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BGonline.org Forums
Premature roll ruling
Posted By: phil simborg In Response To: Premature roll ruling (Bob Koca)
Date: Thursday, 20 August 2009, at 2:13 p.m.
I have written volumes, for years, about specific rules and why they are ambiguous and why they need to be changed, and I have talked directly with ABT leaders about this, and I have continued to get the same responses...resistance to change.
I could, indeed, write a complete, comprehensive set of rules that would eliminate MOST of the ambiguity and provide excellent guidelines as to how to handle most of the other, and unusual situations that arise, but I have no desire to take the tremendous time and effort to create such a document if there is no assurance that anyone will listen and agree.
In 1965 I was the referee for the National Championship Singles Finals of Handball. It was Jimmy Jacobs against Dave Graybill. Jacobs won. Twice during that match situations came up that were not covered in the rules and it caused problems for all. The next week, I rewrote the rules of handball, submitted them, and they were adopted.
12 years later I became the National Rules Commissioner of Racquetball and I had the support of the Players Association, I completely re-wrote the rules and provided a Guide For Referees which covered how to handle virtually every situation. This guide was not only studied by the referees, but also by the players, as they knew what they could and could not do and what they should call on their opponents in case the referee did not enforce the rules properly. I also wrote a guide for applying the rules when you play without a referee.
5 years later I became National Ethics Chairman for the Commercial Real Estate division of the National Association of Realtors and I completely re-wrote the Standards of Ethical Practice...which essentially is a set of rules for behavior and ethics for realtor. They are in place today, pretty much unchanged.
So yes, I could write a set of rules that would cover almost every situation and ambiguity, but there are three reasons I have not:
1. It's a lot of work, and if there is no reason they would be accepted or adopted, why should I do it? 2. There is much disagreement on many many of the rules as to what the rules should be. So even if I came up with a rule that completely eliminated ambiguity and unfairness relative to the fast roll, for example, many would believe the rule should be written another way. Every time I have proposed language for individual rules such as this, I find myself "attacked" by people who say I am wrong etc. I don't mind people attacking my ideas, but I have found in backgammon we have a lot of people who choose to attack the person. As a result, I tend to attack back when personally attacked or insulted, and it can get ugly. I don't need that in my life...it's just not worth it to me. In handball, racquetball, and in real estate, I was in a position of authority and had the respect of my peers and while some people did not like some of the rules, most appreciated my efforts and skills and I was never personally attacked for my efforts the way I have been by backgammon people. 3. I have made the offer, on several previous occasions, to write a comprehensive set of rules and guidelines that remove these debates and ambiguities, and my offers have always been rejected by the leaders of the ABT. I have even "gone public" with my feelings on this, publishing 2 articles in GammonVillage about what is wrong with the rules and why they need to be changed, and still have not received support except from a few people like Harvey Gilles and Perry Gartner who share my feelings. Without support, I have no interest in making the effort and subjecting myself to ridicule.
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