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I've heard some of the more experienced members of my association say that you should blow it dead before the snap and penalize for IS instead of IP. However, given the opportunity to discuss the actual rules with them, I've been able to convince them that you CAN and SHOULD allow for the possibility of a live ball IS, if the kid is not participating (ie leaving the field).
I have always felt it unfair that the defense is susceptible to a 15 yard IP penalty, when the offense (barring a kid running on the field after the snap) is only going to get the 5 yard IS. But the rules as written don't support blowing a whistle for IS at the snap on the defense.
And put it another way... if you do blow it dead at the snap, then you are violating a basic tenet of the rules, and allowing the beginning of the play (the snapping of the ball) to cause a penalty which stops the play. That's just wrong.
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"Many baseball fans look upon an umpire as a sort of necessary evil to the luxury of baseball, like the odor that follows an automobile." - Hall of Fame Pitcher Christy Mathewson
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