Strange Choreography at the Big Dance

Want a sign that Division I college basketball coaches are out of control? Check out the Times story today on the elaborate rituals of timeouts in big time games.

Coaches now script their timeouts. They have assistants whose sole job is to bring chairs out onto the floor for players. Like a dance card, they dictate where everyone should sit. And they are taking their players further and further out onto the floor, to avoid prying eyes. In the words of Asterix, "These Romans are crazy."