Offense opens the gate

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

I hear you... but I see no rule even remotely related to opening a fence to let it go out of play. Blocked? Equipment? This is an overthrow that rolled into DBT... how do we put the blocked ball rules into this scenario? If I do not allow the offense to benefit from the OP, what rule do I use to support my case when it's protested?

Does the definition of a blocked ball that I provided earlier not already handle this?

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

Does the definition of a blocked ball that I provided earlier not already handle this?

Even if I want to, I can't see how. The fence, while touched or moved by the offense, is under no definition "equipment".

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Even if I want to, I can't see how. The fence, while touched or moved by the offense, is under no definition "equipment".

So this is not a ball that is "touched, stopped or handled by a person not engaged in the game?"

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

So this is not a ball that is "touched, stopped or handled by a person not engaged in the game?"

No ... it's a ball touched by a gate.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

No ... it's a ball touched by a gate.

...that was under the control of an offensive player.

[MD Longhorn]

Originally Posted by NCASAUmp

...that was under the control of an offensive player.

Honestly, I believe that the solution, whatever it may be MUST also cover the case where the player opens the gate and the ball simply rolls out. There cannot be one ruling for cases where it hits this mistakenly opened gate and rolls out, and another different ruling for where it simply rolls out the open gate.

I see where you're trying very hard to go with this, and I respect that. But to me it doesn't fit, and further it doesn't solve the other situation.

[NCASAUmp]

Originally Posted by mbcrowder

Honestly, I believe that the solution, whatever it may be MUST also cover the case where the player opens the gate and the ball simply rolls out. There cannot be one ruling for cases where it hits this mistakenly opened gate and rolls out, and another different ruling for where it simply rolls out the open gate.

I see where you're trying very hard to go with this, and I respect that. But to me it doesn't fit, and further it doesn't solve the other situation.

And I agree with you to a point, Mike. I do. To be honest, I don't think that anything "neatly fits" this scenario. To me, this is not a simple case of "oops, it just went into DBT." The actions of the offense, intentionally or not, caused the ball to exit the field of play when it would not have otherwise done so.