NCAA rules clinic

[Dakota]

Originally Posted by youngump

I agree. What I can't tell is if you're trying to disagree with something I said or just make a point about how utterly ridiculous the previous NCAA interpretation was.

I'm simply stating I agree with Mike's statement that I quoted.

What is ridiculous, IMO, is how much this notion of "projected substitutions" and "participating in the game" is over-thought to the point that the rules are written in such a confusing and convoluted manner that it leads to all kinds of spurious interpretations by clinicians and application by umpires.

The game naturally has players who are legally participating in the game who are sitting on the bench. Making some kind of convoluted rule to special case a sub/projected sub depending on whether the team is on offense or defense (as NCAA did previously) reveals a lack of understanding of the game itself, IMO.

When the sub is announced to the plate umpire, the plate umpire notes the change on his lineup card, and the change takes effect immediately, with all that implies for future substitutions, re-entries (for those rules that allow re-entry), etc.

What the actual player does at that point depends on whether the team is on offense or defense, and if on offense, where that player is in the batting order relative to who is at bat, etc. None of this has anything whatsoever to do with a "projected sub" or whether the sub is now "participating in the game"... the sub was participating in the game the moment the umpire changed his lineup card.

If the umpire cannot make the change to his lineup at that point because the player currently in the lineup is going to stay there until something else happens in the future, THAT is a projected sub, and that substitution cannot be made until later.