Re: 24-Second Clock

[Larry Taylor <lataylor@eaglenet.com>]

Joe I've been to games in other arenas (including Philly and Washington) and the clock
is normally shown also on the big scoreboard in the center of the arena.  I haven't
had a chance to get to the new Fleet Center but maybe this would be an easy fix for
the problem.

Joe Urtz wrote:

>         I went to last night's Nuggets game, my first visit of the year to the new
> Garden.  Not a pretty win, but very satisfying all the same.  I was really
> impressed by the play of Denver's Tony Battie, although he faded a bit down
> the stretch.  Early on he drained several perimeter jumpers, as well as a
> pretty flip hook, and was 7 of 9 from the field for the game.  Based solely
> on last night's performance, he looks like a very nice draft choice by the
> Nuggets.
>
>         Now for my pet peeve.  Why isn't the 24-second clock visible to all fans,
> in all sections?  I was seated up in the balcony, across from the Celtics
> bench, in a section that lines up with the base line, if you extend it.
> These are pretty good seats and certainly not cheap ($29).  But the
> 24-second clocks cannot be read from these seats.  I suspect this problem
> exists for a great number of spectators in the mid-court balcony area.  The
> clock on the basket directly in front of me was aimed onto the court, so
> the face was not visible.  The other clock, at the far end of the court,
> was not visible due to glare on the glass that covers it.
>
>         Maybe this is only annoying to me, but I really like to know how much time
> is left on the clock, especially when a play is breaking down.  It seems
> like a pretty important piece of information that should be shared more
> effectively with the fans in attendance.  Here's my suggestion:  Why not
> redesign the 24-second clocks so they display the time on all four sides?
> That way everyone in the place would be able to see the clock data without
> difficulty.  If this is too distracting for some, how about this:  Have
> time information register on the sides of the clock only when there is
> under 10 seconds remaining on the shot clock.
>
>         Remember in the old days, when the 24-second clocks were located on the
> floor, in opposite corners of the court?  That setup had its problems, but
> I think the clocks were at least more visible to fans than they are today.
> Any thoughts out there on this topic?
>
> Regards,
> Joe