Perusing the FED Case Book, I came across this play:
Quote:
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5.1.1 SITUATION H: A ball thrown wildly to third base touches a photographer who is standing (a) inside or (b) outside the designated media area. RULING: In (a), the ball is dead immediately. In (b), the ball remains live. The photographer shall be instructed to remain in the designated media area. (1-1-7; 2-2-3; 5-1-1o)
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Say what?? Why wouldn't 8-4-3k be more appropriate here? Shouldn't a photographer outside of his/her designated area be considered a de facto spectator, and the ball be killed immediately, allowing the umpires to award runners any bases they judged appropriate? I have a hard time allowing the ball to remain Live when a bonehead photographer affects play outside of his/her box.
The Definition of Blocked Ball also comes to mind, since the live ball is "touched...by a person not engaged in the game".
I've seen situations where a photographer will pick up his/her gear to move from one designated media area to the other, with total disregard that play is still Live. I've never seen him/her affect play, but it's quite possible. What if there's a pop foul near the area, and the photographer, thinking he/she needs to vacate the space to allow the fielders a chance to make the play, does so and inadvertently hinders the fielder most likely to make the catch. I guess from the implication of the case play, this is treated as no harm, no foul, right? That doesn't seem correct, in my mind.