The other issue here that Steve doesn't mention is the ability for the
team to ask the referee to move scoring objects under the stray object
rule. As a referee, there is a lot going on during those 150 seconds,
and for the team to ask the referee to move *any* objects "out of the
way" directly interferes with the referee's ability to adjudicate
other things that may be happening on the field at the same time.
(This is especially true where there is one referee per table, like
there was at States this year.) The other consideration is what if the
referee doesn't do move them at all, or doesn't move them in a way
acceptable to the team? Referees are humans too, and make mistakes. I
know, because I did, at States.

I believe that the stray object rule should *not* apply to most
scoring objects (the balls this year are a good example of where the
stray object rule probably should apply) and limited cases where
pieces come off the teams robot by accident/unplanned. Abuse of the
stray object rule should not be an integral part of the teams
strategy, IMHO.

On Thu, Dec 11, 2008 at 11:50 PM, Steve Scherr <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Final analysis--
> Using one time attachments and leaving them in the field is ALLOWABLE (and perfectly fine, IMHO)
> Asking the referee to move or remove dropped attachments is ALLOWABLE
> The referee moving the attachments is ALLOWABLE but also NOT REQUIRED.  If the ref doesn't
> move them, you can consider him/her to be mean, but not unethical or breaking any rules.

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