Dead Ball Technical question.

[BillyMac]

Originally Posted by Adam

This is why I've always been trained that the calling official should not be looking away to see the arrow. Off ball official should glance up if need be, but the on ball official shouldn't look anywhere else until the players are separated.

We almost never look at the table arrow. Here, in my little corner of Connecticut, we're taught, from the get go, to keep an extra whistle in our pocket, and to switch it every time the alternating possession arrow changes.

We're all really good at this. This past week, as the umpire, I forgot (a rarity for me) to switch my whistle after the third/fourth period intermission alternating possession throwin. The next held ball, I felt for the whistle in my pocket, and came out with a direction, and a color. My partner immediately corrected me, and a quick look at the table arrow confirmed my error. With two whistles, and an arrow, two out of three almost always wins. If we have to, we'll throw some memory into the mix.

Also, there's no arrow at the table for all of my Catholic middle school games, the pocket whistle is the official arrow. When my partner and I can't agree, which very seldom happens, we use our memory, and my partner almost always remembers better than me.

Now, I am not suggesting that others use this procedure (When in Rome ...). All I know, is that it's the way we've done things here since 1985 (possession arrow adopted). Rookies are taught that this is the correct "local" mechanic, and they are expected to do it. All 325 of us are expected to do it. Maybe because it works. "If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it" (Thomas Bertram "Bert" Lance, 1977).

Even then, if we still screw up, we just tell the coach that we'll be sure to give him two of the next three arrows, and he'll be totally satisfied.