Here's one that more-or-less resolved itself, but could have been a real problem in other circumstances.
Cool, but completely dry evening. If fact, cool enough that the players didn't sweat a lot. 2/5, B-30, 5:00 (2), both clocks running. A=7, B=28. The succeeding spot is on the hash mark nearest Team A's sideline. Team A is at the line, preparing to snap. Suddenly, seemingly from out of nowhere, a football (not the game ball) comes flying out from Team A's sideline, initially in flight low to the ground, then landing at about the bottom of the numbers and bounding toward the hash mark. What the hell?
Is it a ball that got away from some players warming up?
Was a ball boy fartin' around and lost control of a ball?
By the nature of how the ball came flying out and bounding with force, those seemed unlikely.
So what else was possible? Did someone throw a ball out there to stop the snap count? Why? It was their own team. What else could it have been?
About this time, the crew hears a comment - from somewhere unidentifiable - about needing to change the ball, because it is wet.
The clock gets stopped. The R checks with the U regarding the fitness of the ball that is in the game. Nothing wrong with it in any way. It was one of the balls checked and marked by the R, and it was dry, and completely fit for play. The R then turns toward the A sideline, to attempt to ascertain from where, and how, the extra ball got onto the field. At that point Team A requested a time-out. The request was granted, which, effectively resolved the situation. After all, the only team potentially harmed by this interruption of the snap count was Team A.
Near the conclusion of the T/O, the Team A HC calls the R over and, somewhat apologetically, explains that he doesn't know what that was all about. (Apparently, one of his assistants had thrown the ball out there, wanting to have it put into play in lieu of the ball that was in the game, under some mistaken belief there was something wrong with the ball in the game (wet?).) After using some unflattering descriptions of his assistants, and acknowledging that such stupidity cost them a timeout, he said, "Sorry," and went back to his sideline.
The disparity on the score of the game grew larger, but there was no further incidents of any kind, and full cooperation from that sideline (actually, both sidelines) the remainder of the game.
But, I wonder what might have happened, had it been a close game at that point, and Team A didn't pre-emptively request a T/O. The crew would have little choice but to impose some type of penalty. Bur what penalty? Delay of game? Maybe, but that really doesn't fit anything described in Rule 3. More likely, they would have had to impose a penalty for UNS, under 9-2-3-c.
The crew was glad it didn't come to that.
Interesting.
Robert
