Machine Politics vs Beaver Boys, May 2011. Photo by Bruce Carver
Simple series of questions:
Is it wrong to put your front wheel into the mallet of someone tripoding in goal? It's one thing to take space by putting your wheel between their bike and their mallet so they can't tripod, but I mean intentionally hitting the mallet with your wheel. Like a wheel shot, but you want to hit their mallet out of their hand or off the ground.
Is it wrong to put your front wheel into the malelt of someone dribbling? Imagine that I'm shuffling the ball up court, it's right on my mallet head and a defender puts his wheel into my mallet, making me lose the ball. More importantly, if I'm dribbling the ball and a defender puts his wheel over my mallet head and foots down, I'm obviously shouldn't have to tap because I didn't initiate the contact. Yeah, it's wrong to attempt to get the ball and put your mallet under someone's wheel, but if you already have the ball, you shouldn't be penalized for their wheel going over your mallet.
Yeah running by the goalie and basically running through their mallet is tempting. I've done it and something about it feels wrong like I'm violating their space. I'm not sure it has the desired effect either. I don't think I'm going to do it anymore. I hadn't ever thought of the "like contact" rule but it makes sense.
Like contact only, Pete.
Yeah, Pete. Don't be a dick!
Using the front wheel to block mallets from touching the ball is very much part of maintaining possession.
Riding over someone's mallet head is a tough call. If both players are moving it often results in a crash, I've been both the crashee and the crasher many times. It should be a foul since either way it's unpleasant. I think normal here is the players hug and the crashee gets possession. So yeah, on defense it maybe should be a foul to put your mallet head under a front wheel no matter what.
You can whack at the top of my front wheel all day long if you like.
i don't see much room for debate here. lucky said it, like contact only. smashing into someone's mallet with your bike is a dick move, and shouldn't be allowed.
smashing into someone's mallet with your bike is a dick move
so is planting your mallet in front of someone's wheel and expecting them to wait for you to move it. i think it's entirely situational and pretty easy to spot who the guilty party is.
but if it's reasonably within the course of play (i.e. you're going for the ball, making a defensive play or circling around to face a play) then i'd say riding through a tripoded mallet is totally legit. and if someone can't maneuver around you to avoid your wheel getting between them and the ball, then it's your ball.
i recognize that this could degenerate into a regional rules debate, but i fail to see how bike on mallet is any more legal than mallet on bike. if you're blocking someone's path with your mallet and not giving them adequate time to stop, well, what will be will be, i can concede that. having said that, if running over a person's mallet can be avoided, then it should be. bulldozing is boring, it's bush league, it's no fun. wanting to circle to face the play is not reason enough to potentially hurt someone or damage their equipment.
so you and I get in the corner and i reach over and set my mallet beside your wheel. don't you dare move your wheel into my mallet. but i will just leave it there and keep you tied up.
ahew!
yeah this is exactly the kinda thing I thought was dumb, but people hate getting a mallet under their front wheel too.
mallets are so moveable. who gets their mallet run over by a wheel when they're stationary? wouldn't you just pull the Lucy holding the football for Charlie Brown maneuver?
either you run over it and don't worry about it, or look em in the eye and say "can we play now?"
Amen to that. Playing someone in the corner is perfectly fine and legal, but a stupid waste of time. Let the ball get out of the corner and then play for it. (Note: SF plays with 90-degree corners that suck the ball in. Someday...)
how we play is if you dab because someone's mallet gets stuck under your wheel, you are still up.
this keeps people from doing it intentionally.
but if you trip yourself with your own mallet, then yeah... go tap back in.
around here if you mess someone up and it was your fault, you make sure they're alright then tap back in with em'...or you're a jerk and people groan when you show up for pickup...
intentional mallets under wheels shouldn't fly anywhere, own mallet or dragging someone elses mallet under your wheel should result in hilarity and some foolish grinning while you sheepishly head to mid-court and tap in :) hehe
none of the scenarios you described sound illegal to me. you can ride your bike wherever you want as long as you're not t boning someone, and that includes between their mallet and the ball/ground. personally i find that my mallet is much more effective for stealing the ball and footing goalies, but to each their own i guess.
if someone runs over your mallet and you foot down then you gotta tap out, doesn't matter who initiated what.
i can imagine scenarios where wheel/mallet interaction could be considered unsafe or bullshit play. i'd have said that it would fall under the "don't be a dick" rule, but apparently we're not playing by that one anymore because it's unfair to all the dicks.