How about two-minute warning for arrival of spring?

Today’s questions:

Why do National Football League games require a two minute warning at the end of each quarter of play?

The two-minute warnings come at the end of each half, not each quarter. Be grateful for that. The games drag along long enough as it is.

Did you know the average NFL game lasts three hours and 12 minutes, but that during that time the ball actually is only in play for 11 minutes? The rest of the time is taken up by time outs, huddles, penalties, replays, concussions, commercials and so on.

Years ago the official game clock was the one carried by one of the officials. The stadium clock was there more or less just for show.

So the officials would issue the twominute warnings so players and coaches would know exactly just how much time they really had left.

In the 1960s, the new American Football League started using the stadium clock as the official clock and the practice stuck after the merger with the NFL because it added a level of excitement to the game and because it gave advertisers that much more time to sell stuff. Why doesn’t the zodiac begin with January?

The lady who left this question on my voice mail seemed very serious about it and also went on to say nice things about this column so I am going to refrain from my usual rant and rave about astrology being a lot of superstitious hooey.

That would be rude.

The zodiac used in western cultures begins in March with Aries because the ancients who actually believed in this balderdash and who were much more closely attuned to the rhythms of nature than we are today believed spring, and not the dead of winter, to be the beginning of the new year.

Have a question for Clay? Reach him at 602-444-8612 or clay.thompson@arizonarepublic.com