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Although the tone and tenor of this discussion isn't exemplary, I think this raises an interesting and potentially valuable point.
The rules require a team to play 5 available "players," but an individual is not a "player" unless s/he is "eligible" to be a "player." In my humble opinion, an individual is not eligible to become a player if s/he is not listed in the scorer's book. It is up to the coach/school to determine who they want to put in the book (and thus make eligible). If a kid isn't listed in the scorer's book, regardless of whether that kid is in uniform, I am *not* making that kid enter the game.
(As has been alluded to earlier, a team can - at the expense of a T - add individuals to the scorer's book who are then eligible to become players, but I don't think the rules give me, as an official, the authority to force a team to do so.)
Two scenarios: (1) a JV squad member is in her uniform sitting behind the bench and cheering the varsity squad; varsity squad, via injury and disqualification, is down to four players; is anyone making the varsity coach add the JV squad member to her varsity squad, penalizing a T, and making the JV squad member enter the game? [The answer is "No"!]
(2) a varsity squad member is caught driking the night before; the coach won't play that squad member but requires her to sit on the team bench in uniform; coach doesn't list that squad member in the scorer's book; is anyone making the varsity coach add the varsity squad member to the scorer's book, penalizing a T, and making the "driking-suspended" squad member enter the game? [The answer is, or should be, "No"!]
My $.02.
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