.

How tough is that?

I never thought it was hard until a partner and I had a blarge last season in a juco mens game. 23 years and it was a first. Hopefully, it will be the only one.

I was the lead and the foul happened right in front of me in the lower half of the center of the lane. Not sure why the T jumped in on it, to be honest -- it was a no-brainer block, too, as a secondary defender slid under an airborne shooter. Partner sold it so poorly I didn't even realize he had called anything until it was too late. I'm not sure I would've ceded to his charge call had I seen it -- it was the wrong call made by the wrong official -- why should he get that wrong call to stick just cause he's quicker to the gun? The C came to me during a timeout and told me it was probably the easiest block to call and somehow the T got it wrong.

In an NCAAW game, I would've been able to have the right call (a block), but I actually liked how the rule tied my hands and left both coaches grumbly rather than one happy and the other seething. After a quick explanation, we had the ball back in play and the whole thing quickly forgotten. Till the locker room, of course.