Proposed Rule Change by Wes Peters
NOTE: This is a proposition to change the same rule that Dylan Fettig has proposed, only slightly different.
Thrown balls are live off an opponent’s blocking ball. However, only the initial target who blocks the ball has the potential to be called out (Besides the original thrower if it is ruled a catch).
Should the blocked ball deflect off the initial blocker and hit the ground, any other surface, ball, or player and not be caught by a teammate, the initial blocker is out.
Should the ball be blocked by the initial blocker (touching the initial blocker or not), then subsequently caught by the initial blocker in any manner without the blocked ball touching any other surface, ball, or player, or caught simultaneously using their blocking ball(s), the catching team is awarded a catch and the original thrower is out.
Should the blocked ball deflect off the initial blocker or not, and is caught by a teammate, the catching team is awarded a team catch.
Should the blocked ball deflect off the initial blocker, hits a teammate and they FAIL to catch it, the initial blocker is still out.
Should the next thing the blocked ball hit be a teammate of the initial blocker but it is not caught, nobody is out, the ball is simply dead. (In this scenario, the ball is cleanly blocked into a teammate, without touching the player who originally blocked the ball)
RATIONALE:
I feel as though Dylan’s proposition is too broad, and can be left up too much for interpretation, as well as still a little difficult to referee and leaves room for a lot of potential arguing.
Furthermore, I do not think many people would be a fan of a pinball scenario of your teammate blocking it into you, and you being subsequently called out, potentially without having a chance to react.
With those things said, this rule still accomplishes the main goals of the original proposition, which are to speed up the game, increase the value of blocking, and make the game easier to officiate.
And to clarify what we mean by “speed up the game”, we mean that people will not be as difficult to hit out when they have a ball in their hand, so people will get out more frequently, and scores will (on average) be higher than they previously were. (Aka you’ll actually have a chance to get people like Kevin Bailey out when he has a ball in his hand)
