Pregame ball security

I'm a collegiate soccer official. Today was my first pre-season scrimmage/game of the year. It was two D-3 women teams playing. I thought the game went well, everyone stayed healthy, the coaches got some good tape, I worked the rust out of my legs, and no one made an amazingly horrendous plays that required send offs. For a preseason game, this was a win-win-win.

One of the things I was thinking about before the game was ball security. As routine, the home team brought seven balls to the referee area. We asked where the keeper wanted them if they were out of regulation. The captain said 11.5 to 12 if possible. We measured the balls with a single gauge ( a Wilson with a deflation button). Six of the seven balls were light. The regulation ball was 10.2/10.3 (min recommended was 10 PSI). We pumped the remaining six balls to rock hard and then started to let air out. Two tenths of a PSI was about a half beat. Finally we had six balls that were about 11.5

Once we were happy with the balls, we rolled them to the back wall of the referee area and ignored them for the next half hour as we conducted our pregame conference, stretched, got a drink. With six minutes to kick-off, we gave the balls to the work-study ball chasers, and then called captains for coin flip. As I was the Assistant Referee, I kept an eye on the ball chasers. The center referee kept the starting ball with him, and once we determined that Green had kick, we started.

This is how ball security works for a pre-season, meaningless college soccer scrimmage. It is not too tough to maintain a firm chain of custody and security on the balls if anyone gave a damn.

You said you ignored them for a half hour. Not that I care because inflation is meaningless. Anyway, next year we'll here how the Patriots drew their end zone lines 2mm too big, and hear how easy that should be to do with lasers or something.

Millions of things from cleats, to lines, to balls to anything else could be done with precision, but I've yet to hear a good reason that they should be.l, other than some teams will cry.

From the very beginning the proper response to the Colts cry letter is the same response you would expect if a HS coach emailed and said he lost because of .4 psi.

The proper response was "GTFO with that BS." Case closed.

Wouldn't be surprised if the Omissioner* employs a phalanx of armed guards in full SWAT gear to safeguard the pigskin from this point on.

See a meaningless college has more integrity then the multi billion dollar NFL.

What

The

****.

I'm actually looking forward to an elaborate dog and pony show to see if the NFL can deny science. Playing with his balls is probably the best use of the commissioners time anyway.

Kraft should take one ball for each home game, stick a pressure meter in it, leave it there and then put the ball on the sidelines with a camera dedicated on it. Call it the PSI checker or something like that and then periodically show the drop or raise in PSI and the ambient temperature.

8 games worth of data should completely refute the Wells report and embarrass the NFL*

FreeTedWilliams said:

Kraft should take one ball for each home game, stick a pressure meter in it, leave it there and then put the ball on the sidelines with a camera dedicated on it. Call it the PSI checker or something like that and then periodically show the drop or raise in PSI and the ambient temperature.

8 games worth of data should completely refute the Wells report and embarrass the NFL*

Click to expand...

Just one game is all you need to convince someone, otherwise you can show it hundred times and they would still deny it. I sure hope Kraft approves some balls being shown with the pressure drops if not it would be great if some enterprising fans figure out a way to do it during games.

I think the Pats should just record everything they do from now on so incase some whiny ***** team wants to accuse them of something they'll have proof that there was no shady business going on during the games.

FIFA also gives a reference pressure (1 ATM) so that the full range of absolute pressure can be computed.