Tarp in Live Ball Territory

[AtlUmpSteve]

You never specified a rules set; the "always" is, as has been stated, an NCAA rule, where a tarp on the field in live ball territory a part of the field is a common occurrence, and the ball remains live when it touches that tarp unless the ball becomes lodged or otherwise unplayable. Players can lean on or elevate off the tarp, as long as they do not put a foot on the tarp. If they put a foot on the tarp, it is not a catch by rule.

The primary reason to not draw a dead ball line around the tarp is that the line is 1) unforgiving, and doesn't permit reasonable play when it could be made, 2) generates disagreements about catches vs noncatches based on foot placements, and 3) generates even more issues with "catch and carry" rules.

With numerous repetitions with tarps, as well as other strange field configurations generating varying ground rules, I am personally most comfortable with trying to keep playable balls live whenever possible, as long as the defense isn't disadvantaged, and letting the players play, and the ball bounce as it will, rather than defining unnecessary base awards.